Let's Get It On (song)
Encyclopedia
"Let's Get It On" is a song and hit single
by soul
musician Marvin Gaye
, released June 15, 1973 on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. The song was recorded on March 22, 1973 at Hitsville West in Los Angeles, California
. The song features romantic and sexual lyricism and funk
instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
. The title track of Gaye's landmark 1973 album of the same name
; it was written by Marvin Gaye and producer
Ed Townsend
. "Let's Get It On" became Gaye's most successful single for Motown and one of his most well-known songs. With the help of the song's sexually-explicit content, "Let's Get It On" helped give Gaye a reputation as a sex icon during its initial popularity.
, it was written with a religious theme. Gaye confidante Kenneth Stover changed some of the words around as a political song and Gaye recorded the version as it was written, but Townsend protested that the song wasn't a politically-conscious song but a song dedicated to love and sex. Gaye and Townsend then collaborated on new lyrics and using the original backing tracks as recorded, Gaye transformed the song into an emotional centerpiece. The album version of "Let's Get It On" features soulful and emotional singing by Gaye that is backed by multi-tracked
background vocals, also provided by Gaye, along with the song's signature, and most notable, funky guitar arrangements. In an article for Rolling Stone
magazine, music critic Jon Landau
wrote of the song:
The song was reprise
d on the fourth track of Let's Get It On
as "Keep Gettin' It On
", which was a sequel and continuation of the original. The recording of the title track also inspired Gaye to revive previous recordings from his earlier 1970 sessions at the Hitsville U.S.A.
Studio, which would consist of the rest of the album's material. During the time of the recording of the song and its subsequent album of the same name, Marvin had befriended the family of jazz guitarist Slim Gaillard
and had become smitten with Gaillard's seventeen-year-old daughter, Janis Hunter
. A widely reported story has been told that Hunter was in the studio when Gaye recorded the song at the recording booth. Gaye and Hunter were said to be smitten with each other and, within months, Gaye and Hunter began dating. Hunter would become Gaye's live-in lover by 1974. Their relationship would produce two children and a 1977 marriage.
chart on September 8, 1973. The single remained at #1 for two weeks, while also remaining at the top of the Billboard Soul Singles
chart for eight weeks.. In its first week at the top of the chart, "Let's Get It On" replaced "Brother Louie" by Stories
, and was replaced by "Delta Dawn
" by Helen Reddy
; it later replaced "Delta Dawn" and was finally knocked off the top of the chart by Grand Funk Railroad
's "We're an American Band
". The single stayed inside the Billboard Hot 100
top-ten for thirteen weeks (ten weeks inside the top-five). The song became the biggest selling Motown release in the United States at the time, selling over two-million copies within the first six weeks of following its release. "Let's Get It On" also became the second best-selling single of 1973, only surpassed in sales by Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
". At the time, the single was Motown's largest-selling recording ever, selling over three-million copies between 1973 and 1975. The single has gone on to sell over 1 million copies, and, on June 25, 2007, was certified platinum
in sales by the RIAA
.
A bluegrass
version of the song was later recorded by Shannon Lawson
on his 2002 album Chase the Sun
. "Let's Get It On" was given a remix
in 2004, when producers mixed Gaye's vocals with a different musical production labeled as "stepper
's music". Released in 2005 as a single, "Let's Get it On (The Producers Mix)" returned the song to the Billboard R&B charts, thirty years after its original release. The re-released version of "Let's Get It On" was certified as a gold single
with sales in excess of 500,000 copies in 2005 by the RIAA, making it the best-selling Motown record ever released in North America. In 2004, the song was ranked #167 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2008, "Let's Get It On" was ranked #32 on Billboard
magazine's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs list.
A-side
B-side
A-side
B-side
7-inch reissue single from the Back To Back Hit Series, COL-563.
A-side
B-side
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
by 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...
musician 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....
, released June 15, 1973 on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. The song was recorded on March 22, 1973 at Hitsville West in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The song features romantic and sexual lyricism and 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...
instrumentation by 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...
. The title track of Gaye's landmark 1973 album of the same name
Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On is the twelfth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, and at Hitsville West in Los Angeles...
