For Once in My Life

"For Once in My Life" is a swing song written by Ron Miller and Orlando Murden for Motown Records' Jobete publishing company in 1967 (see 1967 in music). The composition was originally recorded by Jean DuShon, while other artists, such as Tony Bennett and The Temptations, recorded slow ballad versions of the song. Jack Soo was the first male artist to record a version of the song—it never made it to any public market and the recording was permanently shelved in the Motown Records archives.

The most familiar and successful version of "For Once in My Life" is an uptempo arrangement by Stevie Wonder, recorded immediately after DuShon's original. Wonder's version (issued on Motown's Tamla label) was a top-three hit in the United States in late 1968 and early 1969.

The song was included on the soundtrack to the 2001 film See Spot Run and the soundtrack to 2010's Shrek Forever After.