I Heard It through the Grapevine
Encyclopedia
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield
and Barrett Strong
in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
. Released on September 25, 1967 as Soul 35039 by Gladys Knight & the Pips
who recorded the third version of the song, it has since become a signature song
for singer Marvin Gaye
, who recorded his version of the song prior to the Pips' but released it after theirs on October 30, 1968 as Tamla 54176. Creedence Clearwater Revival
released their version of the song in 1970.
Gaye's version has since become a landmark in pop music. In 2004, it ranked No.80 on Rolling Stone
s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
. On the commemorative 50th Anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine
in June 2008, Gaye's version was ranked as the 65th biggest song on the chart. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.
", had begun to work in the songwriting staff after failing to produce a follow-up hit. Motown CEO Berry Gordy
hired Strong to work with Norman Whitfield
to work on recordings for The Temptations
following the success of Whitfield's recording of the group's "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". Strong originally composed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" due to his own personal relationship. Whitfield began collaborating with Strong on the song and eventually decided to record it with The Miracles
, who recorded the song on August 6, 1966. Due to Gordy's strong veto power during Motown's annual Friday meetings at Hitsville USA's Quality Control Department, the Miracles' version was deemed unreleasable. Gordy thought the song was "horrible" and advised Whitfield and Strong to create a stronger single, however the duo refused to budge. Years later, a second version by The Miracles, with a similar arrangement to their first version, appeared as an album track on their 1968 Special Occasion
LP. Their original recording was issued years later on a compilation album entitled Motown Sings Motown Treasures. The Isley Brothers
were rumored to have recorded the song, but there is no evidence that they ever did. Some Motown historians believe that a session may have been scheduled but canceled.
to record the song on April 10, 1967. Later recordings of Marvin's version took more than a month due to Whitfield overdubbing Marvin's vocals with that of The Andantes
' background vocals, and including several tracks featuring The Funk Brothers
on the rhythm track and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
on the orchestral background. The session featuring Gaye led to arguments between the producer and singer, particularly over vocal registry. Whitfield struggled to convince Gaye to perform the song in a high rasp, a move that had worked on David Ruffin
during the recording of The Temptations
' hit, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg
". Whitfield was later described by several Motown employees as "cocky" and "arrogant" but "always got what he wanted out of the performer". Marvin eventually agreed to record it in Whitfield's key and the song later led to a change in the singer's vocals, first reflected on the Ivy Jo Hunter
-produced "You
" and the Frank Wilson
-produced "Chained
". The mixture of Marvin's raspy vocals and The Andantes
' sweeter harmonies, made Whitfield confident that he had a hit, however, Motown CEO Berry Gordy
was not impressed. The label instead released the sweeter "Your Unchanging Love
", a song that was included on the singer's 1966 album Moods of Marvin Gaye
.
was the next Motown act to record "Grapevine". Signed to Motown in 1966, the group had already scored a few hits prior to signing with the label and in early 1967, had a hit with their third Motown single, "Everybody Needs Love
". After hearing Aretha Franklin
's version of "Respect
", Whitfield again rearranged the song to fit its style. According to David Ritz
, Whitfield set to record a song that would "out-funk
" Aretha. After Whitfield presented the demo tapes for "Grapevine", members Gladys Knight
, Bubba Knight, William Guest, and Edward Patten
worked for several weeks on their vocal arrangement. To make the song suitable for Gladys, the first line of the second verse ("I know a man ain't supposed to cry/But these tears I can't hold inside") was altered to ("Take a good look at these tears in my eyes/Baby, these tears I can't hold inside"). After much talk, Gordy reluctantly allowed the Pips' version to be a single. Motown put little support behind it and the Pips relied on connections with DJs across the United States to get the record played. The Pips' version of "Grapevine" reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart on November 25, 1967, and stayed there for six weeks, making it the group's second R&B number one after 1961's "Every Beat of My Heart". It reached two on the Billboard Pop Singles singles chart the same month, with The Monkees
' "Daydream Believer" holding top spot. It was Motown's best-selling single to that point.
