For once in my life

"For Once in My Life" is a swing song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Jobete publishing company, and first recorded in 1966. It was written and first recorded as a slow ballad. There are differing accounts of its earliest versions, although it seems that it was first recorded by Barbara McNair, but first released in 1966 by Jean DuShon. Other early versions of the ballad were issued by The Four Tops, The Temptations, and Tony Bennett whose recording was the first to reach the pop charts. The most familiar and successful version of "For Once in My Life" is an uptempo arrangement by Stevie Wonder, recorded in 1967. Wonder's version, issued on Motown's Tamla label, was a top-three hit in the United States in late 1968 and early 1969. The song was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 film See Spot Run and the soundtrack to 2010's Shrek Forever After. Early recordings Miller and Murden wrote the song in 1965 as a slow ballad, and passed it around various singers so that it could be tried out and refined. Among those who, it is claimed, heard and performed the song in about 1966 – but did not record it – are Jo Thompson, a club singer in Detroit; Sherry Kaye, who may have performed it in a musical revue at the Gem Theater;[1] and Johnny Hartman, who turned it down.[2] Tony Bennett Also in 1967, "For Once in My Life" became one of Tony Bennett's more successful forays into contemporary songs. His version of the song peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, (#8 on the Easy Listening survey) and was the title track of his album For Once in My Life. "For Once in My Life" remained in Bennett's concert repertoire into the 2000s. In 2006 Bennett teamed up with Stevie Wonder to record a ballad tempo version for his Duets: An American Classic album, for which Bennett and Wonder received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Bennett also performed it on the Grand Finale of American Idol 6. Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder's version was recorded at about the same time as The Temptations' in the summer of 1967. However, Berry Gordy did not like Wonder's version, an upbeat rendition produced by Henry Cosby. Gordy vetoed the single's release, and the recording was shelved. Billie Jean Brown, the head of the Motown Quality Control department, finally coerced Gordy into allowing Wonder's version to be released in October 1968.[14] Contrary to Gordy's instincts, "For Once in My Life" was a highly successful record, peaking at number-two on both the Billboard Pop Singles and Billboard R&B Singles (it was held off from the number-one spot on each chart by another Motown single Gordy had originally vetoed, Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"). "For Once in My Life", issued by Tamla with "Angie Girl" as its b-side, was later included as the title track on Wonder's For Once in My Life album. Wonder's version of the track is often singled out by bassists as the greatest example of James Jamerson's playing style, with no two bars of music played alike during the whole song; a completely improvisational line that is both melodic and complementary to Wonder's vocal. Background vocals are by The Originals (Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines, Hank Dixon, C.P. Spencer) and The Andantes (Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps), and instrumentation by The Funk Brothers.

For once in my life
Pour une fois dans ma vie
I have someone who needs me
J'ai quelqu'un qui a besoin de moi
Someone I've needed so long
Quelqu'un qui me manquait depuis si longtemps
For once unafraid
Pour une fois sans peur
I can go where life leads me
Je peux aller où la vie me mène
And somehow I know I'll be strong
Et quoiqu'il arrive je sais que je serais fort

For once I can touch
Pour une fois je peux caresser
What my heart used to dream of
Ce que mon coeur autrefois rêvait
Long before I knew
Longtemps avant que je sache
Someone warm like you
Que quelqu'un d'aussi bon que toi
Could make my dreams come true
Pouvait réaliser mes rêves

For once in my life
Pour une fois dans ma vie
I won't let sorrow hurt me
Je ne laisserai pas la peine m'atteindre
Not like it's hurt me before, oh
Pas m'atteindre comme avant
For once I've got something
Pour une fois j'ai quelque chose
But I don't want desert me
Mais je ne m'abandonnerai pas
'Cause I'm not alone anymore
Parce que je ne suis plus seul

For once I can say
Pour une fois je peux le dire
This is mine, you can't take it
C'est mon amour, vous ne le prendrez pas
As long as I've got love I know I can make it
Aussi longtemps que j'aimerais je sais que je peux le faire
For once in my life
Pour une fois dans ma vie
I've got someone who needs me
J'ai quelqu'un qui a besoin de moi