Let's Get It On
Let's Get It On | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 28, 1973 | |||
Recorded |
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Studio |
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R&B | ||||
Length | 31:36 | |||
Label | Tamla | |||
Producer |
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Marvin Gaye chronology | ||||
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Singles from Let's Get It On | ||||
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Let's Get It On is the thirteenth studio album by the American soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP.
Recording sessions for the album took place during June 1970 to July 1973 at
Following the breakthrough success of his socially conscious album
In retrospect, Let's Get It On has been regarded by writers and music critics as a landmark recording in soul. It increased the popularity of funk during the 1970s, while Gaye's smooth-soul sound marked a change from his record label's previous success with the "
Background
In the spring of 1972, Marvin Gaye was suffering from writer's block.
His view of sex was unsettled, tormented, riddled with pain.
— David Ritz, Gaye's biographer[5]
During his childhood, Gaye had been physically abused by his preacher father
By winning over record executives with the success of What's Going On, Gaye attained more creative control, which he would use, following his brief separation from wife Anna Gordy, to record an album that was meant to explore themes beyond sex.[5] As with What's Going On, Gaye wanted to have a deeper meaning than the general theme that was used to portray it; in the case of the former album, politics, and with its follow-up effort, love and romance, which would be used by Gaye as a metaphor for God's love.[5] In his book Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye, Gaye biographer David Ritz wrote of the singer's inspiration behind Let's Get It On:
If the most profound soul songs are prayers in secular dress, Marvin's prayer is to reconcile the ecstasy of his early religious epiphany with a sexual epiphany. The hope for such a reconciliation, the search for sexual healing, is what drives his art ... The paradox is this: The sexiest of Marvin Gaye's work is also his most spiritual. That's the paradox of Marvin himself. In his struggle to wed body and soul, in his exploration of sexual passion, he expresses the most human of hungers—the hunger for God. In those songs of loss and lament—the sense of separation is heartbreaking. On one level, the separation is between man and woman. On a deeper level, the separation is between man and God.[6]
In the album's liner notes, Gaye explained his views on the themes of sex and love, stating "I can't see anything wrong with sex between consenting anybodies. I think we make far too much of it. After all, one's genitals are just one important part of the magnificent human body ... I contend that SEX IS SEX and LOVE IS LOVE. When combined, they work well together, if two people are of about the same mind. But they are really two discrete needs and should be treated as such. Time and space will not permit me to expound further, especially in the area of the psyche. I don't believe in overly moralistic philosophies. Have your sex, it can be exciting, if you're lucky. I hope the music that I present here makes you lucky."[7]
Recording
Gaye proceeded to record some more politically conscious material at the
The album's first recording, "Let's Get It On", was composed by Gaye with friend and former Motown label mate Ed Townsend.[3] It was originally written by Gaye as a religious ode to life, but Motown singer-songwriter Kenneth Stover re-wrote it as a more political first draft.[3] Upon hearing Gaye's preliminary mix of Stover's draft, Townsend protested and claimed that the song would be better suited with sexual and romantic overtones, particularly "about making sweet love."[9] Gaye and Townsend rewrote the song's lyrics together with the original arrangements and musical accompaniment of the demo intact. The lyrics were inspired by Janis Hunter, whom Gaye had become infatuated with after meeting each other through Ed Townsend during the initial sessions.[3] Townsend has cited Hunter's presence during the album's recording as an inspiration for Gaye.[10] Gaye's intimate relationship with Hunter subsequently became the basis for his 1976 album I Want You.[11] While recording the title track, he was inspired to revive unfinished recordings from his 1970 sessions at the Hitsville U.S.A. Studio.[3]
Townsend assisted Gaye with producing the rest of the album, whose recording took place at several sessions throughout 1970 to 1973.
Music and lyrics
"Let's Get It On" features soulful, passionate lead vocals and
The third track, the ballad "If I Should Die Tonight" originally appeared on the vinyl LP in a shortened version lasting only 3:03. For the 1986 'twofer' (with "What's Going On") CD reissue of the album, Motown recording engineers for the first time restored the missing verse which had been omitted from the LP. The full length track, which has been used for all subsequent releases, runs to 4 full minutes.