. The single for In the Groove, "You", made it to 34 on the pop charts, while "Grapevine" became the most-played and requested track from the album. After radio deejays prompted Motown to release it, Gordy finally relented, releasing Marvin's version as a single on October 30, 1968. Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" eventually outsold the Pips', and until The Jackson 5
's "I'll Be There" 20 months later, was the biggest hit single of all time on the Motown label. It stayed at the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks, from December 14, 1968 to January 25, 1969. Gaye's "Grapevine" also held number one on the R&B chart during the same seven weeks, and stayed at number one in the United Kingdom for three weeks starting on March 26, 1969. The label was pleased with the success, although Gaye, depressed because of issues such as the illness of singing partner Tammi Terrell
(which would kill her less than a year later), was quoted as saying that his success "didn't seem real" and that he "didn't deserve it".
Due to the song's success, In the Groove was re-issued as I Heard It Through the Grapevine and peaked at number two on the R&B album chart and number sixty-three on the album chart, which was at the time Marvin's highest-charted solo studio effort to date. Because of the success of both versions , "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was the first and last number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1968: the Pips version was the first week of January, the Gaye version the last week of December. Knight was not pleased that Gaye's version usurped her own. She stated that Gaye's version was recorded over an instrumental track Whitfield had prepared for a Pips song, an allegation Gaye denied. Despite this, Gladys and Marvin would later patch things up and in 1983, the two now-former Motown label mates reunited to perform their versions of the single. In 1985, two years following Gaye's death, the song was re-released in the UK reaching number eight thanks to a Levi's commercial (starring Nick Kamen
). The song also charted in Germany peaking at number five on the chart. The song also charted twice on the Irish Singles Chart
, reaching number-seven in its initial release in 1969 and reached number-four in its 1986 re-release.
" that his lover is cheating. Of the first four versions produced by Norman Whitfield, only the Gaye version makes pain and confusion a clear part of the texture: Whitfield surrounds Gaye with horror
-film strings, voodoo drums and percussion, and an ominous Wurlitzer electric piano
line doubled by the guitar. The Miracles' version is a mid-tempo number, while Gladys Knight & the Pips' version is built around bravado and a quick-tempo gospel feel.
Marvin's recording of the single gave way later on to the soul
subgenre known as psychedelic soul
, pioneered by Whitfield and Sly Stone
the same year Marvin's version was released. Marvin would record in this style until after the release of What's Going On
in 1971 before settling into a funk
sound in the 1970s. Other artists who recorded in the "psychedelic soul" genre included The Temptations
, (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
, Stevie Wonder
and The Isley Brothers
after their Motown tenure fizzled.
by artists of varied genres. In 1969, Whitfield produced a version for The Temptations
for their hit album, Cloud Nine though their version recalled The Pips'. In 1971, The Undisputed Truth
became the final Motown act to record the song in its Marvin-styled version. The song was also covered by The Chi-Lites
on their 1969 debut album Give It Away.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
recorded an eleven-minute version for their album, Cosmo's Factory
, released in 1970. The single was edited to less than four minutes for radio and most later compilations. http://www.allmusic.com/song/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-t20831491 Because white artists were covering black music, it caused the band to lose some bookings in Alabama.
Versions have been recorded in other genres such as punk rock
in which the UK-based The Slits
recorded a heavily dubbed version as a b-side of their first single. Other groups including Tuxedomoon
, The Crust Brothers
, and the disco band P'Zzazz, featuring Mildred Vancy on vocals, also recorded the song.
In 1981, funk
musician Roger Troutman
released a cover of the song in an extended version off his debut solo project, The Many Facets of Roger
. Troutman's version brought the song back to number one on the R&B chart in early 1982 marking the third time the single reached the top spot on that chart. It also made the Billboard Hot 100
, peaking at number seventy-nine. During the 1990s, the song is heard briefly in the movie Friday
.
