Most people bet their house on Marvin Gaye. They hear that iconic, haunting keyboard intro—the one that sounds like a warning—and they just know. But if you're looking for the i heard it through the grapevine original, Marvin is actually the third person in line. Or the second. It depends on how you define "original."
It’s complicated.
Motown in the 1960s wasn't a normal record label; it was a hit factory with a Quality Control department that would make a software auditor cry. Songs weren't "owned" by singers. They were assets. Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong wrote "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" in 1966, and they shopped it around the hallways of Hitsville U.S.A. like a hot potato.
The Miracle That Berry Gordy Rejected
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles actually recorded the song first. That was in August 1966. If you listen to that version today, it’s... fine. It’s got that jangling, upbeat, "Shop Around" kind of energy. But Berry Gordy, the big boss at Motown, absolutely hated it. He vetoed the release. He didn't think it was a hit.
Imagine being the guy who passed on one of the greatest songs in human history.
Then came Marvin. Whitfield took the song to Marvin Gaye in the spring of 1967. They spent weeks on it. Whitfield forced Marvin to sing in a key that was slightly too high for him because he wanted to hear the "strain" in Marvin's voice. He wanted the pain. He wanted the desperation of a man finding out his woman is cheating through a rumor.
Marvin nailed it. It was moody. It was dark. It was revolutionary.
And Berry Gordy rejected that one, too.
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He thought it was too spooky, too "out there" for the Motown brand. He told Whitfield to go back to the drawing board. This is where the history of the i heard it through the grapevine original gets really weird, because even though Marvin’s version was recorded first, it sat in a vault gathering dust while someone else took the glory.
Gladys Knight Steals the Show
Enter Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Whitfield was frustrated. He wanted the song out. He rearranged it for Gladys, giving it a much faster, funkier, gospel-influenced "Pips" shuffle. It was upbeat. It was a stomper. Gladys sang the hell out of it.
Berry Gordy finally said yes.
When people talk about the "original" release, they are talking about Gladys Knight. Her version hit the airwaves in September 1967 and went straight to number one on the R&B charts. It was a massive success. For a year, that was the song. Nobody knew Marvin Gaye had a version sitting on a shelf.
The Accident That Made Marvin a Legend
If Gladys Knight's version was so big, why did they release Marvin's a year later?
Radio DJs.
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In 1968, Marvin Gaye released an album called In the Groove. His version of "Grapevine" was just a "filler" track on that album. But DJs in Chicago and Detroit started playing it. They loved the atmosphere. The response from listeners was so overwhelming that Motown was forced to release it as a single in October 1968.
It blew Gladys Knight’s version out of the water.
It stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. It became the best-selling Motown single of all time (until the Jackson 5 came along). So, while Gladys had the first hit, and Smokey had the first recording, Marvin has the definitive version.
Why the Marvin Gaye Version Wins
There is a psychological weight to Marvin’s recording that the others lack.
- The Tempo: It’s slower. It feels like a heartbeat after too much caffeine.
- The Intro: That Wurlitzer electric piano played by Earl Van Dyke. It sounds like someone lurking in the shadows.
- The Vocal: Marvin sounds terrified. He isn't angry; he's wounded.
If you listen to the Isley Brothers’ version (recorded in 1967 but released later) or The Undisputed Truth’s psychedelic take, they all feel like they’re chasing Marvin. Even Creedence Clearwater Revival, who did an amazing eleven-minute swamp-rock cover in 1970, couldn't touch the sheer soul of the Gaye recording.
The Songwriting Secret
Barrett Strong came up with the idea while walking down Michigan Avenue in Chicago. He heard people using the phrase "I heard it through the grapevine" and realized it was a perfect metaphor for the "telephone game" of heartbreak.
He and Whitfield built the track around a simple blues progression, but it was Whitfield’s obsession with "cinematic soul" that made it stand out. He didn't want a simple pop song. He wanted a drama. He used strings. He used multiple percussionists. He used the Funk Brothers—Motown’s legendary house band—to create a thick, muddy texture that was unlike anything else on the radio.
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Identifying the "True" Original
If you are a purist, the i heard it through the grapevine original is the version by The Miracles. But since it wasn't released until much later on a "Lost and Found" collection, the "original" by public standards is Gladys Knight & the Pips.
Here is how the timeline actually looks:
- August 1966: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (Recorded first, released 1968).
- February/April 1967: Marvin Gaye (Recorded second, released 1968).
- June 1967: Gladys Knight & The Pips (Recorded third, released September 1967).
- August 1967: The Isley Brothers (Recorded fourth, released 1969).
It’s a game of musical chairs.
Gladys Knight was reportedly quite upset when Marvin’s version came out and eclipsed hers. Can you blame her? She took a rejected track and made it a hit, only to have the "golden boy" of the label release his version a year later and take the crown. That's the cold reality of the Motown machine.
Why You Should Care Today
This song changed how music was produced. Before "Grapevine," pop music was supposed to be bright and happy. This song proved that a dark, paranoid, moody track could be a global #1 hit. It paved the way for Marvin’s later masterpiece, What's Going On.
It also taught us that the "original" isn't always the "best."
Sometimes a song needs to marinate. It needs to find the right voice. It took three tries and a lot of arguing between a producer and a label boss to get the version we now consider a pillar of American culture.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers
If you want to truly appreciate the evolution of this track, do a "Grapevine Deep Dive" in this specific order:
- Listen to the Gladys Knight version first. Focus on the drums and the driving energy. It’s a dance track.
- Switch to the Marvin Gaye version. Notice the space between the notes. Listen to the background vocals (The Andantes). They sound like ghosts whispering the rumors to him.
- Find the Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) version. It’s on the Cosmo's Factory album. It shows how the song translates into a completely different genre (roots rock).
- Check out the Slits' version. It’s a post-punk, jagged take from 1979 that proves the songwriting is bulletproof regardless of the style.
The story of the i heard it through the grapevine original is a reminder that in the creative world, "first" is rarely "final." It took a village, a few rejections, and a whole lot of gossip to make music history.