"Distant Lover" has Gaye crooning over serene instrumentation, leading to soulful screams near the end; from a heartbroken croon to an impassioned wail.[14] The song's lyrics chronicled the yearning its narrator feels for a lover who is "so many miles away", as he pleads for her return and laments the emptiness he feels without her.[14] Music writer Donarld A. Guarisco later wrote of the song's sound, in that "Marvin Gaye's studio recording enhances the dreamy style of the song with stately horn and strings, tumbling drum fills that gently nudge the song along, and mellow, doo wop-styled background vocals that echo "love her, you love her" under his romantic pleas.[14] The song later became a concert favorite for Gaye and a live concert version, featuring female fans screaming in the background, was released as a single from his Marvin Gaye Live! album in 1974.[14]
"
Marketing and sales
Released on August 28, 1973, Let's Get It On surpassed Gaye's previous studio effort, What's Going On, as the best-selling record of his tenure with Motown.
Two of the album's singles reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including "Let's Get It On", which became Gaye's second number-one US single, and the top-30 hit "Come Get to This", which peaked at number 23 on the chart.[21] The album's third single, "You Sure Love to Ball", charted at number 50 on the Hot 100 and at number 13 on the Soul Singles chart.[21]
Along with the album's music and sexual content, Let's Get It On's commercial success and promotion helped establish Marvin Gaye as a sex icon, while helping further expand his artistic control during his tenure at Motown.[22] This commercial success also led to a much publicized tour for Gaye to promote Let's Get It On and expand on his repertoire as a live performer.[20] Successful concert performances of the album's material helped Gaye gain an increasing popularity and fan base in the pop market, while earning him a reputation as one of the top live performers of the time.[20] His performance at the Oakland Coliseum during the 1973-1974 tour was released on the 1974 LP Live!, which would serve as Gaye's only release during his sabbatical period in the mid-1970s.[23]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Tom Hull – on the Web | B+[30] |
Let's Get It On received positive reviews from music critics. Billboard called it "fine in terms of vocal attack and material [...] touches on the excellent in terms of instrumental support", while citing the title track and "Distant Lover" as the album's best recordings.[19] Jon Landau of Rolling Stone found Gaye's performance on-par with that of What's Going On and wrote that "he continues to transmit that same degree of intensity, sending out near cosmic overtones while eloquently phrasing the sometimes simplistic lyrics".[12] Although he viewed that it "lacks that album's series of highpoints", Landau commented that "it ebbs and flows, occasionally threatening to spend itself on an insufficiency of ideas, but always retrieved, just in time, by Gaye's performance. From first note to last, he keeps pushing and shoving, and if he sometimes takes one step back for every two ahead, he gets there just the same — and with style and spirit to spare".[12] In Creem magazine, Robert Christgau called the record "post-Al Green What's Going On, which means it's about fucking rather than the human condition, thank the wholly holey".[31]
Since its initial reception, Let's Get It On has been viewed by writers as a milestone in soul music.
