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Marvin Gaye, Distant Lover: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 14 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Motown / UMG Recordings, Inc.; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]In the 14th edition of Throwback Vibez (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Distant Lover” by Marvin Gaye.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 14th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2025), we recollect and reflect on “Distant Lover” performed by Marvin Gaye.

Marvin Gaye, Let's Get It On [📷: Motown / UMG Recordings, Inc.]“Distant lover, lover (Lover, lover, lover) / Ooh, so many miles away, ooh…” Marvin Gaye won two Grammys in his brief lifetime. Let that sink in… Both Grammys were for his “Sexual Healing”, a song released late in his career in the early 1980s.  I say that to say, it is a shame that one of the greatest singers didn’t receive recognition for his work from the 1960s and 70s. Let’s Get It On was one of the 12 Grammy nominations he received.  The album was nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male at the 16th Annual GRAMMY Awards. That means that “Distant Lover”, the dope sixth track from the album, was ‘technically’ nominated for a Grammy 🤭.  While it was eclipsed by the ‘risqué,’ title track, it earned Gaye a top 40 hit on the pop charts, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Classic [📷: Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay]“Heaven knows that long for you / Every night, every night, and sometimes I yearn through the day,” Marvin Gaye continues singing in the memorable first verse.  Gaye delivers an authentic, expressive performance as he thinks about an ex-lover who is now far, far away.  How far away is she exactly? The distance in miles is less important than the fact they are no longer an item.  In that regard, the distance is more pronounced.  Supported by a lush, marvelous backdrop that oozes with soul, Gaye hopes that she thinks about him, but he seems unsure: “You should think about me, say a prayer for me / Please, please, baby, think about me sometimes / Think about me here, here in misery.”  In the bridge, he remembers the good times, “our joyful summer together,” but “Then all of a sudden / Everything seemed to explode.” Gaye, Sandra Greene, and Gwen Gordy Fuqua composed a relatable gem. Although it comes from Gaye’s perspective, anyone who has experienced a fling or relationship with someone and then lost them is impacted by this song. Fun fact: “Distant Lover” is sampled in “Spaceship” by Kanye West featuring GLC and Consequence, a marvelous song from his 2004 masterpiece, The College Dropout.  Marvin, you put your foot into this one!


Marvin Gaye // Let’s Get It On  // Motown / UMG Recordings, Inc. // 1973

Marvin Gaye, Distant Lover: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 14 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Motown / UMG Recordings, Inc.; AcatXlo, OpenClipart-Vectors, Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]

 


the musical hype

the musical hype (Brent Faulkner) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education, music theory/composition respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Faulkner cites music and writing as two of the most important parts of his life. Notably, he's blessed with a great ear, possessing perfect pitch.

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