In Square Circle

In Square Circle
In Square Circle
Studio album by Stevie Wonder
Released	September 13, 1985
Recorded	1984–1985
Studio	Wonderland (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	R&B; soul;
Length	46:00 (LP) ; 49:22 (CD)
Label	Tamla
Producer	Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder chronology
Singles from In Square Circle
	"Part-Time Lover"; Released: August 24, 1985; "Go Home"; Released: October 1985; "Overjoyed"; Released: Late 1985; "Land of La La"; Released: April 1986; "Stranger on the Shore of Love"; Released: July 1986;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Robert Christgau	B+^[2]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)^[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[4]

In Square Circle is the twentieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder, released in September 1985 on Tamla Records.^[5] In Square Circle spent 12 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. The album also made the top five on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Pop Albums chart.

Singles

In Square Circle features hit singles "Part-Time Lover" (No. 1), "Go Home" (No. 10), "Overjoyed" (No. 24), and "Land of La La" (No. 86).

Critical reception

Jon Pareles of Rolling Stone claimed "Wonder seems immune to the current epidemic of posturing self-importance, and with his unforced optimism and his no-sweat audio perfectionism, he makes your ears happy, again and again. On In Square Circle, he's as irresistible as ever."^[3]

With a B+ Robert Christgau of the Village Voice found "Compare this to the others in your head and you'll be hard-pressed to specify what's missing, but slap on Talking Book or Hotter Than July and you'll hear how cushy it is--polyrhythmic pop rather than polyrhythmic rock. Stevie's effervescence is so indomitable that it's a pleasure even so, but nothing rises far enough out of the stew".^[2]

Ron Wynn of AllMusic, gave a 3 out of 5 stars rating saying, "Although it went platinum, nothing stands as better evidence of how cyclical the pop experience is than the response to In Square Circle. Wonder actually wrote some superb songs, and several, like "Overjoyed" and "I Love You Too Much," were superior to the hit single "Part-Time Lover." But that one zoomed to the top spot and became the album's definitive tune in the minds of many."^[1]

RJ Smith of Spin called the album, "a pleasant muttering packaged as a Major Statement. Where's the energy and comedy of the man who turns into a mercurial mimic on stage? The lights are on, but nobody's home."^[6]

Stephen Holden of the New York Times declared "Chock full of surging chromatic melodies, powerful dance rhythms and churning synthesized instrumentation, In Square Circle is classic Stevie Wonder in the way it combines extremes of primitivism and lofty spiritual and artistic aspiration. Like all of Mr. Wonder's best records, In Square Circle is an allegorical pop mural whose panels each suggest a different symbolic tableau. Musically, the album is more concise and less experimental than the sprawling two-disk sets, Songs in the Key of Life and the Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. His latest songs are also more consistently melodic and danceable than those on his 1980 album, Hotter Than July."^[7]

Wonder also won a Grammy for the album, in the category of Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stevie Wonder^[5]

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Part-Time Lover"	4:09
2.	"I Love You Too Much"	5:30
3.	"Whereabouts"	4:17
4.	"Stranger on the Shore of Love"	5:01
5.	"Never in Your Sun"	4:07

Side two
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Spiritual Walkers"	5:12
2.	"Land of La La"	5:14
3.	"Go Home"	5:18
4.	"Overjoyed"	3:43
5.	"It's Wrong (Apartheid)"	3:29^[a]

Notes

^ 6:52 on CD and Streaming editions

Personnel

Musicians

"Part-Time Lover"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, synthesizers, drums
Luther Vandross – lead vocal, background vocal
Syreeta Wright – background vocal
Philip Bailey – background vocal
Keith John – background vocal
Melody McCully, Billy Durham, Peter Byrne, Renee Hardaway, Darryl Phinnessee – background vocal

"I Love You Too Much"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, synthesizers, drums, percussion

"Whereabouts"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, synthesizers, drums, percussion
Keith John – background vocal
Darryl Phinnessee – background vocal
Deniece Williams – background vocal
Howard Smith – background vocal

"Stranger on the Shore of Love"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, synthesizers, drums, harpsichord, accordion

"Never in Your Sun"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, synthesizers, drums, percussion, harmonica

"Spiritual Walkers"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer, drums, percussion
Edwin Birdsong – Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer
Larry Gittens – trumpet
Bob Malach – saxophone
Janice Moore, Cheta Akins, Carolyn Garrett, Ruthell Holmes, Kay Gibbs, Valencia Cox – background vocal

"Land of La La"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, synthesizers, electric piano, percussion, drums
Ben Bridges – guitar
Rick Zunigar – guitar
Renee Hardaway – background vocal