Accolades
Much like What's Going On, Let's Get It On has been included in professional lists of the best albums. It was ranked number 58 on
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bill Shapiro | United States | The Top 100 Rock Compact Discs[citation needed] | 1991 | * | ||
Blender | The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time[citation needed] | 2002 | 15 | |||
Dave Marsh & Kevin Stein | The 40 Best of Album Chartmakers by Year[citation needed] | 1981 | 6 | |||
Elvis Costello (Vanity Fair, Issue No. 483) | 500 Albums You Need[citation needed] | 2005 | * | |||
Infoplease.com | Must-Have Recordings[citation needed] | 1998 | * | |||
Jimmy Guterman | The 100 Best Rock and Roll Records of All Time[citation needed] | 1992 | 27 | |||
Kitsap Sun | Top 200 Albums of the Last 40 Years[citation needed] | 2005 | 67 | |||
Paul Gambaccini | The World Critics Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1987 | 84 | |||
The Recording Academy | Grammy Hall of Fame Albums and Songs[citation needed] | 2004 | * | |||
Robert Dimery | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die[citation needed] | 2005 | * | |||
Steve Pond )
|
Steve Pond's 50 (+27) Essential Albums of the 70s[citation needed] | 1990 | 39 | |||
Rolling Stone | 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 2003 | 165 | |||
2020 | 422 | |||||
Vibe | 51 Albums representing a Generation, a Sound and a Movement[citation needed] | 2004 | * | |||
Hot Press
|
Ireland | The 100 Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1989 | 32 | ||
Mojo | United Kingdom | Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide[citation needed] | 2001 | * | ||
NME | All Times Top 100 Albums[citation needed] | 1985 | 46 | |||
NME | All Times Top 100 Albums + Top 50 by Decade[citation needed] | 1993 | 145 | |||
The New Nation
|
Top 100 Albums by Black Artists[citation needed] | 2005 | 27 | |||
Sounds | The 100 Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1986 | 24 | |||
The Times | The 100 Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1993 | 58 | |||
Time Out
|
The 100 Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1989 | 3 | |||
The Wire | The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made[citation needed] | 1992 | * | |||
Adresseavisen | Norway | The 100 (+23) Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 1995 | 101 | ||
Pop | Sweden | The World's 100 Best Albums + 300 Complements[citation needed] | 1994 | 101 | ||
OOR
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Netherlands | Albums of the Year[citation needed] | 1973 | 41 | ||
VPRO | Netherlands | 299 Nominations of the Best Album of All Time[citation needed] | 2006 | * | ||
Spex | Germany | The 100 Albums of the Century[citation needed] | 1999 | 93 | ||
Rock de Lux | Spain | The 100 Best Albums of the 1970s[citation needed] | 1988 | 39 | ||
The 200 Best Albums of All Time[citation needed] | 2002 | 53 | ||||
(*) designates lists that are unordered. |
Legacy and influence
Because of the album and its singles' initial sales and response, Let's Get It On marked a change and transition in sound and production for Motown, which had previously enjoyed success with its trademark "
Gaye's change of musical style and production with the album made an immediate impact on the subsequently successful Motown artists, including
The album's sexual content pushed creative barriers in the recording industry and led to an increased popularity of sexual themes in contemporary music.
Although there was a 'conscious' revolution, there was also a great sexual revolution ... I think Let's Get It On was Marvin wanting to make commentary on what was happening. I think there was a big 'love-in' that was going on. And with him quoting T.S. Elliot [in his liner notes, that life amounts to "Birth, copulation and death"], and the young lady moaning [on the album], we hadn't heard that before. That was another first, as well as him capturing erotica like that, and weaving it into the music the way he did; it was mind blowing. I think it was a natural progression, because we were having a revolution with our minds, and then with our bodies at that time.[41]
Following the success of Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On (1971) and James Brown's late 1960s and early 1970s singles, Gaye's Let's Get It On gave greater mainstream exposure to funk and broadened its influence on the music industry. Many later R&B musicians, such as Prince, D'Angelo, and R. Kelly, were greatly influenced by its vintage sound and seductive themes, incorporating much of Gaye's musical style into their music.[10]