In 1986, several studio singers re-recorded the song and featured it in a commercial for the clay-animated
singing group The California Raisins
. Their version became their signature tune, mainly due to a pun on the fact that raisins originate from "the grapevine."
Other artists to have recorded the song have included Trini Lopez
, the Soultans
and the Flying Pickets
, The Slits
, the Doug Anthony All Stars
, Giorgia
, Marisa Monte
, Kaiser Chiefs
, Michael Chapdelaine
, Paul Weller
and Amy Winehouse
in a duet version while performing on Jools Holland
, The Robustos
, Tina Turner
, Elton John
, Diana DeGarmo
, Michael McDonald
, Birds of Tokyo
, Craig David
and Fairport Convention
in a live version with vocals by Richard Thompson.
A humorous cover of the song was recorded by Paul Shanklin
for the album, Bill Clinton: The Early Years, based on former President
Bill Clinton
. Antonio Forcione
recorded an instrumental version on his live album. Queen Latifah
used the song in Gaye's version as a basis for her 1998 single Paper
, produced by Pras Michel for her album Order in the Court
.
On the last night of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
each year, the song is always performed by the closing act at the Moosehead Award Benefit show. 'Grapevine' was the favorite song of Brian 'Moosehead' McCarthy, in whose memory the award is named. This tradition goes back over 20 years.
Marvin Gaye's version has been featured in films including The Big Chill
(1983) and Remember the Titans
(2001) and was featured in the 2008 play, The Big Payback. In 1986, the song was featured on a UK commercial when Levi's used a cover for a retro
-themed commercial titled "Launderette", directed by Roger Lyons and featuring Nick Kamen
renewing interest in the Marvin Gaye version. Tamla-Motown
re-released the single and the song shot to number eight on the UK Singles chart marking its second chart performance. In 2008, the Freemasons remixed the Marvin Gaye version for dance clubs.
's "Showdown
":
Queen Latifah
also used the melody of the song in her 1998 single "Paper
".
The Gossip
have used the refrain "Heard it on the grapevine that no longer would I be your baby" and transposed it into their song "Love Long Distance
" with the words "Heard it through the bass line Not much longer would you be my baby."
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
interpolated the female background vocals of this song ("I heard it through the grapevine, heard it through the grapevine...") when they recorded their "Intro" to the album Creepin On Ah Come Up
("East 99 is where you'll find us slangin' that yayo daily...").
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
and Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong
Barrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
. Released on September 25, 1967 as Soul 35039 by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
who recorded the third version of the song, it has since become a signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
for singer Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, who recorded his version of the song prior to the Pips' but released it after theirs on October 30, 1968 as Tamla 54176. Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
released their version of the song in 1970.
Gaye's version has since become a landmark in pop music. In 2004, it ranked No.80 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
. On the commemorative 50th Anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
in June 2008, Gaye's version was ranked as the 65th biggest song on the chart. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.
Early recordings
In 1966, Barrett Strong, a former recording artist for Motown Records and the singer behind the label's breakthrough hit, "Money (That's What I Want)Money (That's What I Want)
"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
", had begun to work in the songwriting staff after failing to produce a follow-up hit. Motown CEO Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
hired Strong to work with Norman Whitfield
Norman Whitfield
Norman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
to work on recordings for The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
following the success of Whitfield's recording of the group's "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". Strong originally composed "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" due to his own personal relationship. Whitfield began collaborating with Strong on the song and eventually decided to record it with The Miracles
The Miracles
The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
, who recorded the song on August 6, 1966. Due to Gordy's strong veto power during Motown's annual Friday meetings at Hitsville USA's Quality Control Department, the Miracles' version was deemed unreleasable. Gordy thought the song was "horrible" and advised Whitfield and Strong to create a stronger single, however the duo refused to budge. Years later, a second version by The Miracles, with a similar arrangement to their first version, appeared as an album track on their 1968 Special Occasion
Special Occasion (Miracles album)
Special Occasion is an album by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles released in 1968. It contains three Top 40 hits: "If You Can Want", "Yester Love", and "Special Occasion". Also included are versions of the Motown hits "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Everybody Needs Love" and The Beatles'...
