The album 'For Once in My Life' was released in December 1968 by Tamla, a Motown label. It represents a turning point in Stevie Wonder's career, showcasing vocal maturity and greater artistic control, though still under the company's production teams.
The album includes the hit title track 'For Once in My Life', which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the R&B chart. It also features covers of pop and soul standards such as 'Sunny' and 'Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day', the latter co-written by Wonder himself.
Recorded between 1967 and 1968 at Hitsville U.S.A. studios in Detroit, the album was produced by Henry Cosby, Don Hunter, and Stevie Wonder himself. Although Wonder began to be more involved in songwriting, most songs were written by Motown's team of composers, including Sylvia Moy and Ron Miller.