It's hard to believe, but Marvin GayeThe classic recording of 1967 of “I Hear it through the grapevine” was initially rejected by its label.
The song, on the sorrow of a man to hear rumors about his lover's infidelity, was written by the legendary MOTOWN Records producer Norman Whitfield and singer Barrett Strong. Smokey Robinson and miracles First recorded The song in 1966, but this version was nixed by the founder of Motown, Berry Gordy, during a weekly quality control meeting. Then Whitfield recorded the song with Gaye in early 1967, but for any reason, Gordy did not like this version either. Whitfield has therefore changed the lyrics a little and recorded it with Gladys Knight and the pips. THE Quick tempo arrangementinfluenced by The “respect” of Aretha Franklin ,, was published in single in September 1967 and went to the number one on the R&B Billboard graph.
Gaye's version could have been forgotten if it had not been included in her 1968 album, In the groovewhere he quickly noticed. “The DJs played so much from the album,” said Gordy later, “that we had to go out in the single.”
The recording of the song by Gaye has become a hit crossover. He increased not only at the top of R&B graphics, but also spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Pop singles painting. It was the best-selling single of Motown until that time, and the In the groove The album name was soon changed to I heard it through the vineyard.
Gaye was known for his tenor voice with a sweet sound, which he could adjust from a baritone to a silky high falsetto. During the sessions of “vine”, the singer would have argued with Whitfield on the insistence of the producer so that he sings the song in a strong grater. Whitfield has prevailed and Gaye's performance is one of the largest in the Motown era. You can hear his classic “A cappella” voice in the video above. And for a reminder of the classic Whitfield arrangement, with its introduction of pulsed electric piano and its shimmering strings, see the video below. FUNK brothersMotown's legendary support group played on the track, as is the Vocal support group The Andantes and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Note: a previous version of this article appeared on our site in 2013.
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