YouTube Gold: One Of Marvin Gaye’s Greatest

A classic from 1965

Marvin Gaye was one of those artists who became indelibly associated with certain songs. In his case, he was almost certainly most closely identified with his masterpiece album, What’s Goin’ On, in which his voice became as much an instrument as Ella Fitzgerald’s had decades earlier.

That was after he had seized control of his career and let his artistic vision loose.

Before that though, he cranked out a lot of Motown hits. In the early days, with hits like How Sweet It Is, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Heard It Through The Grapevine and You’re All I Need, Gaye established himself as a great, great singer.

Of his early hits though, nothing was much better than Ain’t That Peculiar. The arrangement of the song allowed his voice to really soar over the instruments without overpowering them. It hinted at the astonishing work he would do in a few years on What’s Goin’ On and the next great album, Let’s Get It On.

Tragically, Gaye was murdered the day before his 45th birthday, shot dead by his own father.