; it was written by Marvin Gaye and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Ed Townsend
Ed Townsend
Edward Benjamin 'Ed' Townsend was an American attorney, songwriter, and producer. He was best known for performing his composition, "For Your Love," a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and as the co-writer of "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye.-Biography:Although he was born in Fayetteville,...
. "Let's Get It On" became Gaye's most successful single for Motown and one of his most well-known songs. With the help of the song's sexually-explicit content, "Let's Get It On" helped give Gaye a reputation as a sex icon during its initial popularity.
Conception
Co-written with doo-wop pioneer Ed Townsend, "Let's Get It On" was Gaye's plea for sexual liberation. When originally conceived by Townsend, who was released from a rehab facility for alcoholismAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, it was written with a religious theme. Gaye confidante Kenneth Stover changed some of the words around as a political song and Gaye recorded the version as it was written, but Townsend protested that the song wasn't a politically-conscious song but a song dedicated to love and sex. Gaye and Townsend then collaborated on new lyrics and using the original backing tracks as recorded, Gaye transformed the song into an emotional centerpiece. The album version of "Let's Get It On" features soulful and emotional singing by Gaye that is backed by multi-tracked
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
background vocals, also provided by Gaye, along with the song's signature, and most notable, funky guitar arrangements. In an article for 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...
magazine, music critic Jon Landau
Jon Landau
Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
wrote of the song:
The song was reprise
Reprise
Reprise is a fundamental device in the history of art. In literature, a reprise consists of the rewriting of another work; in music, a reprise is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the...
d on the fourth track of Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On is the twelfth studio album by American soul musician Marvin Gaye, released August 28, 1973, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A. and Golden World Studio in Detroit, and at Hitsville West in Los Angeles...
as "Keep Gettin' It On
Keep Gettin' It On
"Keep Gettin' It On", or "Let's Get It On, Pt. 2", was a sequel of the title track on Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, Let's Get It On.The song, while sticking with the album's overall sensual and erotic theme, also carried some political overtones especially with the lyric, "won't you rather make love,...
", which was a sequel and continuation of the original. The recording of the title track also inspired Gaye to revive previous recordings from his earlier 1970 sessions at the Hitsville U.S.A.
Hitsville U.S.A.
"Hitsville U.S.A." is the nickname given to Motown's first headquarters. A former photographers' studio located at 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan, it was purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959 and converted into both the record label's administrative building and recording...
Studio, which would consist of the rest of the album's material. During the time of the recording of the song and its subsequent album of the same name, Marvin had befriended the family of jazz guitarist Slim Gaillard
Slim Gaillard
Bulee "Slim" Gaillard was an American jazz singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist, noted for his vocalese singing and word play in a language he called "Vout"...
and had become smitten with Gaillard's seventeen-year-old daughter, Janis Hunter
Janis Gaye
Janis Gaye is best known as the second wife of American musician Marvin Gaye.-Biography:...
. A widely reported story has been told that Hunter was in the studio when Gaye recorded the song at the recording booth. Gaye and Hunter were said to be smitten with each other and, within months, Gaye and Hunter began dating. Hunter would become Gaye's live-in lover by 1974. Their relationship would produce two children and a 1977 marriage.
Release and reception
"Let's Get It On" became one of Gaye's most successful singles, as it reached #1 on the Billboard Pop SinglesBillboard 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...
chart on September 8, 1973. The single remained at #1 for two weeks, while also remaining at the top of the Billboard Soul Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart for eight weeks.. In its first week at the top of the chart, "Let's Get It On" replaced "Brother Louie" by Stories
Stories (band)
Stories was a rock and pop music band, based out of New York in the early 1970s. The band consisted of keyboardist Michael Brown, bassist/vocalist Ian Lloyd, guitarist Steve Love, and drummer Bryan Madey, and had a Number 1 hit with a cover of Hot Chocolate's "Brother Louie."-Band history:Lloyd ...
, and was replaced by "Delta Dawn
Delta Dawn
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by former child rockabilly star Larry Collins and songwriter Alex Harvey , best known as a 1972 top ten C&W hit for Tanya Tucker and a number-one hit for Helen Reddy in 1973.-Lyrical story:The title character is a faded southern...