Track listing
Original release
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Let's Get It On" | Marvin Gaye, Ed Townsend | 4:44 |
2. | "Please Stay (Once You Go Away)" | Gaye, Townsend | 3:32 |
3. | "If I Should Die Tonight" | Gaye, Townsend | 3:57 |
4. | "Keep Gettin' It On" | Gaye, Townsend | 3:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Come Get to This" | Gaye | 2:40 |
2. | "Distant Lover" | Gaye, Gwen Gordy, Sandra Greene | 4:15 |
3. | "You Sure Love to Ball" | Gaye | 4:43 |
4. | "Just to Keep You Satisfied" | Gaye, Anna Gordy Gaye, Elgie Stover | 4:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
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9. | "Let's Get It On (Single Edit)" | 4:04 |
10. | "You Sure Love To Ball (Single Mix)" | 3:35 |
2001 deluxe edition
On September 18, 2001, Let's Get It On was reissued by Motown as a two-disc
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let's Get It On" | Gaye, Townsend | 4:51 |
2. | "Please Stay (Once You Go Away)" | Gaye, Townsend | 3:27 |
3. | "If I Should Die Tonight" | Gaye, Townsend | 4:01 |
4. | "Keep Getting' It On" | Gaye, Townsend | 3:13 |
5. | "Come Get to This" | Gaye | 2:41 |
6. | "Distant Lover" | Gaye, G. Gordy, Greene | 4:17 |
7. | "You Sure Love to Ball" | Gaye | 4:46 |
8. | "Just to Keep You Satisfied" | Gaye, Gordy-Gaye, Stover | 4:27 |
9. | "Song #3" (instrumental) | Van dePitte, Gaye | 5:28 |
10. | "My Love Is Growing" | Gaye | 4:20 |
11. | "Cakes" | Van dePitte, Gaye | 3:14 |
12. | "Symphony" (undubbed version) | Gaye, Robinson | 2:51 |
13. | "I'd Give My Life for You" (alternate mix) | Gaye | 3:29 |
14. | "I Love You Secretly" (The Miracles version) | Gaye, Gordy-Gaye, E. Stover | 4:18 |
15. | "You're the Man" (alternate version 1) | K. Stover, Gaye | 7:24 |
16. | "You're the Man" (alternate version 2) | K. Stover, Gaye | 4:44 |
17. | "Symphony" (demo vocal) | Gaye, Robinson | 2:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Let's Get It On" (demo) | Gaye, Townsend | 5:12 |
2. | "Let's Get It On, Pt. 2" (a.k.a. " Mizell | 3:56 | |
12. | "The World Is Rated X" (alternate mix) | Bolton, Bolton, Gordy, McLeod | 3:52 |
13. | "I'm Gonna Give You Respect" | Hutch | 2:56 |
14. | "Try It, You'll Like It" | Hutch, Wakefield | 3:57 |
15. | "You Are That Special One" | Hutch | 3:38 |
16. | "We Can Make It Baby" | Hutch | 3:22 |
17. | "Running from Love" (instrumental version 1) | Bohannon, Gaye, Henderson | 3:47 |
18. | "Mandota" | Bohannon, Gaye | 3:26 |
19. | "Running from Love" (instrumental version 2) | Bohannon, Gaye, Henderson | 3:54 |
20. | "Come Get to This" (live from Oakland) | Gaye | 3:00 |
Personnel
- Orchestral arrangement, Conducting: David Van De Pitte (tracks: 5, 6, 8), Gene Page (track: 5), René Hall (tracks: 1 to 4), David Blumberg (track: 7)
- Bass: James Jamerson, Wilton Felder
- Bobbye Hall Porter
- Bongos, Drums: Eddie "Bongo" Brown
- Drums: Paul Humphrey, Uriel Jones
- Engineer: William McKeekin, Art Stewart, Steve Smith, Lawrence Miles, Cal Harris
- Guitar: Melvin Ragin, Robert White, Don Peake
- Mallet percussion: Emil Richards
- Percussion (Special treatment): Bobbye Hall Porter
- Saxophone: Ernie Watts, Plas Johnson
- Piano: Joe Sample, Marvin Gaye, Marvin Jerkins
- Photography: Jim Britt, Motown Archives
- Production, lead vocals, background vocals: Marvin Gaye, except where noted:
- Background vocals: The Originals("Just to Keep You Satisfied")
- Co-production: Ed Townsend (tracks: 1 to 4)
- Background vocals:
- Vibraphone: Emil Richards, Victor Feldman
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1973) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Top LPs[42] | 2 |
US Billboard Soul LPs[42] | 1 |
US Record World Top LPs[43] | 1 |
US Cashbox Tops LPs[44] | 1 |
Chart (1984) | Peak position |
US Billboard Top 200[42] | 127 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1973) | Peak
positions |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums[45] | 29 |
Chart (1974) | Peak
positions |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Pop Albums[46] | 46 |
U.S. Billboard Top Soul Albums[47] | 8 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1973 (U.S.)