"Go Home"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, synthesizers, drums, vocoder
Bob Malach – saxophone
Larry Gittens – trumpet

"Overjoyed"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, background vocal, acoustic piano, environmental percussion (incl.: crickets, bird sounds, ocean, pebbles in pond, stone dropped, crushing leaves), Yamaha CS-80 synthesizer
Earl Klugh – guitar
Paul Riser – string arrangement

"It's Wrong (Apartheid)"

Stevie Wonder – lead vocal, synthesizers, drums, percussion, kora
Musa Dludla, Thandeka Ngono-Raasch, Linda Bottoman-Tshabalala, Muntu Myuyana, Lorraine Mahlangu-Richards, Fana Kekana, Tsepo Mokone – background vocal

Technical personnel

Stevie Wonder – producer, performer, writer, composer
Bob Bralove, Brad Buxer, Abdoulaye Soumare – synthesizer programming
Gary Olazabal – synthesizer programming, recording engineer, associate producer, audio mixing
Bobby Holland – photography (album cover/booklet), concept designer (album cover)
Renee Hardaway – concept designer (album cover)
Johnny Lee – art direction (album cover)^[5]

Notable performances

"Go Home" was performed during the 1986 Grammy Awards ceremony as part of a synthesizer jam with Thomas Dolby, Herbie Hancock, and Howard Jones.^[9] It was also performed, along with "Overjoyed," on the May 7, 1983, episode of Saturday Night Live, which Wonder hosted.^[10]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *In Square Circle*
Chart (1985–1986)	Position
Australian Kent Music Report^[11]	8
Austrian Albums Chart^[12]	12
Canadian RPM Albums Chart^[13]	7
Dutch Albums Chart^[14]	16
Japanese Oricon Albums Chart^[15]	3
New Zealand Albums Chart^[16]	7
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart^[17]	3
Swedish Albums Chart^[18]	2
Swiss Albums Chart^[19]	4
UK Albums (OCC)^[20]	5
US Billboard 200^[21]	5
West German Media Control Albums Chart^[22]	8

Year-end charts

1985 year-end chart performance for *In Square Circle*
Chart (1985)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart^[23]	29
French Albums Chart^[24]	21

1986 year-end chart performance for *In Square Circle*
Chart (1986)	Position
Canadian Albums Chart^[25]	91
Japanese Albums Chart^[26]	19
US Billboard 200^[27]	18

Certifications

Certifications for *In Square Circle*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[28]	2× Platinum	200,000^{^}
France (SNEP)^[29]	Gold	100,000^*
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)^[30]	Gold	10,000^*
Japan (Oricon Charts)	—	596,000^[15]
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[31]	Gold	7,500^{^}
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[32]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[33]	Gold	100,000^{^}
United States (RIAA)^[34]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b Wynn, Ron. "Stevie Wonder: In Square Circle". AllMusic. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Christgau, Robert. "Stevie Wonder". Village Voice. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Pareles, Jon (October 24, 1985). "In Square Circle". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
^ "Stevie Wonder: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c Stevie Wonder - In Square Circle. Tamla Records. September 13, 1985.
^ Smith, RJ (December 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 8. p. 29.
^ Holden, Stephen (September 15, 1985). "STEVIE WONDER -- THE POP IS VINTAGE". New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
^ "Stevie Wonder". The Recording Academy. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
^ YouTube: "Synthesizer Showdown at the 1985 Grammys"
^ "May 7, 1983". The SNL Archives. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "austriancharts.at Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ Library and Archives Canada. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2014-04-27
^ "dutchcharts.nl Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ ^a ^b Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
^ "charts.nz Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "norwegiancharts.com Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "swedishcharts.com Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
^ "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
^ "Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1985 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on October 27, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
^ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
^ 年間アルバムヒットチャート 1986年（昭和61年） [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1986] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
^ "Canadian album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Music Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
^ "French album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (in French). InfoDisc. Select STEVIE WONDER and click OK.
^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
^ "New Zealand album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
^ Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979-1990. Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
^ "British album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
^ "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 26, 2013.

[9] 6:52 on CD and Streaming editions

[Allmusic-1] Wynn, Ron. "Stevie Wonder: In Square Circle". AllMusic. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

[VillageVoice-2] Christgau, Robert. "Stevie Wonder". Village Voice. Retrieved May 8, 2010.

[RollingStone-3] Pareles, Jon (October 24, 1985). "In Square Circle". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2017.

[rollingstone.com-4] "Stevie Wonder: Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2017.

[Album-5] Stevie Wonder - In Square Circle. Tamla Records. September 13, 1985.

[6] Smith, RJ (December 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 8. p. 29.

