Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Your Precious Love | Dazzling Duets

In the 25^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell collaborate on “Your Precious Love.” 

Sometimes, two is better than one! That is the case when it comes to Dazzling Duets! On Dazzling Duets, we highlight ear-catching songs performed by two artists collaborating. These duets can be from any musical style, making Dazzling Duets a flexible, versatile column on The Musical Hype. In the 25^th edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell collaborate on “Your Precious Love”. Let the dazzle begin!

Those lyrics are both heavenly and iconic! Marvin Gaye (1939 – 1984) and Tammi Terrell (1945 – 1970) made one of the best, most formidable music duos of all time.  Sadly, this great partnership was cut short, given Terrell’s untimely death from brain cancer at just 24 years old. Despite the brevity of their union, Gaye and Terrell recorded some magnificent songs, including the glorious “Your Precious Love”.  “Your Precious Love” appeared as the fifth track on their gold-certified, 1967 album, United.  Another iconic singer-songwriting duo, Ashford & Simpson (Nickolas Ashford, 1941 – 2011, and Valerie Simpson, b. 1946) penned “Your Precious Love.” Harvey Fuqua (b. 1929 – 2010) and Johnny Bristol (1939 – 2004) produced it.  “Your Precious Love” was a big hit on the pop charts, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.

There is so much to heart about this duet. It begins with the gorgeous instrumental accompaniment. The way that “Your Precious Love” is mixed stands out.  The guitar riffs are panned to the left, while the piano is panned to the right. Meanwhile, the drums are panned to the left, while the strings are panned to the right. The robust bass line provides a mighty anchor. Throughout, the riffs are nothing short of tuneful. As electrifying as the backdrop is, the vocals by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell steal the show. Gaye draws first blood, touting their love (“Every day, there’s something new… / Honey, to keep me loving you”). Marvin, as well as Terrell, get a lift from the background vocals, panned to the right (“Ooh, ooh, ooh, baby,” etc.).  Terrell enters the mix during the sensational chorus, excerpted earlier. She and Gaye have undeniable vocal chemistry – they complement each other like champs!

Terrell takes the reins in the second verse.  Her vocals cut through, proving to be incredibly powerful.  “And you gave me a reason for living,” she sings, and adds, “And, ooh, you taught me, you taught me the meaning of giving.” This formidable duo splits the bridge, with Gaye taking the first half and Terrell putting a cap on it (“‘Laughter in the eyes where tears used to be”).  Marvin brings more grit to the third verse, informing her, “What you’ve given me, I could never return /… ‘Cause there’s so much, girl, I’ve yet to learn, honey.” Tammi matches his energy: “And I wanna show, I wanna show my appreciation /… ‘Cause when I found you, I found a new inspiration.”  The feels are real on “Your Precious Love”, one of the most enthralling and thrilling duets of the 1960s and, again, all-time.

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Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell » United » UMG Recordings, Inc. » 1967

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: Dazzling Duets No. 25 (2025) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.; cottonbro studio, Sachith Ravishka Kodikara from Pexels; andresilva5, OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]

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