Marvin Gaye’s classic track “Let’s Get It On” now has an official music video. Directed by Monica Cordero and animated by Vania Chandrawidjaja and William Kusuma, the visual uses vibrant 1970s psychedelia to Gaye’s sensual anthem to life. The video is out now via Motown/UMe.
In 1971, Gaye released his 11th studio album, the self-produced What’s Going On. The socially-conscious concept album was a huge success and is considered a soul classic. He followed that record with the soundtrack album to the 1972 blaxploitation film Trouble Man. Gaye decided to follow in the footsteps of his label, Motown, and relocate from Detroit to Los Angeles. Released in August 1973, Let’s Get It On explores the sexual and the spiritual. Gaye worked alongside producer Ed Townsend, who co-wrote several songs including the ballad “If I Should Die Tonight.”
The album’s title track became Gaye’s second No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100. Initially inspired by Townsend’s struggle with substance abuse, the song became an intimate come-on. Other singles include “Come Get to This,” which recalled Gaye’s early soul sound and “You Sure Love to Ball,” a R&B hit whose success was stalled by its suggestive themes.
Last year, Motown/UMe released a deluxe edition of Let’s Get It On for the album’s 50th anniversary. That collection features 33 bonus tracks including songs from a lost Herbie Hancock session. Let’s Get It On was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.
In other Marvin Gaye news, next year, a remastered deluxe edition of the 1974 album Marvin Gaye Live! will bring the entire show to DSPs for the first time. The album captures Gaye’s return to the stage after the release of Let’s Get It On. Marvin Gaye Live! features hits like “Trouble Man,” “Distant Lover,” and “What’s Going On.”
Watch the new video for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” now.
