In 1966, the Miracles recorded “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” for the first time.
The hit song’s the biggest-selling Motown’s single to date. However, it wasn’t until “Prince of Motown” himself claimed a soul classic that it became known as the most soulful tracks worldwide.
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Does it get any better than the original recording? We have a video to prove that it does.
Listen to Gaye’s pure, unadulterated voice stripped of instruments and backing vocals. Now we know why it’s regarded as one of the most outstanding vocal performances of all time!
Numerous musicians recorded the famous song, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
Did you know that Marvin Gaye has been called “the number-one purveyor of soul music?” The New York Times described Gaye as someone who “blended the soul music of the urban scene with the beat of the old-time gospel singer.” The Prince of Soul collaborated with some of the greatest musicians, including Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Tammi Terrell and Diana Ross.
Gaye’s work has been crowned with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was also inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
At the end of his career, Marvin once described his inspiration to make music. “Hopefully, I record so that I can help someone overcome a bad time.”
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Sadly, one of the most beloved musicians of the 20th century was shot dead by his father.
It’s hard to forget such a tragedy. Gaye was killed a day before his 45th birthday, and the world lost a magnificent man with a four-octave vocal range and a whole specter of pure emotions while performing. Gaye’s music has been used in several film soundtracks, such as Four Brothers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
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Interestingly, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” was used in the opening credits of the 1983 film The Big Chill.
After the hit song was played in Levi’s ad in 1985, its success was renewed across Europe. In 2004, Gaye’s song placed at number 80 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Sporting a fancy grey suit and an attractive shirt, Gray delivers a divine acapella performance.
We can’t decide whether it’s because of his phenomenal singing or the raw emotion he puts behind words, but Gaye makes us listen to this on repeat. You’re listening to a version that was stripped of everything but Marvin’s voice. The man owns the song, and he put a stamp on it for all time.
Don’t even get us started on how effortless it sounds when Gaye sings it!
The man looks legendary just by dancing to the silence. To achieve such a genuine sound, Marvin’s singing was isolated from the rest of the mix in the original recording, not from the multi-track tapes.
Over five million YouTube views for a true craftsman of his art!
Check out Marvin’s quiet foot tapping to keep time. Every single detail about the video gives it an ethereal quality. We’re happy to share one of the greatest acapella performances ever. He almost sounds better than the recorded version, even without the instruments.
Gaye’s human voice, without autotune, left us speechless.
Listen to the sound carefully. You can still hear the tape rumble and the wind pop on the mic, which gives the recording warmth and the charm of the 1970s. Legends indeed live forever. Gaye made himself immortal by singing like an angel. May he rest in peace.
To see this incredible performance, watch the video below:
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