the grapevine redeemed

you'll receive no arguments from us viz. marvin gaye's all-around brilliance as a singer and musician. "i heard it through the grapevine," however, has never occupied a place among our favorite entries in gaye's esteemed catalogue. blame the california raisins; being of the generation to hear that song first through a commercial - edited and presented with some cheek - altered our perception of it as a piece of work. in a way - in a sad way - it was no different from my bologna has a first name, in that any value it retained was kitsch.

consider the video below, then, upon which we stumbled today, and in which gaye performs the song alone, a capella, a step towards redemption for "grapevine." it's simply astounding. not many musicians would be capable of, nor even, we imagine, much interested in, such a feat. best of all, it allows us to dig in more deeply to the lyrics & emotion of the song, to hear it again with fresh ears.



marvin gaye - i heard it through the grapevine