View source for Sir Duke

{{Short description|1977 single by Stevie Wonder}}
{{Infobox song
| name          = Sir Duke
| cover         = Sir_Duke45.jpg
| alt           = 
| type          = single
| artist        = [[Stevie Wonder]]
| album         = [[Songs in the Key of Life]]
| B-side        = [[He's Misstra Know-It-All]]
| released      = March 22, 1977
| recorded      = 
| studio        = 
| genre         = * [[Pop music|Pop]]<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=McFerrin |url=http://www.johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org/wonder.htm#sitkol |title=Stevie Wonder- Songs In The Key of Life |access-date=2018-09-22 |archive-date=2020-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702055424/http://www.johnmcferrinmusicreviews.org/wonder.htm#sitkol |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]<ref name= "Breihan 2019">{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"|website= [[Stereogum]] |date= October 28, 2019 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2062883/the-number-ones-stevie-wonders-sir-duke/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= “Sir Duke” isn’t exactly a jazz song, and it isn’t exactly a Motown-style R&B song, either. It flips back and forth between the two modes...|access-date= July 2, 2023}}</ref>
* [[jazz]]<ref name= "Breihan 2019">{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke"|website= [[Stereogum]] |date= October 28, 2019 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2062883/the-number-ones-stevie-wonders-sir-duke/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= “Sir Duke” isn’t exactly a jazz song, and it isn’t exactly a Motown-style R&B song, either. It flips back and forth between the two modes...|access-date= July 2, 2023}}</ref>
* [[Soul music|soul]]<ref name="Segretto 2022">{{cite book|title=33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999|first=Mike|last=Segretto|date=2022|chapter= 1976|page= 328|publisher=Backbeat|isbn=9781493064601|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jtNtEAAAQBAJ}}</ref>
| length        = 3:52
| label         = [[Tamla Records|Tamla]]
| writer        = Stevie Wonder
| producer      = Stevie Wonder
| prev_title    = [[I Wish (Stevie Wonder song)|I Wish]]
| prev_year     = 1976
| next_title    = [[Another Star]]
| next_year     = 1977
| misc          = 
}}
"'''Sir Duke'''" is a song composed and performed by [[Stevie Wonder]] from his 1976 album ''[[Songs in the Key of Life]]''. Released as a single in 1977, the track topped the U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and Black Singles charts,<ref>{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=[[Record Research]] |page=636}}</ref> and reached number two in the [[UK Singles Chart]], his joint biggest hit there at the time. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the [[Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1977|No. 18 song of 1977]].

The song was written in tribute to [[Duke Ellington]] (hence the name [[Sir Duke]]), the influential [[jazz]] legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer to [[Count Basie]], [[Glenn Miller]], [[Louis Armstrong]], and [[Ella Fitzgerald]]. Wonder re-recorded the song for the 1995 live album ''[[Natural Wonder]]''.

== Background ==
Wonder wrote the song as a tribute to [[Duke Ellington]], the [[jazz]] composer, bandleader, and [[pianist]] who had influenced him as a musician.<ref>{{cite news|title=Top Single Picks|newspaper=Billboard|access-date=2020-07-12|page=68|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-04-02.pdf|date=April 2, 1977|archive-date=2020-07-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712210128/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1977/Billboard%201977-04-02.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Wonder had already experienced the death of two of his idols ([[Dinah Washington]] and [[Wes Montgomery]]) after attempting to collaborate with them.

After Ellington died in 1974, Wonder wanted to write a song acknowledging musicians he felt were important. He later said, "I knew the title from the beginning but wanted it to be about the musicians who did something for me. So soon they are forgotten. I wanted to show my appreciation."

Wonder pays tribute to "some of music's pioneers" in the song: "There's [[Count Basie|Basie]], [[Glenn Miller|Miller]], [[Louis Armstrong|Satchmo]], and the king of all, [[Duke Ellington|Sir Duke]] / And with a voice like [[Ella Fitzgerald|Ella]]'s ringing out / There's no way the band can lose".

Wonder recorded other tributes to people he admired, including the 1980 songs "[[Master Blaster (Jammin')|Master Blaster]]", dedicated to [[Bob Marley]], and "[[Happy Birthday (Stevie Wonder song)|Happy Birthday]]", which pleaded for what would eventually become the [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]] holiday in the United States.