LP. Their original recording was issued years later on a compilation album entitled Motown Sings Motown Treasures. The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
were rumored to have recorded the song, but there is no evidence that they ever did. Some Motown historians believe that a session may have been scheduled but canceled.
Marvin Gaye recording
Whitfield recruited his early collaborator Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
to record the song on April 10, 1967. Later recordings of Marvin's version took more than a month due to Whitfield overdubbing Marvin's vocals with that of The Andantes
The Andantes
The Andantes were a prolific female sessions group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie...
' background vocals, and including several tracks featuring The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
on the rhythm track and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
on the orchestral background. The session featuring Gaye led to arguments between the producer and singer, particularly over vocal registry. Whitfield struggled to convince Gaye to perform the song in a high rasp, a move that had worked on David Ruffin
David Ruffin
Davis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
during the recording of The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
' hit, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is a 1966 song and hit single by The Temptations for Motown Records' Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B charts for...
". Whitfield was later described by several Motown employees as "cocky" and "arrogant" but "always got what he wanted out of the performer". Marvin eventually agreed to record it in Whitfield's key and the song later led to a change in the singer's vocals, first reflected on the Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter, born George Ivy Hunter and sometimes credited as Ivy Hunter, is a former R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for the Motown label in the 1960s....
-produced "You
You (Marvin Gaye song)
"You" is a 1967 single released by American singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.Released as the first single off Gaye's In the Groove album, it was written by Ivy Jo Hunter, Jack Goga and Jeffrey Bowen and produced by Hunter....
" and the Frank Wilson
Frank Wilson (musician)
Frank Wilson is an African American former songwriter and record producer for Motown Records.-Biography:He was born to James Wilson and Samantha Gibbs...
-produced "Chained
Chained (Marvin Gaye song)
"Chained" is a 1968 single released by soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.Written and produced by Frank Wilson, the song, much like his previous hit, "You", directed the singer towards a grittier and funkier musical element than his previous hits....
". The mixture of Marvin's raspy vocals and The Andantes
The Andantes
The Andantes were a prolific female sessions group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie...
' sweeter harmonies, made Whitfield confident that he had a hit, however, Motown CEO Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
was not impressed. The label instead released the sweeter "Your Unchanging Love
Your Unchanging Love
"Your Unchanging Love" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.Written by Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was featured on Marvin's Moods of Marvin Gaye album...
", a song that was included on the singer's 1966 album Moods of Marvin Gaye
Moods of Marvin Gaye
Moods of Marvin Gaye is a 1966 album by Marvin Gaye released on the Tamla label.The album's plan was to establish the singer as a strong albums-oriented artist, as well as a hit maker, although Gaye was still uncomfortable with performing strictly R&B. He had begun work on a standards album around...
.
The Gladys Knight & the Pips recording
Gladys Knight & the PipsGladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
was the next Motown act to record "Grapevine". Signed to Motown in 1966, the group had already scored a few hits prior to signing with the label and in early 1967, had a hit with their third Motown single, "Everybody Needs Love
Everybody Needs Love (Temptations song)
"Everybody Needs Love" is a 1964 Motown song by Norman Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr.. The first version released was by The Temptations for their album The Temptin' Temptations in 1965 , but the most successful version was on a single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, which peaked at #39 on the...
". After hearing Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's version of "Respect
Respect (song)
"Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...
", Whitfield again rearranged the song to fit its style. According to David Ritz
David Ritz
David Ritz is an American author, most of whose books are biographies of soul music and R&B legends such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Janet Jackson. On four occasions, his co-authored autobiographies of musicians have been awarded the Ralph J...
