BBC Radio 2 listeners to vote for 'Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song'

20 November 2025 - Press release

 

This morning, Scott Mills announced on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show that voting has opened for Your Ultimate Stevie Wonder Song, an online vote to discover Radio 2's listeners' favourite Stevie Wonder song.

The results will be revealed in a special countdown show on Radio 2 hosted by Trevor Nelson on New Year's Day 2026 (3-5pm) and will be available for the following 30 days on BBC Sounds.  This special will be followed by a heartfelt documentary presented by DJ Spoony - The Wonder of Stevie (5-6pm).

The chart will mark 60 years since Stevie's first UK Top 40 hit, and 50 years since the release of his landmark album Songs In The Key Of Life, a seminal record which spawned classics including Sir Duke, As and I Wish.  

BBC Radio 2 listeners can vote up to five times - either all on one song or spread across multiple tracks. Even with these five votes, it will still be a very difficult choice for music fans to make.  The shortlist was compiled from his 60 most played solo tracks on Radio 2 and voting closes at 4pm on Wednesday 3 December 2025.

You can vote here: bbc.co.uk/wondervote

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2, says: "Stevie Wonder's songs have always had the power to uplift, unite and inspire people across generations. I'm delighted that Radio 2 listeners now have the chance to celebrate his incredible legacy by voting for their Ultimate Stevie Wonder song."

Trevor Nelson says: "Stevie Wonder is one of the greatest artists of all time — his songs are the soundtrack to so many of our lives. I'm thrilled to be revealing which track our Radio 2 listeners have chosen as their favourite. Every song in his catalogue is a classic, so whichever one comes out on top, it's a well-deserved celebration of true musical genius."

 

The 60 songs to vote on are (in alphabetical order):

1. A Place In The Sun
2. All I Do
3. All In Love Is Fair
4. Another Star
5. As
6. Blowin' In The Wind
7. Boogie On Reggae Woman
8. Did I Hear You Say You Love Me
9. Do I Do
10. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
11. Fingertips Pt 2
12. For Once In My Life
13. For Your Love
14. Fun Day
15. Golden Lady
16. Happy Birthday
17. He's Misstra Know-It-All
18. Heaven Help Us All
19. Higher Ground
20. I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
21. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)
22. I Don't Know Why (I Love You)
23. I Just Called To Say I Love You
24. I Was Made To Love Her
25. I Wish
26. I'm Wondering
27. If It's Magic
28. If You Really Love Me
29. Isn't She Lovely
30. Knocks Me Off My Feet
31. Lately
32. Living For The City
33. Love's In Need Of Love Today
34. Lovelight In Flight
35. Master Blaster (Jammin')
36. My Cherie Amour
37. Never Had A Dream Come True
38. Ngiculela - Es Una Historia - I Am Singing
39. Overjoyed
40. Part-Time Lover
41. Pastime Paradise
42. Ribbon In The Sky
43. Rocket Love
44. Send One Your Love
45. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
46. Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)
47. Sir Duke
48. Someday At Christmas
49. Stranger On The Shore Of Love
50. Superstition
51. Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)
52. That Girl
53. Too High
54. Until You Come Back To Me
55. Uptight (Everything's Alright)
56. We Can Work It Out
57. What Christmas Means To Me
58. Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday
59. You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
60. You Haven't Done Nothin'

 

The New Year's Day countdown will be followed by The Wonder of Stevie with DJ Spoony (5-6pm), who is a Stevie superfan. Spoony recalls how his fandom started when he was growing up in Hackney, East London in the 70s, but he wouldn't fully appreciate the artist's legacy until much later in life, an appreciation which continues in the present day. 

DJ Spoony says: "Growing up in Hackney in the '70s, Stevie Wonder's music was one of the first sounds that truly stopped me in my tracks. I was a fan from the moment I heard him, even if I didn't yet understand the scale of his genius. It wasn't until much later in life that I fully appreciated the power of his songwriting, his innovation, and the way his music shaped so many of us. The show will be a must listen for Stevie fans everywhere, a tribute to the influence Stevie has had on my journey, and an opportunity for us to celebrate his genius."

Stevie Wonder was born in Michigan on May 13th 1950. He made his recording debut at age 11 and had his first hit at the age of 13 with Fingertips in 1963 as Little Stevie Wonder, a track which also featured Marvin Gaye on drums.  Stevie quickly became a 1960s force to be reckoned with via hits like My Cherie Amour and I Was Made To Love Her, and went on to have global hits with Superstition, Higher Ground and You Are the Sunshine of My Life.  Stevie is one of the best selling musicians of all time, and has won 25 Grammy Awards, the most by a male solo artist.  His songs have been covered by George Michael, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aretha Franklin amongst many others. 

In August, BBC Radio 2 listeners crowned Fairytale Of New York, by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl (1987) as the Ultimate 80s Duet, which was revealed on Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who hosts Kitchen Disco each Friday night on Radio 2 from 9-11pm. Earlier this year, Radio 2 listeners voted Space Man by Sam Ryder as their Ultimate Eurovision song, and over the New Year, Suspicious Minds was voted the nation's favourite Elvis Presley song.

There are also many other treats coming up on Radio 2. Camden's finest, Madness,  will make their BBC Radio 2 In Concert debut with an exclusive intimate performance. The set will be recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre in London's New Broadcasting House, with the band playing some of their most iconic hits. They will perform in front of a small audience of lucky fans on Wednesday 26 November, which will broadcast in Jo Whiley's show on Radio 2 (7-9pm) and BBC Sounds on Thursday 11 December, featuring a lively chat with the band. The show will also be broadcast on BBC Two and iPlayer in December.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK's most listened to single radio station, with a weekly audience of 12.8 million (RAJAR Q3, 2025) and The Radio 2 Breakfast Show is the most listened to Breakfast show in the UK with 6.2 million listeners (RAJAR Q3, 2025). Vernon Kay is the most listened to radio show in the UK with 6.6 million listeners (RAJAR Q3, 2025).

The network's presenters include Richie Anderson, Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Revd. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Gary Davies, Paul Gambaccini, Mark Goodier, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Shaun Keaveny, Cerys Matthews, Paddy McGuinness, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O'Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Jo Whiley and Owain Wyn Evans.