==Reception==
''[[Cash Box]]'' said that "it's a tribute to jazz and roots, with a beat that lies somewhere between jazz and funk, and a horn section that dances on winged feet."<ref name=cb>{{cite news|title=CashBox Singles Reviews|date=April 2, 1977|page=20|newspaper=Cash Box|accessdate=2021-12-26|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-04-02.pdf|archive-date=2021-11-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127200643/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1977/CB-1977-04-02.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>  ''[[Record World]]'' said upon its single release: "Already familiar from its radio play and already on The Singles Chart, it is shaping up as a major hit."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=April 9, 1977|accessdate=2023-02-16|title=Hits of the Week|page=1|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/77/RW-1977-04-09-Error-on-Cover.pdf}}</ref>  ''[[New York Times]]'' critic [[John Rockwell]] said that it's "not Wonder's most compelling song, but nice that it should be so popular."<ref>{{cite news|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2022-06-21|newspaper=Charlotte Observer|author=Rockwell, John|date=June 17, 1977|page=10D|title=Top 10 Singles Are All Eclectic|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104153570/the-charlotte-observer/|archive-date=2022-06-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621140406/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104153570/the-charlotte-observer/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personnel==
*Produced, written, arranged and composed by [[Stevie Wonder]]
*Vocals, [[Rhodes piano|Fender Rhodes electric piano]], and percussion by Stevie Wonder
*Trumpets by Raymond Maldonado and Steve Madaio
*Drums by Raymond Pounds
*Bass guitar by [[Nathan Watts]]
*Lead guitar by [[Michael Sembello]]
*Rhythm guitar by Ben Bridges
*Alto saxophone by Hank Redd
*Tenor saxophone by [[Trevor Lawrence (musician)|Trevor Lawrence]]

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|+Weekly chart performance for "Sir Duke"
!scope="col"|Chart (1977–1978)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite Kent|page=342–343}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|69
|-
{{single chart|Austria|10|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|22|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Wallonia|24|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|1|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|chartid=5242a|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Germany|10|songid=455|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|19|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|24|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Norway|8|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|Switzerland|4|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true|access-date=December 5, 2023}}
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|2|artist=Stevie Wonder|song=Sir Duke|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Stevie Wonder|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|1|artist=Stevie Wonder|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/stevie-wonder/chart-history/asi/|title=Stevie Wonder Chart History: Adult Contemporary|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=December 5, 2023}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|}

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Chart (2014)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row"| South Korea International ([[Circle Chart|Circle]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://circlechart.kr/page_chart/onoff.circle?nationGbn=E&serviceGbn=ALL&targetTime=28&hitYear=2014&termGbn=week&yearTime=3|title=Digital Chart: 2014 Weeks 28 |publisher=[[Circle Chart|Circle]] |accessdate=March 13, 2025 }}</ref>
| 72
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Year-end chart performance for "Sir Duke"
!scope="col"|Chart (1977)
!scope="col"|Rank
|-
!scope="row"|Canada<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5502a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5502a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5502a |title=Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada |website=Bac-lac.gc.ca |date=17 July 2013 |access-date=2016-10-12 |archive-date=2017-08-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802153634/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.5502a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.5502a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.5502a |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|11
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1977.htm |title=Top 100 Hits of 1977/Top 100 Songs of 1977 |website=Musicoutfitters.com |access-date=2016-10-12 |archive-date=2017-08-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803162332/http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1977.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|18
|-
!scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0UEAAAAMBAJ |title=Billboard |page=Front cover |date=1977-12-24 |access-date=2016-10-11 |archive-date=2021-08-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824065752/https://books.google.com/books?id=k0UEAAAAMBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|{{center|43}}
|}
{{col-end}}
==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Sir Duke"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=single|title=Sir Duke|artist=Stevie Wonder|award=Gold|relyear=1977|certyear=1978|access-date=August 4, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=single|source=radioscope|title=Sir Duke|artist=Stevie Wonder|award=Platinum|relyear=1977|certyear=2022|access-date=April 25, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|id=5935-82-1|title=Sir Duke|artist=Stevie Wonder|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2022|access-date=February 18, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://secondhandsongs.com/work/7817/versions List of cover versions of "Sir Duke"] at SecondHandSongs.com

{{Stevie Wonder}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Stevie Wonder songs]]
[[Category:1977 singles]]
[[Category:1977 songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Cashbox number-one singles]]
[[Category:Commemoration songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Stevie Wonder]]
[[Category:Motown singles]]
[[Category:Tamla Records singles]]
[[Category:Songs about jazz]]
[[Category:Songs about musicians]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Louis Armstrong]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Duke Ellington]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of jazz musicians]]
[[Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:American jazz songs]]
[[Category:Vocal jazz songs]]
[[Category:Songs about real people]]