This week we’re looking at songs that were popular enough in their first go round but really blew up when covered by other artists. With that in mind, today’s classic song and cover of the day is “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” a hit originally for Gladys Knight & the Pips and later for Marvin Gaye.
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” was written, in 1966, by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Together and separately these two songwriter/producers were responsible for a bevy of hits for various Motown artists, including “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Cloud Nine,” “Ball of Confusion,” and “Psychedelic Shack” for the Temptations; “Smiling Faces Sometimes” by the Undisputed Truth; “Too Many Fish in the Sea” for the Marvelettes; “War” for Edwin Starr; “Car Wash” for Rose Royce; “Pride and Joy” for Marvin Gaye; and “Friendship Train” for Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Whitfield and Strong first gave “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. They recorded the very first version of the song in August of 1966, but Motown head Berry Gordy vetoed the single’s release. (It sat in the Motown vaults until its inclusion on the Miracles’ 1968 album, Special Occasion.)
The second recording of “Grapevine” was made by Marvin Gaye in April of 1967. This version, arranged at a “slower, more mysterious tempo,” featured background vocals by the Andantes, Hammond organ by Earl Van Dyke, Wurlitzer electric piano by Johnny Griffith, bass by the legendary James Jamerson, percussion by Jack Ashford, drums by Pistol Allen (the tom part) and Uriel Jones, and a string arrangement by Paul Riser. Surprisingly, Berry Gordy decided not to release this version, either.
The third recording of the song was done by Gladys Knight & the Pips in June of 1967. This version was a completely different arrangement from the first two and featured Earl Van Dyke on piano, James Jamerson on bass, and Benny Benjamin (that opening ride cymbal part and various fills) and Uriel Jones on drums.
It was Gladys Knight’s recording that Berry Gordy reluctantly agreed to release. So the third version recorded was the first released, on September 28, 1967. This single was a bona fide hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, #1 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 (for six weeks) on Billboard’s Hot R&B chart. If that’s all there was, it would have been a major success.
Based on the popularity of the Gladys Knight & the Pips single, Berry Gordy was persuaded by Whitfield to finally release Marvin Gaye’s version of the song. This version, the second recorded, was also the second released, on October 30, 1968—a full year after the Pips’ initial release. That kind of sort of makes the Marvin Gaye version a cover, even though it was recorded before the first hit version. Confused yet?
Listeners weren’t confused. They loved Marvin Gaye’s version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” which simultaneously hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (for seven weeks), Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Hot R&B charts. Marvin’s version of “Grapevine” eventually became Motown’s top-selling single of all time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. (Twenty years later, in 2018, the Gladys Knight & the Pips version also was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.)
The popularity of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” led it to be covered by a ton of other artists. I have a particular fondness for the 11-minute swampified version of the song by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their 1970 Cosmo’s Factory album. Released as a (very long) single, this one hit #43 on the Billboard Hot 100, not bad for a cover of a cover (of a cover?).
Bottom line, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” is a terrific song, no matter who performed it. Which version is your favorite?
