Stevie Wonder had a lot to say in 1973. He was just 23 years old, but he’d already escaped the "Little Stevie" child-star factory and was knee-deep in his "classic period." This was a time of pure, unadulterated creative freedom. He had the keys to the kingdom and a massive synthesizer named T.O.N.T.O. But amid the funky social critiques of "Living for the City" and the cosmic hope of "Higher Ground" sits a track that feels like a gut punch. It's a ballad. It's called All in Love is Fair.
Most people think they know this song because it sounds like a standard. It feels like it belongs in the Great American Songbook alongside Gershwin or Porter. Honestly, though? It’s much darker than your average lounge tune. It is a song about losing. Not just losing a girl or a guy, but losing the "war" of a relationship and realizing that the clichés we use to comfort ourselves are actually cold, hard truths.
Why All in Love is Fair Still Hurts
If you listen to the lyrics, Stevie is basically deconstructing how we lie to ourselves. He starts off talking about how "all is fair in love," but by the end of the song, he’s admitted he’s on the "losing side." It’s a song of surrender. It’s also one of the few tracks on the legendary Innervisions album where Stevie isn’t playing every single instrument, though he still does the heavy lifting. He’s on the Fender Rhodes, the acoustic piano, and the drums. Scott Edwards handles the electric bass.
The simplicity is the point.
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When he sings "A writer takes his pen to write the words again," it’s meta. He’s acknowledging that he’s just another person trying to make sense of a mess that has been written about a million times before. But because it’s Stevie, the vocal performance is anything but cliché. He goes from a delicate, almost whispered chest voice to these soaring, ragged peaks that sound like a man actually falling apart in the booth.
The Technical Magic Behind the Sadness
Musicians get obsessed with this track for a reason. It’s written in C-sharp minor, a key that naturally feels heavy and a bit "sharp" (pun intended). But the way Stevie moves through the chords is what makes it feel like you're walking through a shifting fog.
- Secondary Dominants: He uses these to make the transitions feel "earned" but surprising.
- The Cliché Flip: He uses lines like "all is fair in love" and "all is fair in war" to show that love is a battleground.
- The Drumming: Pay attention to the drums. Stevie is a very underrated drummer. He doesn’t play a standard pop beat here; he plays with a lot of "air" and space, letting the piano breathe.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Covers
Because this song sounds like a "classic," everyone and their mother has tried to cover it. Barbra Streisand did a version in 1974 that actually became quite famous. Honestly, her version is great if you like that polished, theatrical Broadway style. But many purists feel it misses the "dirt" of the original.
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Stevie’s version is a soul song. Streisand’s version is a "performance."
Other artists like Nancy Wilson and Marc Anthony have taken a crack at it, too. Each one brings something different—Wilson brings a jazz-inflected elegance, while Anthony leans into the Latin ballad intensity. But there is a specific vulnerability in the 1973 recording that is almost impossible to replicate. It was recorded just before Stevie’s near-fatal car accident in August 1973, which makes the themes of fate and "chance" in the lyrics feel eerily prophetic.
The Legacy of Innervisions
You can’t talk about All in Love is Fair without talking about Innervisions. This album won the Grammy for Album of the Year, and for good reason. It’s a snapshot of a genius at his absolute peak. While "Higher Ground" was the hit that moved the needle on the charts, "All in Love is Fair" was the emotional anchor. It showed that Stevie could out-write the best songwriters in the world at their own game: the classic ballad.
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The song only peaked at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is honestly shocking when you consider how much of a "standard" it has become. It’s a "sleeper hit"—a song that grows in stature every decade.
Key Facts You Should Know
- Release Date: August 3, 1973 (as part of Innervisions).
- Key: C# Minor.
- Instruments played by Stevie: Piano, Fender Rhodes, Drums.
- Label: Tamla (Motown).
- Single Status: It wasn't actually a commercial single in the US at first, though it was released as a 7" in Brazil in 1974.
How to Listen to It Today
If you want to truly appreciate the song, don't just put it on a random "Chill Soul" playlist. Sit down with the Innervisions vinyl or a high-fidelity stream. Listen to the track that comes before it, "Jesus Children of America," which is this driving, funky, spiritual piece. Then, let the silence break as the first piano chords of "All in Love is Fair" hit. The contrast is what makes the heartbreak feel so real.
Study the lyrics as a lesson in perspective. It's not a "breakup song" in the sense of being angry. It's a "breakup song" in the sense of being tired. And sometimes, that’s much more relatable.
To get the most out of Stevie Wonder's 1970s catalog, start by listening to Innervisions from start to finish without skipping. Pay close attention to how "All in Love is Fair" acts as the emotional pivot point of the record before it moves into the Latin-infused "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing." Understanding the sequencing is the best way to see the "writer" behind the pen.