, Whitfield set to record a song that would "out-funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
" Aretha. After Whitfield presented the demo tapes for "Grapevine", members Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, Bubba Knight, William Guest, and Edward Patten
Edward Patten
Edward "Eddie" Roy Patten was an Atlanta, Georgia-born R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was lead singer Gladys Knight's cousin....
worked for several weeks on their vocal arrangement. To make the song suitable for Gladys, the first line of the second verse ("I know a man ain't supposed to cry/But these tears I can't hold inside") was altered to ("Take a good look at these tears in my eyes/Baby, these tears I can't hold inside"). After much talk, Gordy reluctantly allowed the Pips' version to be a single. Motown put little support behind it and the Pips relied on connections with DJs across the United States to get the record played. The Pips' version of "Grapevine" reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart on November 25, 1967, and stayed there for six weeks, making it the group's second R&B number one after 1961's "Every Beat of My Heart". It reached two on the Billboard Pop Singles singles chart the same month, with The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
' "Daydream Believer" holding top spot. It was Motown's best-selling single to that point.
Marvin Gaye version's release and reaction
Despite this success, Whitfield felt Marvin Gaye's version was still a hit and he continued asking Gordy to release Gaye's "Grapevine" as a single, but Gordy didn't want to release Marvin's version after the Pips made a hit out of it. In September 1968, Whitfield managed to have Gaye's "Grapevine" added to Gaye's 1968 album In the GrooveI Heard It through the Grapevine (album)
I Heard It Through the Grapevine is the ninth solo studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on August 26, 1968 on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records...
. The single for In the Groove, "You", made it to 34 on the pop charts, while "Grapevine" became the most-played and requested track from the album. After radio deejays prompted Motown to release it, Gordy finally relented, releasing Marvin's version as a single on October 30, 1968. Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" eventually outsold the Pips', and until The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
's "I'll Be There" 20 months later, was the biggest hit single of all time on the Motown label. It stayed at the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks, from December 14, 1968 to January 25, 1969. Gaye's "Grapevine" also held number one on the R&B chart during the same seven weeks, and stayed at number one in the United Kingdom for three weeks starting on March 26, 1969. The label was pleased with the success, although Gaye, depressed because of issues such as the illness of singing partner Tammi Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
(which would kill her less than a year later), was quoted as saying that his success "didn't seem real" and that he "didn't deserve it".
Due to the song's success, In the Groove was re-issued as I Heard It Through the Grapevine and peaked at number two on the R&B album chart and number sixty-three on the album chart, which was at the time Marvin's highest-charted solo studio effort to date. Because of the success of both versions , "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" was the first and last number one on the Billboard R&B chart in 1968: the Pips version was the first week of January, the Gaye version the last week of December. Knight was not pleased that Gaye's version usurped her own. She stated that Gaye's version was recorded over an instrumental track Whitfield had prepared for a Pips song, an allegation Gaye denied. Despite this, Gladys and Marvin would later patch things up and in 1983, the two now-former Motown label mates reunited to perform their versions of the single. In 1985, two years following Gaye's death, the song was re-released in the UK reaching number eight thanks to a Levi's commercial (starring Nick Kamen
Nick Kamen
Nick Kamen is an English male model, songwriter and musician, and brother of session guitarist Chester Kamen and artist Barry Kamen.-Career:...
). The song also charted in Germany peaking at number five on the chart. The song also charted twice on the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
, reaching number-seven in its initial release in 1969 and reached number-four in its 1986 re-release.
Overview of themes and psychedelic soul
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" has been rendered in different ways, although the theme, a relationship beginning to break up, remains prominent in each. The narrator has no clue that his relationship is in a bad state, and only learns after gossip "through the grapevineGrapevine (gossip)
To hear something through the grapevine is to learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip and rumor.The usual implication is that the information was passed person to person by word of mouth, perhaps in a confidential manner among friends or colleagues. It can also imply an...
