Marvin gaye got to give
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It also topped the R&B Singles chart for five weeks.
Motivation for Writing
Gaye reportedly composed the song as a response to a demand from his label for a disco record. The second part is an instrumental continuation of the first, something that was unusual for pop songs of the time.
Song Content
Marvin Gaye played multiple instruments in the recording of this song, including keyboards and percussion.
It was particularly strange watching him mouth the words of the song which is the story – Gaye’s story – of a wallflower.”
Marvin Gaye, “Got To Give It Up”
Feeling a bit of déjà vu every time you hear “Blurred Lines,” the ubiquitous smash from earlier this year by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams?
(And if we’re talking about theft, what about Mick Jagger nicking Gaye’s falsetto for “Emotional Rescue?”) In any case, Marvin didn’t skimp on the lyrics, creating a nifty little tale about a one-time wallflower who blooms in the midst of the rhythmic onslaught.
Since this was the man who hit the charts with “Let’s Get It On” and “Sexual Healing,” it’s only natural that things wouldn’t stay so chaste.
That means you probably lived through the disco era and are noticing the same things that the Marvin Gaye estate is contending in an ugly lawsuit: That “Blurred Lines” sounds an awful lot like Gaye’s 1977 #1 smash “Got To Give It Up.”
Where does homage to a beloved artist cross over into outright thievery? In the United States, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that spot for a week.
Those lines are a bit blurry, but it’s indisputably clear that Marvin Gaye was a genius in any genre.
Click here to read the lyrics.
Got To Give It Up
Recording History
"Got to Give It Up" was initially a song titled "Dancing Lady," performed during Marvin Gaye's live concerts.
“The groove was so bad. As was typical of the Motown legend, he transcended any concerns about the flimsiness of the genre with his musical ingenuity and the vibrancy of his performance.
With the help of producer Art Stewart, Gaye built the track organically from a relentlessly percussive foundation, thereby avoiding the soullessness that plagued some popular disco at the time.
In the United States, it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that spot for a week. “You can hear Marvin greet Don Cornelius.”
The result was a Number One crossover hit – Gaye’s third to top the Billboard Hot 100 – edited down from the album’s 11 minutes-plus version.
It was covered by several artists like Aaliyah and The Bar-Kays.
Accolades
In 2020, "Got to Give It Up" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Personal Struggles
Despite the song's success and upbeat vibe, Gaye was battling several personal challenges during this period, including tax issues and substance abuse.
The studio version wasn't made until 1976.
Album Inclusion
Despite being recorded in a live setting, "Got to Give It Up" was debuted in Gaye's first-ever live album, "Live at the London Palladium," in 1977.
Chart Performance
The song was an enormous hit in multiple countries. On background vocals were Gaye’s wife Jan and brother Frankie.
I couldn’t be bothered. Still, the success of the song helped him regain some financial stability.
In Divided Soul, David Ritz recalled a night two years after the release of “Got To Give It Up” when he, Gaye and several friends were at a San Francisco disco.
A noteworthy example is Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit song "Blurred Lines," which was accused of copying the sound of Gaye's song. As the song progresses, Gaye slips in some not-so-subtle innuendo before eventually getting right to the point: “Let me step into your erotic zone.”
Even with those tangents, “Got To Give It Up” is still more about booty-shaking than booty calls, a testament to the wonders of an irrepressible groove.
Still, the success of the song helped him regain some financial stability.
Got to Give It Up
Recording History
"Got to Give It Up" was initially a song titled "Dancing Lady," performed during Marvin Gaye's live concerts. Among those making merriment and noise, he said, was the host of TV’s Soul Train.
Playing “milk bottle and spoon” was Frankie Beverly, from another popular, non-Motown band, Maze. Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall was being played and “as much as Marvin admired the production,” wrote Ritz, “he refused to dance. Instead, he coolly stood at the bar, greeting friends.” Suddenly, “Got To Give It Up” blasted out of the club’s sound system, “and everybody dragged Marvin to the dance floor.” Ritz continued, “Watching Marvin move, I could feel the pain of his self-consciousness.
It runs for nearly 12 minutes, split into two parts. The second part is an instrumental continuation of the first, something that was unusual for pop songs of the time.
Song Content
Marvin Gaye played multiple instruments in the recording of this song, including keyboards and percussion.
This is due to the lawsuit for copyright infringement filed by Marvin’s family against the creators of “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke’s 2013 smash featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I. One listen makes it clear where the inspiration (if not more) for that 21st century recording came from.