422. Marvin Gaye, "Let's Get It On"

 


Every single person in America and most of the world knows the opening four notes of this album, the wah-wah dyoot dyoot doot doot guitar that begins "Let's Get It On," the title track to this album.  It's so ubiquitous that it has become musical shorthand for "person is very attracted to another person" in film and TV and no wonder, it's a great song.  This album was, of course, a huge success and charted for 61 weeks and was the best-selling soul album of 1973.

Now I want to preface this by saying this is just one person's opinion and many, many people love this album and I am assuredly an outlier, but: it's a little thin for me.  A lot of the songs sound very, very similar, like Gaye had one good idea and ran with it.  Which, ok!  A middling record from Marvin Gaye is still better than the best record most people will ever make.  I just wouldn't go back to it.

ADULT CONTENT FOLLOWS, 18+ PLEASE


One interesting thing about the record is how OVERT the sexuality is.  Entire books have been written about Marvin Gaye's tortured relationship with his sexuality, but man, when you get out there with a song like "You Sure Love to Ball," you are not hiding your light under a bushel.  

(Side note: the use of "ball" as a term for sex really has disappeared, huh?  I strongly associate with the late 60's/early 70's.  Like if you read books about hippies or whatever they're always talking about "balling" but no one really does any more.  I read this crazy salacious book about Janis Joplin and there was lots of "balling" in there, I think.  Ah, the glorious evolution of the English language.)

Comments

  1. EmilinaMarch 22, 2021 at 6:42 AM

    My high school history teacher tried to get us excited about the middle ages by doing a lecture on medieval love songs, which she opened with Let's Get It On - she told us to close our eyes and listen as she turned it on, sat cross legged on her desk, and swayed side to side for the duration of the song. Can't hear that song without reliving the uncomfortable minutes of eyeing of my classmates as our teacher grooved out to a bang song.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TKMarch 22, 2021 at 9:11 AM

      Now I can't get the image of medieval peasants grooving to Marvin out of my head (yes this sounds deeply uncomfortable)

      Delete

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