THE HIT HAMMER: Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On"

(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)

Marvin Gaye - "Let's Get it On"

Hit Number 1: September 8, 1973

Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks

There have been a lot of songs about sex. I mean, there have been a lot. Most songs are about love, and some of those songs get a little deeper, and hint at sex. But rarely do said songs throw all the hints out the window. Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" is not only a song that lets you know for damn sure that the song is about nothing but sex, but it's also a song surrounded by seduction. Gaye was already a prominent figure in the music industry, becoming one of those Motown Gods from the '60s before finding himself going along a political path with music. In fact, believe it or not, "Let's Get it On", which honestly has to be the anthem for sex, started out as a political song before it was changed to be a song about love and, you know, getting it on.

Marvin Gaye was the prime songwriter for "Let's Get it On", but he also got some help from producer Ed Townsend. As it was written, the song was slated to be about something political related, but Townsend started to insist that the song should, instead, be dedicated to love and sex. Gaye already recorded a version of the political song, but agreed to record a version of the more "sexual" song, which proved to be a monumental move for his and Motown's careers. It's hard to imagine this song having legs as a political song, since everyone knows it as being a powerful ode to "sexual liberation." Gaye puts on a hell of a performance, and he sounds like a man who's longing for one of those "special nights." His performance is pretty reminiscent of "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", full of raw emotion. But instead of a man experiencing heartbreak in "Grapevine", Gaye plays the part of a man who's horny as hell in "Let's Get it On". And he sells that crap.

"Let's Get it On" is a slow-moving soul diamond of a song, and all the instrumentation is present, but it's silenced in order to move Gaye's voice to the forefront, and as it should. The song starts with the all-too familiar "wah-wah-wah" notes before Gaye jumps in with "I've been really tryin' baby!" There's nothing wrong with him, and the woman can give herself to him, if the love is true. There isn't some deep meaning here, or poetic lyrics that are supposed to make you wonder what the song might be about. "Let's Get it On" is a great song, but it's one where the meaning is overly simple to understand. Gaye's horny, and he spends the entirety of the song just trying to convince this woman to get it on with him. We can only imagine that afterwards, the narrator gets his wish. I mean, how could he not?

But with as good as the song is, there's one thing that always comes to my mind when I hear the song, and this thing has forever ruined the song. I still think it's great, but to where "Let's Get it On" should be a masterpiece, a one of a kind gem, it's instead just a very good song. I'm sure some of you might remember a Reese's commercial where a chocolate Easter bunny leans in to "kiss" a tub of peanut butter, and apparently they got it on themselves to create a Reese's peanut butter egg. That crap is just disturbing, and the track they chose to play over it was "Let's Get it On". So unfortunately, I always associate this song with that damn commercial. I know that it's stupid to hold that against Gaye's song, but I can't get past that. Reese's has forever tainted this song because of that. I almost can't even forgive myself for thinking this, but alas, that's the situation. Thanks a lot, Reese's.

Anyway, Gaye's song deserves to be celebrated for eternity, despite the commercial. But he wasn't quite done making music just yet. We'll see him again in this blog.

GRADE: 8/10