Top 100 Soul/R&B Songs

#63: Marvin Gaye 'Let's Get It On'

Butta  |  05/21/2008 at 6:00 PM  |  Comments (3)

There's no denying that Marvin Gaye was a talented yet tortured soul. His upbringing at the hands of his abusive, cross-dressing, preacher father led him to teeter on the edge between the sanctified and the sinful throughout his life and career. However, it wasn't until 1973 that we would see his creative pendulum fully swing into the carnal. Inspired by his clandestine relationship with 16-year-old Janis Hunter while he was still married to Anna Gordy Gaye, the album Let's Get It On was Marvin's first foray into sexual seduction. The once squeaky clean heartthrob was now a brazen loverman, which became abundantly clear when the needle hit the record and the first notes of the title single began to play. With "Let's Get It On" Gaye put his love/lust on wax and turned his female fans on to no end. Numerous children born in 1974 and the years thereafter have Marvin to thank for providing their parents with the soundtrack to their conception.

Tags: anna gordy gaye, janice hunter gaye, marvin gaye, motown