Superstition is a funk song written and composed by Stevie Wonder, who wrote both its music and its lyrics. It was released in late 1972 as the lead single from his album Talking Book, on the Tamla label. Wonder recorded it at Electric Lady Studios in New York, playing the Hohner Clavinet riff, which is built on the minor pentatonic scale. Jeff Beck contributed the opening drum beat, and Wonder improvised the rest of the track. Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff programmed the Moog bass, while Steve Madaio played trumpet and Trevor Lawrence played tenor saxophone. The single debuted at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1972 and reached No. 1 on January 27, 1973, Wonder's second number one on that chart. It also topped the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart for three weeks and reached No. 11 in the UK, No. 6 in Canada and No. 10 in the Netherlands. At the 16th Grammy Awards it won Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, and Rolling Stone ranked it 12th in 2021. Beck, Bogert & Appice recorded a notable version in March 1973.
