The Essential Marvin Gaye Playlist
Yesterday's news that Lenny Kravitz will be playing Marvin Gaye in an upcoming biopic of the singer's life gives us a great excuse to revisit the iconic soul singer's classic catalog. From modeling himself off Frank Sinatra to the revolutionary social fighter on What's Going On to the bedroom crooner of Let's Get It On, Gaye's music and persona transcends simple definition (there's a reason why the definitive biography is called Divided Soul). Before his untimely death at the hands of his father at age 44, the singer left us a wildly diverse catalog that helped define soul music. Listen to a sample of some of the best below.
5m
6m
5m
5m
1h 2m
1h 45m
1m
2m
1h 20m
1h 27m
23m
1h 34m
1h 21m
44m
45m
20m
21m
21m
1m
2m
20m
21m
20m
21m
20m
20m
1h 17m
1h 22m
1h 7m
57m
1h 30m
20m
22m
1h 15m
57s
9m
21m
20m
22m
20m
20m
1m
46m
24m
1h 23m
21m
59s
1h 22m
21m
23m
44m
22m
1h 3m
48m
1h 36m
12m
1h 27m
2m
3m
1m
44m
22m
45m
22m
44m
2m
1h 25m
21m
1m
2m
24m
22m
1h 30m
22m
20m
20m
46m
45m
20m
20m
20m
44m
54m
59m
20m
21m
45m
41m
10m
47m
2m
2m
1m
22m
19m