" by Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
; it later replaced "Delta Dawn" and was finally knocked off the top of the chart by Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
's "We're an American Band
We're an American Band (song)
"We're an American Band" is a 1973 song by the band Grand Funk Railroad. It was the group's first number one single. Written by Don Brewer and produced by Todd Rundgren, the huge chart success of this single broadened Grand Funk's appeal to a much wider audience...
". The single stayed inside 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...
top-ten for thirteen weeks (ten weeks inside the top-five). The song became the biggest selling Motown release in the United States at the time, selling over two-million copies within the first six weeks of following its release. "Let's Get It On" also became the second best-selling single of 1973, only surpassed in sales by Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree
"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" is a song by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, written by Irwin Levine and L. Russell Brown and produced by Hank Medress and Dave Appell. It was a worldwide hit for the group in 1973....
". At the time, the single was Motown's largest-selling recording ever, selling over three-million copies between 1973 and 1975. The single has gone on to sell over 1 million copies, and, on June 25, 2007, was certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
A bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
version of the song was later recorded by Shannon Lawson
Shannon Lawson (singer)
Shannon Lawson is an American country music artist. He is also a member of the MuzikMafia, a collection of country musicians known for their "music without prejudice"....
on his 2002 album Chase the Sun
Chase the Sun (Shannon Lawson album)
Chase the Sun is the debut album of American country music artist Shannon Lawson. It was released in 2002 on the MCA Nashville label, and it produced two singles: "Dream Your Way to Me" and "Goodbye on a Bad Day", which respectively reached #45 and #28 on the Billboard country charts, while the...
. "Let's Get It On" was given a remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
in 2004, when producers mixed Gaye's vocals with a different musical production labeled as "stepper
Stepping (African-American)
Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps...
's music". Released in 2005 as a single, "Let's Get it On (The Producers Mix)" returned the song to the Billboard R&B charts, thirty years after its original release. The re-released version of "Let's Get It On" was certified as a gold single
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
with sales in excess of 500,000 copies in 2005 by the RIAA, making it the best-selling Motown record ever released in North America. In 2004, the song was ranked #167 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2008, "Let's Get It On" was ranked #32 on Billboard
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...
magazine's Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs list.
Track listings and formats
These are the formats and track listings of the major single releases of "Let's Get It On":U.S. 7" single
Original U.S. vinyl release, T-54234F.A-side
- "Let's Get It On" – 3:58
- Arranged By - Rene Hall
- Producer - Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye
- Written-By - E. Townsend
B-side
- "I Wish It Would RainI Wish It Would Rain"I Wish It Would Rain" is a 1967 song recorded by the Temptations for the Motown label and produced by Norman Whitfield.-Background:...
" – 2:46- Producer - Norman WhitfieldNorman WhitfieldNorman Jesse Whitfield was an American songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Berry Gordy's Motown label during the 1960s...
- Written-By - B. StrongBarrett StrongBarrett 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...
, N. Whitfield, R. PenzabeneRoger PenzabeneRoger Penzabene was a songwriter for the Motown label. Among his most notable compositions are "The End of Our Road" by Gladys Knight & the Pips and Marvin Gaye, and a trilogy of hits for the Temptations: "You're My Everything", "I Wish It Would Rain", and "I Could Never Love Another ".The...
- Producer - Norman Whitfield
U.K. 12" single
Limited edition U.K. 1973 release, TMGLTD-40.A-side
- "Let's Get It On" – 3:58
B-side
- "Keep Gettin' It OnKeep Gettin' It On"Keep Gettin' It On", or "Let's Get It On, Pt. 2", was a sequel of the title track on Marvin Gaye's 1973 album, Let's Get It On.The song, while sticking with the album's overall sensual and erotic theme, also carried some political overtones especially with the lyric, "won't you rather make love,...
" – 3:09
U.S reissue
CollectablesCollectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....
7-inch reissue single from the Back To Back Hit Series, COL-563.
A-side
- "Let's Get It On" – 3:58
B-side
- "Trouble ManTrouble Man (Marvin Gaye song)"Trouble Man" is a 1972 hit single for American soul singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label.The song was the title track and theme of a Soul Cinema Classic film of the same name. Relating the song to the travails of the movie's leading character, titled "Mister T", and also relating to issues in...
" – 3:49
Chart history
| Title | Information |
|---|---|
| "Let's Get It On" |
|