" that his lover is cheating. Of the first four versions produced by Norman Whitfield, only the Gaye version makes pain and confusion a clear part of the texture: Whitfield surrounds Gaye with horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
-film strings, voodoo drums and percussion, and an ominous Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer electric piano
Wurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
line doubled by the guitar. The Miracles' version is a mid-tempo number, while Gladys Knight & the Pips' version is built around bravado and a quick-tempo gospel feel.
Marvin's recording of the single gave way later on to the soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
subgenre known as psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul
Psychedelic soul, sometimes called black rock, is a sub-genre of soul music, which mixes the characteristics of soul with psychedelic rock...
, pioneered by Whitfield and Sly Stone
Sly Stone
Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of...
the same year Marvin's version was released. Marvin would record in this style until after the release of What's Going On
What's Going On
What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records...
in 1971 before settling into a funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
sound in the 1970s. Other artists who recorded in the "psychedelic soul" genre included The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, (Diana Ross &) The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
and The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers
The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
after their Motown tenure fizzled.
Other notable covers and references in media
Following Marvin Gaye's 1968 release of the single, his version has been frequently coveredCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by artists of varied genres. In 1969, Whitfield produced a version for The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
for their hit album, Cloud Nine though their version recalled The Pips'. In 1971, The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth was a 1970s Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques...
became the final Motown act to record the song in its Marvin-styled version. The song was also covered by The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
on their 1969 debut album Give It Away.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
recorded an eleven-minute version for their album, Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970 and released as Fantasy 8402, the same month as the single release of "Lookin' out My Back Door" b/w "Long As I Can See the Light" .The name of the album comes from...
, released in 1970. The single was edited to less than four minutes for radio and most later compilations. http://www.allmusic.com/song/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-t20831491 Because white artists were covering black music, it caused the band to lose some bookings in Alabama.
Versions have been recorded in other genres such as punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in which the UK-based The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
recorded a heavily dubbed version as a b-side of their first single. Other groups including Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon
Tuxedomoon is an experimental post-punk/New Wave group formed in San Francisco, California, consisting of core members Blaine L. Reininger, Steven Brown and Peter Principle....
, The Crust Brothers
The Crust Brothers
The Crust Brothers, a band formed by Stephen Malkmus and members of Silkworm , released one album, Marquee Mark, a live recording of their December 5, 1997, show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, Washington. The show was a benefit for the Washington Wilderness Coalition...
, and the disco band P'Zzazz, featuring Mildred Vancy on vocals, also recorded the song.
In 1981, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
musician Roger Troutman
Roger Troutman
Roger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years...
released a cover of the song in an extended version off his debut solo project, The Many Facets of Roger
The Many Facets of Roger
The Many Facets of Roger was the debut solo project by Dayton, Ohio-based funk visionary Roger Troutman, released a year after the singer made his debut as lead frontman of his family-based funk group, Zapp, and the group had made their breakthrough with the funk hit "More Bounce to the Ounce"...
. Troutman's version brought the song back to number one on the R&B chart in early 1982 marking the third time the single reached the top spot on that chart. It also made the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at number seventy-nine. During the 1990s, the song is heard briefly in the movie Friday
Friday (film)
Friday is a 1995 stoner comedy-drama-buddy film directed by F. Gary Gray. Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Bernie Mac, Tommy Lister, Jr...
.
In 1986, several studio singers re-recorded the song and featured it in a commercial for the clay-animated
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
singing group The California Raisins
The California Raisins
The California Raisins were a fictional rhythm and blues musical group as well as advertising and merchandising characters composed of anthropomorphized raisins based on black caricatures. Lead vocals were sung by musician Buddy Miles...
. Their version became their signature tune, mainly due to a pun on the fact that raisins originate from "the grapevine."
