Gladys vs. Smokey vs. Marvin | Head 2 Head 🗣️

On the 16^th edition of Head 2 Head, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, and Marvin Gaye duke it over their respective takes on a soul classic. 

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 2 Head, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing and contrasting their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  For our 16^th head-to-head, the source material is the 🎼✍ Norman Whitfield and 🎼✍ Barrett Strong penned soul classic, 🎵 “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”. The three artists going head-to-head are 🎙 Gladys Knight & The Pips, 🎙 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and 🎙 Marvin Gaye. So, without further ado, let this three-person, Motown special edition of Head 2 Head commence!

1. Gladys Knight & The Pips, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

💿 Everybody Needs Love • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1967

Of the three versions of 🎵 “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” that appear on this particular Head 2 Head, arguably, the most unique version arrives courtesy of 🎙 Gladys Knight & The Pips.  This funky, up-tempo take on the Whitfield/Strong masterpiece is chocked-full of energy, led by soon-to-be, soul icon, 🎙 Gladys Knight.  This electrifying take is the highlight of Everybody Needs Love, the 1967 debut album by the collective.  While Knight, Robinson, and Gaye all released the same song within a year of one another, it was the Pips’ recording that arrived first.

Had there never been another recording of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” made, Gladys Knight & The Pips would’ve solidified the legacy of the song.  This is a prime example of fun, feel-good soul at its best.  The lead vocals are on-point, the backing vocals are killer, and the overall, late-60s soul aesthetic is marvelously and masterfully captured.

It all commences with that infectious drum groove (heavy on cymbal), that anchoring, robust bass line, followed by the addition of rhythm guitar and old-school, upright acoustic piano.  Fifty-plus years later, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in the hands of Knight is a vibe.

2.Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

💿 Special Occasion • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1968

🎙 Smokey Robinson & The Miracles can rarely be considered the middle child, or maybe worse, the neglected stepchildren.  🎙 Smokey Robinson is an icon in his own right as a solo artist and one of the greatest songwriters of all time.  That said, their cover of 🎵 “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” is rarely mentioned, period.  Released in 1968 on the album 💿 Special Occasion, a fine take on this beloved soul classic still to this day doesn’t get much buzz or much love.  Of course, it should be noted, that same album features their own beloved gem, 🎵 “Much Better Off,” which is definitely beloved by producers for sampling and interpolation purposes (🎵 “Just Right for Me” from Monica’s 💿 Code Red is a perfect example).  Anyways, let’s focus on the song at hand – not the essential record from Special Occasion!

Much like I drifted off on a tangent about a different song, the Smokey version of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” just didn’t go anywhere.  It’s definitely closer to the Marvin Gaye version, yet quicker.  Robinson sings terrifically as always, crooning one of the most memorable, tuneful melodies of all time.  The backups by The Miracles play a similarly seminal role, much like The Pips to Knight’s lead.  Furthermore, the production is sweet, sounding very tried and true to the late 60s soul sound with a funky drum groove, robust bass line, rhythm guitar, and emphasis on the electric keyboard.  Listening to this take, there’s much to like, yet, I find myself puzzle why it ended up being a neglected stepchild of the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles catalog.

3. Marvin Gaye, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”

💿 In the Groove • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1968

Sometimes, I wonder if artists get jealous after another artist or band has recorded ‘their’ song and undoubtedly claimed it for their own?  In the history of music, this has happened numerous times.  Sure, the original is great – maybe even timeless in its own right – but the cover truly ‘takes the cake.’  I would argue that after 🎙 Marvin Gaye took 🎵 “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” into his own hands, well, it was #GAME OVER for everyone else.  Maybe that’s not fair to Gladys Knight & The Pips, who totally ‘knocked it out of the park’ with the ‘original,’ but honestly, Gaye just absolutely slaughters.

“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” appears on Gaye’s 1968 album, 💿 In The Groove, though most of us these days consume early Gaye classics via greatest hits compilations.  Anyways, if we examine In The Groove, the biggest song, with little competition (opener 🎵 “You” being the biggest) is “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”  It is the perfect record with its moderate pace, colorful palette of sounds – backing vocals, horns – and most importantly, those transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime pipes of Marvin Gaye.

The minute that THIS version kicks off, you feel moved – it just feels right, man! There aren’t really words sufficient to describe how Marvin transformed a great song into a truly game changing, unforgettable one.  Question: If there were a soul god, would he be Marvin Gaye? Totally not being sacrilegious… at least not intentionally…

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

Ah, this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Gladys Knight & The Pips, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, or Marvin Gaye? Well, let’s go on and award third place to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” in their hands gets no love, so, might as well eliminate that one.  So, now, we’re down to Gladys and Marvin.  While I find these two to be incredibly competitive against one another, I think we all know that once Gaye took this record for his own, it was #GAME OVER.  Yes, The Pips did it first and did a superb job but beating Marvin Gaye – that’s a different beast altogether!

Gladys vs. Smokey vs. Marvin: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 16 [📷: Brent Faulkner, Motown, The Musical Hype, Valentin Tikhonov from Pixabay]