35 Years Ago, Marvin Gaye Took America to Church

[midnightman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNydcwDriuU

http://grantland.com/features/the-marvin-gaye-national-anthem/

I still think this is the greatest rendition of the anthem [[though Whitney fans understandably, Jimi Hendrix fans also understandably and Jose Felicano... well maybe I don't understand lol would "disagree").

[arr&bee]

Oh yeah,it was played the other night on a local station,you would've thought that marvin was in concert by the screaming from the fans only marvin could've pulled it off.

[midnightman]

Oh yeah,it was played the other night on a local station,you would've thought that marvin was in concert by the screaming from the fans only marvin could've pulled it off.

I'm actually surprised Columbia didn't do what Arista did when Whitney sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl and release it as a single. IIRC, Marvin's was sold as bootleg. A missed opportunity. Probably would've gave MG a 19th top ten pop hit. :)

But I agree. No other artist I saw who did the national anthem made people act like they were at a rock concert.

We didn't call Marvin our "black John Lennon" for nothing lol

[Motown Eddie]

Thanks for sharing Midnightman. Yes indeed, Marvin Gaye's version of The National Anthem did take "America To Church" [[and it was one of the final high points of his career before his tragic murder in 1984).

[RanRan79]

Jose Felicano's version was absolutely beautiful. And its likely that his was the version that ushered in the idea that the anthem didn't have to be played or sung in the traditional way and could still remain respectful. On the other hand, nobody had ever heard the anthem played like Hendrix and IMO it's still the most left field version I can recall hearing. It's also one of the defining moments of the 60s, and the most memorable moment of Woodstock. Whitney's version was done while the country was in the middle of a war, so there's a particular "patriotic" emotion connected to what she did, in addition to it being a spectacular vocal performance on a very traditional rendition.

Marvin took the song in a direction that no one else ever had before. He had the place moving. It wasn't as out there as Hendrix's version, but who had ever done a version like Marvin's, with so much rhythm? The man was just reminding the world that he was every bit the music maestro as he was in the previous decade. Not to mention he was aware of his surroundings. Would this version have gone across so well at an NFL or MLB game? Debatable. But NBA? Marvin knew that crowd was up for the change in tune and he killed it.

Now that I know the history of the trash who wrote the song, I no longer dig the song and I don't care to play any version, including Marvin's. But I'm tempted.:D

[arr&bee]

Did you know that the good ol nba didn't want marvin's version? Marvin outsmarted em he wouldn't let them hear his version before the game,the good ol commish didn't think that marvin's version was-respectable,well marvin sang it the crowd loved it and the rest is history...marvin forever.

[midnightman]

Yeah it was some article that mentioned that part. But Marvin and Gordon Banks knew how to get around it. ;)

Once the playback started, there was nothing NBA officials could do about it.

Erroneously, Stevie Wonder claimed the national anthem performance was Marvin's last before his death when he had like, what, four other TV performances in '83 [[the last being on Soul Train)?

[marv2]

I remember watching that game with a bunch of buddies in Denver back then. What a great memory.

[RanRan79]

Did you know that the good ol nba didn't want marvin's version? Marvin outsmarted em he wouldn't let them hear his version before the game,the good ol commish didn't think that marvin's version was-respectable,well marvin sang it the crowd loved it and the rest is history...marvin forever.

No surprise there, but Marvin didn't give a you know what about the NBA powers that be. He understood the NBA crowd would rock with him and like you say, the rest is history. The brother was baddd.

[midnightman]

^ That's why Marvin is my favorite artist of all time. :)

[edafan]

I am a retired High School math teacher. A few years ago, some artist flubbed the national anthem.
So I played them Marvin Gaye's version from 1983.

They loved it.

edafan