Marvin Gaye Songs Ranked
Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits, earning him the nicknames “Prince of Motown” and “Prince of Soul”. On April 1, 1984, the day before his 45th birthday, Gaye was shot dead by his father, Marvin Gay Sr. at their house in West Adams, Los Angeles, after an argument. Many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here are all of Marvin Gaye’s songs ranked.
Don’t miss the music of Marvin Gaye! Click and experience the sound of the influential music legend!
20. Just to Keep You Satisfied (Let’s Get It On, 1973)
“Found this song while watching the movie Baby Boy and read the entire credit score just to get the name of the song. I love it!”
19. When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You (Here, My Dear, 1978)
“The song is about his divorce from his wife, Anna Gordy, and it morphs line by line between pompousness, spite, self-pity, regret, and putative forgiveness. At one point he sings openly, “How could you turn me in to the police?”—years before gangster rap would make that less shocking. And, in a sign of his twisted ego, he spends most of the song blaming Anna for their split, even though it was he who cheated.”
18. Come Get to This (Let’s Get It On, 1973)
“Once in a lifetime a song comes along and you just know it is a keeper! This song is one of those keepers! I will forever be grateful for this song because it makes my spirit HAPPY!”
17. How Sweet It is (To Be Loved by You) (Moods of Marvin Gaye, 1966)
“This kind of is double for me, some times it feels a little too sweet, other times it hit’s the spot right on. All I know is that Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite artist. This song has his patented vocals that could swoon a million people. The production is just as crisp of course.”
See more: Marvin Gaye Albums Ranked
16. Distant Lover (Let’s Get It On, 1973)
“This is one of the most soulful songs ever made by the great and late Marvin Gaye. If you are young, listen to it to understand what pure r and b/ soul music is all about. If you are older, just play it again and let it take you back. You will replay the song again….no way you can listen to it just once.”
15. Ain’t that Peculiar (Moods of Marvin Gaye, 1966)
“Ain’t That Peculiar” is probably the best of them (which to coin another Motown title, is really saying something) with its insistent descending piano line, answering guitar-line, great call and response vocals between Marvin and his girls, but best of all, the brilliance of Smokey’s lyric in the verses. Not peculiar, merely brilliant.”
14. I’ll Be Doggone (Moods of Marvin Gaye, 1966)
“Am I the only one who thinks Gaye’s pop soul era is almost as good as his later (and more critically acclaimed) ‘classic’ era? I hope not, because songs like “I’ll Be Doggone” are so damn good, they stack up with some of his later career triumphs.”
13. Right On (What’s Going On, 1971)
“Smooth, yet restless, it seduces the listener into valid consciousness and makes the listener think. It doesn’t complain, it states.”
12. Can I Get a Witness (How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You, 1965)
“Remembering that Marvin was a minister’s son makes it only right that he sing this insanely catchy H-D-H gospel-infused R ‘n’ B number. The piano riff just doesn’t quit while Marvin testifies with evangelical conviction to his congregation of backing vocalists who obviously respond warmly to his exhortations.”
11. You’re All I Need to Get By (You’re All I Need, 1968)
“Wow, I wonder if there is any normal person on the face of this earth who has listened to these two gifted singers sing this song and not have their world effected, it effected mine and I not that normal. They were a major contribution to the music world and a very major lost as well.”
10. Got to Give It Up (Die giftgrüne Superplatte, 1977)
“I honestly don’t love “Got to Give It Up” as much as I should. Maybe it’s because I can’t quite tell what Marvin Gaye is actually singing unless I’m reading along with a lyric sheet. Maybe it’s because the beat doesn’t thump quite as hard as most of the other funk that was around at the same time. Maybe it’s the melodic minimalism of the piece as compared to most disco that was out around the same time. That said, “Got to Give It Up”‘s minimalist beat is its greatest strength: it’s a pure dance song that has no broader purpose outside of getting the listener to dance.”
9. Trouble Man (Trouble Man, 1972)
“Dripping atmosphere, it’s a cascade of crashing cymbals, threatening keyboards, walking bass and muted brass with the man himself delivering a faultless falsetto vocal on top. Just listen to him showing off in the rising sequence in the middle when he crams in more words than the lines can take.”
8. Inner City Blues (What’s Going On, 1971)
“Inner City Blues is a landmark rock single-an angry Top 10 classic-because it still shocks and saddens me to the Core, Heart and Soul. As many rock historians have noted and documented, Marvin Gaye was a troubled man-what his preacher father did to him-murdered in cold blood after an argument in a Hollywood hotel is simply unconscionable! All because the preacher Gaye Sr. disapproved of his kid Marvin’s sexually promiscuous lifestyle? I mean, come on give me a break!”
7. Mercy Mercy Me (What’s Going On, 1971)
“For about two and a half minutes, Marvin sings a song about environmental concerns. But if you weren’t paying attention to the lyrics, you’d probably think he was trying to pick up a woman. Strange that it still seems to work this way.”
See more: Justin Timberlake Albums Ranked
6. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (United, 1967)
“This is an all time favorite by two of the worlds all time greatest and most favorite and versatile singers of any era. What they individually and collectively brought to music we shall never see again.”
5. I Want You (I Want You, 1976)
“Although largely written and arranged for him by Leon Ware, there’s no doubt that Marvin put his stamp on anything he sang and so it proved here. Here he delivers another superb vocal of desire against his own multi-tracked backing vocals, competing with a well-funky guitar. The song doesn’t really change much from start to finish, not that you really want it to, it hits such a good groove.”
4. Sexual Healing (Midnight Love, 1982)
“One of the great comeback singles and tragic to think that within a year its creator was dead, killed by his own father. I actually think there’s some sly humour at work here with an ageing Marvin gently chiding his own “love man” image – else why would he need healing in the first place and indeed the accompanying MTV video also backs up this idea.”
3. I Heard It Through the Grapevine (I Heard It Through the Grapevine, 1968)
“I can’t get over this paranoid, dramatic gem — Marvin’s jaw dropping voice cutting through the bullshit and selling you, in no uncertain terms, his inner anxiety and pain. It’s such a specific, heartbreaking picture — an acknowledgement of infidelity found out through a third party, and he has no idea how to reckon with it. One of the best singles ever, ever, ever.”
2. Let’s Get It On (Let’s Get It On, 1973)
“”Let’s Get It On” is a landmark song that has sadly suffered from overexposure. Its insertion into every sex scene of every hack comedy released after 1973 has served to lessen what a shocking and important song it was: a sex-positive song that embraced human sexuality outside of a marital context. Sure, the guitar solos are sexy and Marvin Gaye’s voice oozes charisma, but the lyrics of the song are the real star: “And giving yourself to me can never be wrong/if the love is true.”
1. What’s Going On (What’s Going On, 1971)
“This song was once rather under-rated on here, but fortunately it has risen up the all-time list in recent years. Really no song broke the mould for sixties soul music more than this. With its topical subject matter, its intricate and original harmonies, its groundbreaking production and arrangement, and its beautiful, subtle melody, this is one of the greatest singles ever made. “
