True musical revolution: Marvin Gaye’s 40 best songs
Marvin Gaye was announced dead on arrival upon being taken to the California Hospital Medical Center. One day before his 45th birthday, after splitting up an argument between his mother and abusive father, his dad, Marvin Gay Sr, shot him. It put an end to what was always a bitter relationship, as his dad was found guilty of manslaughter, and a Motown legend was taken before his time.
The legacy that Marvin Gaye has left behind lives on as the way that his music has stood the test of time shows not only was he relevant during his career but is a vital footnote in musical history. He embodies the spirit of soul as his voice can both be the soundtrack to a revolution while also portraying him as a sexual icon. He was willing to write about all topics, whether that was war, intimacy or the perils of falling in love. There was nothing Gaye couldn’t do, and while we mourn the loss, we also celebrate the plethora of music he left behind.
Though the singer made a lot of notes throughout his career, his complicated concept album What’s Going On? is considered his best work by many. The socially conscious anti-war epic is just as relevant today as it was when it was released. It is credited as an album that would change Motown forever, having it step away from the standard hit-machine good time records they were famous for and talking about more relevant topics.
From 1968 onwards, much of Gaye’s music became more introspective. His brother was fighting in Vietnam, and unsurprisingly, Gaye worried about him. It was difficult for him to write about anything that didn’t revolve around the more serious societal issues that were impacting so many, and though Motown boss Berry Gordy wasn’t happy with the idea of the label getting political, he submitted to the release of the album at risk of losing Gaye as an artist. The result was one of the best albums that Motown would ever put out.
On the titular track, which is considered by many to be the best anti-war song ever recorded, Gaye comments on the hippie movements of the time, noting how “Picket lines and wicked signs” were met with police brutality and unprecedented beat downs. The rest of the album consisted of Gaye voicing his confusion surrounding the war, trying to make sense of the situation while reflecting on all the pain and trauma it inflicts.
Of course, there was much more to Gaye than just one album; he could sing about various topics and evoke different feelings in his listeners. Tracks such as ‘You’re The Man’, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, and ‘Sexual Healing’ were laced with love, lust and longing and remain unrivalled in their combination of soul and intimacy.
We should mourn the loss of Gaye as he was taken from the world long before he was due; however, we should also celebrate what he achieved throughout his career, his unwaveringness in his approach to music and the catalogue of great tunes that he made and inspired in his wake. In no particular order, here are 40 of Marvin Gaye’s best songs.
Marvin Gaye’s 40 best songs
- What’s Going On?
- I Heard It Through The Grapevine
- Sexual Healing
- Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
- Got To Give It Up – Pt.1
- Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
- Let’s Get It On
- How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- Come Get To This
- It Takes Two
- Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
- I Want You
- Sunny
- Your Precious Love
- Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
- What’s Happening Brother
- I Wanna Be Where You Are
- Distant Lover
- God Is Love
- Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
- Stubborn Kind Of Fellow
- After The Dance
- Come Live With Me Angel
- Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)
- Wholy Holy
- Trouble Man
- Falling In Love Again
- If This World Were Mine
- That’s The Way Love Is
- Ego Tripping Out
- Don’t Knock My Love
- Yesterday
- Pride and Joy
- Ain’t That Peculiar
- California Soul
- Somethin’ Stupid
- Can I Get a Witness
- I’m Gonna Give You Respect
- My Love Is Waiting
- Please Don’t Stay (Once You Go Away)