Other artists to have recorded the song have included Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
, the Soultans
Soultans
Soultans is an all-male, r&b band notable predominantly in Europe, but also for signing on for a short contract with BMG. The Soultans originally consisted of three members and is based in Germany, although two of its members have English ties. The group resides under the German label, Coconut...
and the Flying Pickets
The Flying Pickets
The Flying Pickets are a British a cappella vocal group, who had a Christmas number one hit in 1983 in the UK Singles Chart with their cover of Yazoo's track "Only You".-History:...
, The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
, the Doug Anthony All Stars
Doug Anthony All Stars
The Doug Anthony All Stars were an Australian musical comedy group who performed together between 1984 and 1994. The band was an acoustic trio comprising Paul McDermott and Tim Ferguson on main vocals and Richard Fidler on guitar and backing vocals...
, Giorgia
Giorgia Todrani
Giorgia Todrani, best known as Giorgia is an Italian female singer and song-writer, known for her soulful voice, which is aided by a wide vocal range, high belting register and great vocal abilities. She is one of the most iconic and famous Italian singers. She has released ten studio albums,...
, Marisa Monte
Marisa Monte
Marisa de Azevedo Monte is a Brazilian popular singer. As of 2011, she has sold 10 million albums worldwide.- Biography :...
, Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs
Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, Michael Chapdelaine
Michael Chapdelaine
Michael Chapdelaine is an American guitarist.Chapedelaine is the only guitarist ever to win First Prize in the world's top competitions in both the Classical and Fingerstyle genres—the Guitar Foundation of America International Classical Guitar Competition and the National Fingerstyle...
, Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Paul Weller is an English singer-songwriter. Starting with the band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
and Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
in a duet version while performing on Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
, The Robustos
The Robustos
The Robustos were an American ska band based in Atlanta. Formed after The Skats & The Go Steadys broke up, their name is a reference to the type of cigar. Their style evolved from traditional ska to include more soul and jazz influences. They stopped playing in 2000...
, Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
, Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald (singer)
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
, Birds of Tokyo
Birds of Tokyo
Birds of Tokyo is a four-piece alternative rock band from Perth, Western Australia. Their debut album Day One, gained them domestic success with it reaching No. 3 on the AIR Independent Album charts, spending a total of 36 consecutive weeks in the top 10.In 2008, the band released Universes,...
, Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
and Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
in a live version with vocals by Richard Thompson.
A humorous cover of the song was recorded by Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin
Paul Shanklin is an American conservative political satirist, impressionist, comedian, and conservative speaker...
for the album, Bill Clinton: The Early Years, based on former President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Antonio Forcione
Antonio Forcione
Antonio Forcione is an Italian guitarist, composer and performer. He started recording in 1983 and has appeared on dozens of albums....
recorded an instrumental version on his live album. Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
used the song in Gaye's version as a basis for her 1998 single Paper
Paper (Queen Latifah song)
"Paper" is the second song of a double-A sided single from Queen Latifah's 1998 album Order in the Court. One of the first Queen Latifah songs that is all singing and no rap, it is essentially a cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" with significantly altered lyrics...
, produced by Pras Michel for her album Order in the Court
Order in the Court
Order in the Court is the fourth studio album by American rapper Queen Latifah, released on June 16, 1998 in the United States on Motown Records. The album is in part dedicated to The Notorious B.I.G and Tupac Shakur...
.
On the last night of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
The Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third-largest international comedy festival in the world and the largest cultural event in Australia. Established in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks in April typically opening on or around April Fool's Day...
each year, the song is always performed by the closing act at the Moosehead Award Benefit show. 'Grapevine' was the favorite song of Brian 'Moosehead' McCarthy, in whose memory the award is named. This tradition goes back over 20 years.
Marvin Gaye's version has been featured in films including The Big Chill
The Big Chill (film)
The Big Chill is a 1983 American comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Kasdan, starring Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams. It is about a group of baby boomer college friends who reunite briefly after 15 years due to...
(1983) and Remember the Titans
Remember the Titans
Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. Inspired by real events, the plot was conceived from a screenplay written by Gregory Allen Howard. The film starts as a new coach of the Titans, a football team previously coached by the...