[NYT-7] Holden, Stephen (September 15, 1985). "STEVIE WONDER -- THE POP IS VINTAGE". New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

[Grammy-8] "Stevie Wonder". The Recording Academy. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

[10] YouTube: "Synthesizer Showdown at the 1985 Grammys"

[11] "May 7, 1983". The SNL Archives. Retrieved May 3, 2015.

[auchart-12] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[13] "austriancharts.at Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[14] Library and Archives Canada. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2014-04-27

[15] "dutchcharts.nl Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). dutchcharts.nl. MegaCharts. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[Jachart-16] Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.

[17] "charts.nz Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[18] "norwegiancharts.com Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP). Hung Medien. VG-lista. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[sechart-19] "swedishcharts.com Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[20] "Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[ac_UK2_-21] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2021.

[ac_Billboard200_Stevie_Wonder-22] "Stevie Wonder Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2021.

[23] "Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved December 15, 2024.

[24] "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.

[25] "Les Albums (CD) de 1985 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on October 27, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.

[26] "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Retrieved February 20, 2013.

[27] 年間アルバムヒットチャート 1986年（昭和61年） [Japanese Year-End Albums Chart 1986] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[28] "Billboard.BIZ – Year-end Charts – Billboard 200 – 1986". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on December 9, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

[CanadaStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-29] "Canadian album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Music Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2013.

[FranceStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-30] "French album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle" (in French). InfoDisc. Select STEVIE WONDER and click OK.

[Hong_KongStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-31] "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1988". IFPI Hong Kong. Retrieved November 30, 2019.

[New_ZealandStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-32] "New Zealand album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.

[Spanish_certifications_1979-1990-33] Solo Exitos 1959-2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados 1979-1990. Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.

[United_KingdomStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-34] "British album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 26, 2013.

[United_StatesStevie_WonderIn_Square_CirclealbumCertRef-35] "American album certifications – Stevie Wonder – In Square Circle". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 26, 2013.

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v t e Stevie Wonder
Discography
Studio albums	The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Tribute to Uncle Ray With a Song in My Heart Stevie at the Beach Up-Tight Down to Earth I Was Made to Love Her Someday at Christmas Eivets Rednow For Once in My Life My Cherie Amour Signed, Sealed & Delivered Where I'm Coming From Music of My Mind Talking Book Innervisions Fulfillingness' First Finale Songs in the Key of Life Hotter than July In Square Circle Characters Conversation Peace A Time to Love
Live albums	Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius Stevie Wonder Live Live at the Talk of the Town Natural Wonder
Soundtracks	Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" The Woman in Red The Last Dragon Jungle Fever
Compilations	Looking Back Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection At the Close of a Century The Definitive Collection The Complete Stevie Wonder
Singles	"Fingertips" "Hey Harmonica Man" "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" "With a Child's Heart" "Blowin' in the Wind" "A Place in the Sun" "Someday at Christmas" "Hey Love" "I Was Made to Love Her" "I'm Wondering" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "You Met Your Match" "Alfie" "For Once in My Life" "I Don't Know Why" "My Cherie Amour" "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" "Never Had a Dream Come True" "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" "Heaven Help Us All" "We Can Work It Out" "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" "If You Really Love Me" "What Christmas Means to Me" "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" "Superstition" "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" "Higher Ground" "Living for the City" "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" "He's Misstra Know-It-All" "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" "I Wish" "Sir Duke" "Another Star" "As" "Pops, We Love You" "Send One Your Love" "Master Blaster (Jammin')" "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" "Lately" "Happy Birthday" "That Girl" "Ebony and Ivory" "Do I Do" "Ribbon in the Sky" "Front Line" "I Just Called to Say I Love You" "Love Light in Flight" "Part-Time Lover" "That's What Friends Are For" "Go Home" "Overjoyed" "Stranger on the Shore of Love" "Skeletons" "You Will Know" "Get It" "Gotta Have You" "For Your Love" "So What the Fuss" "From the Bottom of My Heart" "All About the Love Again" "Faith" "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate"
Featured singles	"My Love" "How Come, How Long" "California Roll"
Other songs	"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" "Golden Lady" "All in Love Is Fair" "They Won't Go When I Go" "Love's in Need of Love Today" "Knocks Me Off My Feet" "Pastime Paradise" "Isn't She Lovely" "Black Man" "We Are the World" "Just Good Friends" "Seasons of Love" "True to Your Heart" "Stop Trying to Be God"
Songwriting credits	"It's a Shame" "Tears of a Clown" "Tell Me Something Good" "Uptown Festival" "Let's Get Serious" "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me"
Tours	Songs in the Key of Life Tour
Related articles	Lula Mae Hardaway Syreeta Wright KJLH SuperEgo Wonderin' "Wonder-ful" Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show
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