# "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" Which Artist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789 "2009-12-03T01:04:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/1 "2009-12-03T01:04:16Z")
Which version do you like best? Marvin Gaye Creedence Clearwater Gladys Knight Other? ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/2 "2009-12-03T01:06:44Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Which version do you like best? > > Marvin Gaye > > Creedence Clearwater > > Gladys Knight > > Other? I have asked myself the same question many times. I love the Gladys Knight version but I think she misses the tone of sadness. Marvin Gaye really captures the emotion in the lyric so I give the award to him. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/3 "2009-12-03T01:09:06Z")
Gladys Knight - I think she and the Pips capture the anger and resolve - it seems a big “fuck you” song to me. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/4 "2009-12-03T01:39:53Z")
Gladys Knight all the way. I didn’t even know I liked that song until I heard her version. The Marvin Gaye version - I dunno, just never clicked for me. CCR’s is pretty good. But damn, Gladys’ version ALWAYS gets my head bobbing. It’s just so much more fun. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/5 "2009-12-03T01:45:00Z")
I’ll be the first to vote for CCR’s, although it edges out Gaye’s only by the long instrumental part. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/6 "2009-12-03T01:45:49Z")
Marvin’s is the definitive version. CCR does a great chooglin’ version that I also love. Gladys’ version sucks donkey balls. ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/7 "2009-12-03T01:47:41Z")
Doug Anthony All-Stars, but not Paul McDermott’s solo work. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/8 "2009-12-03T01:57:15Z")
First off, The Miracles sang it first. Marvin Gaye may have sung it second, but it was released after the Gladys Knight version. I have to go with Gladys Knight, as that’s the one that has the original James Jamerson (of the ubiquitous Funk Brothers) bass line, but Marvin Gaye made it his own. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/9 "2009-12-03T02:11:41Z")
The California Raisins? ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/10 "2009-12-03T02:22:13Z")
Marvin. I mean really. (Actually I don’t even remember the Gladys Knight version, so maybe I should give that a listen. But how can it beat Marvin Gaye’s sublime _cri de coeur_?) Edited to add: Okay, listening now. Gladys has an amazing voice (no surprise there!) and this is a solid jazzy interpretation. But I miss the melody – if I didn’t know how the song went, it would seem like it has no melody at all. So it’s a good subsequent interpretation for people who already know the song, but for the actual song? Gimme Marvin. His version is more ominous. Girlfriend sure can wail, though! ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/11 "2009-12-03T02:22:14Z")
The California Raisins version was actually sang by [Buddy Miles](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f_Prr7a53Y) ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/12 "2009-12-03T02:30:04Z")
I’m going to go with Marvin Gaye. CCR’s was okay but it never really clicked till I heard his version, actually. I think Marvin Gaye had one of the absolute best voices at Motown. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/13 "2009-12-03T02:46:08Z")
Gaye all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/14 "2009-12-03T03:10:23Z")
This is one of those songs where every version of it is good. I gotta go with Gladys because of the “solid jazzy interpretation” **choie** mentions. And the Pips, of course! And for comparison here’s[Smokey Robinson and the Miracles](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOFzn_5alVE)doin’ it. [Gladys and the Pips](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWvwP72FuVg&feature=fvw) [Marvin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajBdDM2qdg&feature=related) [CCR](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZe9OtFNt_8) Just for comparison, here’s [Amy Winehouse and Paul Weller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVT-BokwmWY) And here’s the [Temptations’ version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHwmnD1F3Ds&feature=PlayList&p=D188A410AE186C3F&index=0&playnext=1), much closer to Gladys than Smokey. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/15 "2009-12-03T04:46:54Z")
Marvin Gaye 1000% ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/16 "2009-12-03T06:09:53Z")
I like the Creedence version. This is not to say I’d switch channels if hearing the others. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/17 "2009-12-03T06:47:53Z")
I’ll listen to them all on the radio but if I had to pick, it will always be CCR. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/18 "2009-12-03T15:16:44Z")
When I heard the Marvin Gaye version on the car radio, I went out and bought the 45, so I have to go with that one. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/19 "2009-12-03T15:23:32Z")
I like them all, but CCR rules. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789/20 "2009-12-03T15:31:46Z")
Marvin, Marvin, Marvin. To my knowledge it was written for Marvin by Norman Whitfield and others but for some reason Marvin couldn’t get to it, so Gladys and the Pips recorded it. When she got a hit with it, Marvin released his and it blew up even bigger. Gladys is wonderful, but few can surpass Marvin’s delivery of a lyric and Grapevine is no exception. I enjoy CCR’s and love Fogerty, but I am sure John would acknowledge that Marvin is the master… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-which-artist/519789.md?page=2)