"I Heard It through the Grapevine" was written for Motown Records by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, without an artist in mind. The first recording was by The Miracles in 1966 (Smokey Robinson sang lead, but he was not yet part of the group's name). Berry Gordy, Motown's founder and CEO, was not willing to release that version as a single, although it was later included on an album. Marvin Gaye made the next recording in early 1967, but Gordy again declined to release it as a single because he didn't think it would sell, which turned out to be huge misjudgment. The next recording, an uptempo version by Gladys Knight and the Pips, met with Gordy's approval. Released in September 1967, the Knight rendition charted at number two. Marvin Gaye's cut was finally released the following summer, reaching number one on both the pop and R&B charts, and staying there for seven weeks. It became Motown's all-time best seller (until it was outsold by the Jackson Five in 1970).
The Marvin Gaye version of "I Heard It through the Grapevine," which Rolling Stone ranked number 81 on its list of the greatest songs of all time, is generally regarded as the classic, as it is far more emotive than versions by Gladys Knight and others (though those are also wonderful; you can't really go wrong with this song). Be sure to check out Gaye's piano and a cappella cuts at the bottom of this post.
A capella
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