(2001) and was featured in the 2008 play, The Big Payback. In 1986, the song was featured on a UK commercial when Levi's used a cover for a retro
Retro
Retro is a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, that has since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. The use of "retro" style iconography and imagery interjected into post-modern art, advertising, mass media, etc...
-themed commercial titled "Launderette", directed by Roger Lyons and featuring Nick Kamen
Nick Kamen
Nick Kamen is an English male model, songwriter and musician, and brother of session guitarist Chester Kamen and artist Barry Kamen.-Career:...
renewing interest in the Marvin Gaye version. Tamla-Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
re-released the single and the song shot to number eight on the UK Singles chart marking its second chart performance. In 2008, the Freemasons remixed the Marvin Gaye version for dance clubs.
Influence on other songs
On September 28, 1974, John Lennon commented on WNEW-FM, a New York City radio station, introducing Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
's "Showdown
Showdown (Electric Light Orchestra song)
"Showdown" is a song written by Jeff Lynne and recorded by the Electric Light Orchestra.It was the band's last contemporary recording to be released on the Harvest label....
":
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
also used the melody of the song in her 1998 single "Paper
Paper (Queen Latifah song)
"Paper" is the second song of a double-A sided single from Queen Latifah's 1998 album Order in the Court. One of the first Queen Latifah songs that is all singing and no rap, it is essentially a cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" with significantly altered lyrics...
".
The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
have used the refrain "Heard it on the grapevine that no longer would I be your baby" and transposed it into their song "Love Long Distance
Love Long Distance
"Love Long Distance" is the second single taken from Music for Men, the fourth studio album by Gossip and was released on September 13, 2009 in the U.S...
" with the words "Heard it through the bass line Not much longer would you be my baby."
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
interpolated the female background vocals of this song ("I heard it through the grapevine, heard it through the grapevine...") when they recorded their "Intro" to the album Creepin On Ah Come Up
Creepin on ah Come Up
Creepin on ah Come Up is an EP by rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The album was released on June 21, 1994 on Ruthless Records. In 1998 the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums .-History:...
("East 99 is where you'll find us slangin' that yayo daily...").
The Miracles version
- Lead vocals by Smokey RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
- Background vocals by The MiraclesThe MiraclesThe Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
: Claudette Rogers RobinsonClaudette Rogers RobinsonClaudette Rogers Robinson is an African-American soul singer, a member of The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was an original member of the group, which was originally called "The Matadors" before 1957; Claudette Rogers took her brother's place after he was drafted...
, Pete MoorePete MoorePete Moore is an African American soul singer, record producer, and songwriter, notable as the bass singer for Motown group The Miracles from 1955 onwards, and is one of the group's original members...
, Ronnie White and Bobby RogersBobby RogersBobby Rogers is an American soul singer and songwriter, notable as a member of Motown Records' first signed act and first million selling group The Miracles from 1956 to present. He is also the grandfather of R&B singer Brandi Williams from R&B girl group Blaque-Life:Rogers is the son of the late... - Guitar by Marv TarplinMarv TarplinMarvin "Marv" Tarplin was an American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for The Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s. He was one of the group's original members and co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted "The Tracks...
- Other instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
Marvin Gaye version
- Lead vocals by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
- Background vocals by The AndantesThe AndantesThe Andantes were a prolific female sessions group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, The Temptations, Stevie...
: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps - Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony OrchestraDetroit Symphony OrchestraThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood...
Gladys Knight & the Pips version
- Lead vocals by Gladys KnightGladys KnightGladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
- Background vocals by The Pips: Merald "Bubba" Knight, Edward PattenEdward PattenEdward "Eddie" Roy Patten was an Atlanta, Georgia-born R&B/soul singer, best known as a member of Gladys Knight & the Pips. He was lead singer Gladys Knight's cousin....
and William Guest - Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers