BILLBOARD #1 HITS: #303: “LET’S GET IT ON”- MARVIN GAYE – SEPTEMBER 8, 1973

· by · in 1970, Album Covers, Albums, American Top 40, BILLBOARD HOT 100 SINGLE CHART, Entertainment, Music, Music Videos, Pop Music, Radio, Soul Music. ·
Marvin-Gaye-Lets-Get-It-On

Billboard #1 Hits: #303: “Let’s Get It On”- Marvin Gaye. September 8, 1973. #1 for 2 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100.

  • Single: “Let’s Get It On”- Marvin Gaye
  • Record Company- Tamla
  • Genre: Soul
  • Written by Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend
  • Time: 3:58
  • B-side:” I Wish It Would Rain”
  • Album-Let’s Get It On
  • Grade: A+
  • Peaked at #1 2 weeks in Billboard Hot 100. #31 in UK Singles Chart.

Since the movie High Fidelity came out twenty years ago- every time I hear “Let’s Get It On” I think of Jack Black’s character Barry Judd singing it at the end of the movie. As far as Marvin’s #1 hit from 1973 here is what then critic Jon Landau had to say —

“Let’s Get It On” is a classic Motown single, endlessly repeatable and always enjoyable. It begins with three great wah-wah notes that herald the arrival of a vintage Fifties melody. But while the song centers around classically simple chord changes, the arrangement centers around a slightly eccentric rhythm pattern that deepens the song’s power while covering it with a contemporary veneer. Above all, it has Marvin Gaye’s best singing at its center, fine background voices on the side, and a long, moody fade-out that challenges you not to play the cut again.— Jon Landau

9 responses to “BILLBOARD #1 HITS: #303: “LET’S GET IT ON”- MARVIN GAYE – SEPTEMBER 8, 1973”

    • Same here I love the book and the movie. Did you see the recent tv series? I see it was cancelled- I watched one episode it didn’t grab me.

    • No, I saw ads but didn’t really grab me either. First off, even though it was a great story, it kind of concluded in the movie/book… it doesn’t seem like we’d need an ongoing series about Rob & Laura’s life and the record shop (felt the same about Clerks in the 90s). Second- c’mon, enough with the PC. Let’s be honest, the only reason this new one seemed to be made was to give a starring role to a Black female. Well, I’ve been in a lot of record stores in my day and think the movie got it pretty right – small indie ones like that, if they still exist even, usually are habitats for single, White males who obsess over things like import Depeche mode singles and original -NOT remastered – Bob Dylan LPs (or whatever Rob says!) Hard to imagine a young Black lady in 2020 having a second hand record store and being that obsessed with those types of things. But that’s just me…

  4. I’m not going to lie, it’s kinda funny to me that the discussion is about High Fidelity and Marvin’s murder instead of the reactions that Let’s Get It On elicited when it was released. When I think of this song I remember suggestive looks and whispered lyrics while slow dancing to it. Lol.

Comments are closed.