- Smooth soul
References
- ^ a b c d e Deluxe edition liner notes (2001), pp. 19–20.
- ISBN 9781440875267.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Edmonds (2001), pp. 7–8.
- ^ Marvin Gaye - Singer/Songwriter. BBC - h2g2. Retrieved on 2008-08-24.
- ^ a b c d Ritz (2001), p. 2.
- ^ Ritz b (1991), p. 203
- ^ Gaye (2001), liner excerpt
- ^ a b c d e f g allmusic Let's Get It On (Deluxe Edition) - Overview . All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ Townsend (2001), p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Edmonds (2001), pp. 15–18.
- ^ Dyson (2005), p. 164.
- ^ a b c d e f Landau, Jon (December 6, 1973). Review: Let's Get It On. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-01-28.
- ^ "Don Peake Motown". The Wrecking Crew. Denny Tedesco. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d allmusic Distant Lover - Song Review . All Media Guide. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ a b Edmonds (2001), pp. 8–9.
- ^ Allmusic.
- ^ US number two albums Archived 2009-02-23 at the Wayback Machine. Sharon Persky. Retrieved on 2009-03-28.
- ^ Billboard, CASHBOX & Record World №1 ALBUMS(1973年) Archived February 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. MS-Database. Retrieved on 2009-03-28.
- ^ a b c d Super Seventies: Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On. Super Seventies RockSite!. Retrieved on 2008-08-26.
- ^ a b c Edmonds (2001), p. 14.
- ^ a b Allmusic Let's Get It On - Charts & Awards . Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. allmusic Marvin Gaye - Biography . All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ allmusic: Live!. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-10-26.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (July 22, 1994). "Gaye Is Still What's Goin' On Massive Motown Reissue Celebrates Singer's Lasting Legacy". Chicago Tribune. p. 4. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
- ISBN 0306804093. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ISBN 1578590264.
- ^ a b Hoard, Christian (ed.) "Marvin Gaye". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: 324–325. November 2, 2004.
- ^ "Review". Q. August 2003. p. 120.
- ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Grade List: Marvin Gaye". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (December 1973). Consumer Guide: Let's Get It On. Creem. Retrieved on 2011-01-29.
- ^ Easlea, Daryl (August 26, 2009). Review: Let's Get It On. BBC Music. Retrieved on 2011-01-29.
- ^ The Times All Time Top 100 Albums - 1993. Rocklist. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 165) Let's Get It On". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 27, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-17.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ "Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
- ^ "Hall of Fame inductees". Grammy.com. The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
- ^ a b Slant Magazine Music Review: Marvin Gaye: What's Going On Archived 2003-12-19 at the Wayback Machine. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2008-11-29.
- ^ Johnstone (1999), p. 193.
- ^ Neal, Mark Anthony. Review: Voodoo. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2008-08-09.
- ^ a b Dyson (2005), p. 98.
- ^ a b c Charts & Awards – Billboard Albums: Let's Get It On. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-01-29.
- ^ "RECORD WORLD MAGAZINE: 1942 to 1982". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ "CASH BOX MAGAZINE: Music and coin machine magazine 1942 to 1996". worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
- ^ "British album certifications – Marvin Gaye – Let's Get It On". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-306-80443-3.
- Marvin Gaye, David Ritz, Ed Townsend, Ben Edmonds, Harry Weinger (2001). Let's Get It On. booklet liner notes (Deluxe ed.). Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. MOTD 4757.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Nick Johnstone (1999). Melody Maker History of 20th Century Popular Music. Bloomsbury, London, UK. ISBN 0-7475-4190-6.
- ISBN 0-465-01770-3.
- Nathan Brackett; Christian Hoard (2004). ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Colin Larkin (2002). ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
External links
- Let's Get It On at Discogs
- Let's Get It On (Deluxe Edition) at Allmusic