{"id":162658026,"date":"2026-09-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658026"},"modified":"2026-08-26T13:04:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T18:04:47","slug":"albums-i-should-have-listened-to-already-lets-get-it-on-by-marvin-gaye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658026","title":{"rendered":"Albums I Should Have Listened To Already: &#8216;Let&#8217;s Get It On&#8217; by Marvin Gaye"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve been really trying&#8221; &#8211; Marvin Gaye, &#8220;Let&#8217;s Get It On&#8221;<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s just so easy to think you&#8217;ve got the gist of something. You see a few movies with a few sex scenes, and you &#8220;get&#8221; Marvin Gaye. You don&#8217;t learn about how Marvin was physically abused by his conservative Christian father, and grew up with an extremely warped view of sex. You don&#8217;t get all the context about Marvin equating sexual epiphany with religious epiphany\u2014which, having also grown up in conservative Christian culture, I understand to mean &#8220;Marvin prayed and worshipped and read Scripture when he was supposed to and felt God&#8217;s love; later, Marvin enjoyed sex. Possibly before marriage.&#8221; As I&#8217;ve said before, I never wanna be the writer who talks too much or too little about sex. It <em>does<\/em> make me a touch uncomfortable to write about it, which is stupid, because I haven&#8217;t really felt <em>uncomfortable<\/em> about the existence of sex since I was a teenager. So let&#8217;s just accept two related facts: 1) sex is normal and human, and 2) soul music is undeniable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previous entries:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658007\">Naked Raygun<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658013\">Pure Hell<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658011\">Big Joanie\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658017\">The Beatles<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658015\">The Beatles<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658534\">Black Sabbath<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658681\">H\u00fcsker D\u00fc<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162658735\">Fleetwood Mac<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>HOW I CAME ACROSS THIS ALBUM<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-17.png\" alt=\"cover for Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye\" class=\"wp-image-162658769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-17.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-17-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not every &#8220;how I came across this album&#8221; can begin with &#8220;I have ears and am alive.&#8221; Most do, though. To attempt more detail: In high school jazz\/marching\/rock band (we had guitars where most marching bands have xylophones), we played a lot of 70s stuff. We played &#8220;Ain&#8217;t No Mountain High Enough.&#8221; I knew who Marvin Gaye was. I still love soul and R&amp;B, it&#8217;s probably my second- or third-most listened-to genre behind &#8220;generalized rock.&#8221; But what cemented this track into my consciousness was probably <em>High Fidelity<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Let&amp;apos;s Get It On - Jack Black &amp;apos;High Fidelity&amp;apos; Cover HD\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S2UsB6ub4V4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyway, sometime around last summer, I listened to <em>What&#8217;s Going On<\/em> and the <em>Troubleman<\/em> soundtrack all the way through on a lark. They&#8217;re both great albums! <em>What&#8217;s Going On<\/em> remains in the rotation. But I suppose I have been afraid to play this one in the car with my eight-year-old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TRACK BY TRACK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do I also put a YouTube video of Marvin Gaye&#8217;s version of &#8220;Let&#8217;s Get It On?&#8221; It will surely annihilate <em>School Of Rock<\/em> up there. Somehow, I think Jack Black will recover. He&#8217;s fanning himself with <em>Minecraft<\/em> money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>LET&#8217;S GET IT ON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marvin Gaye - Let&amp;apos;s Get It On (Official Music Video)\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AqPBfbLoF_M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obvious banger. One of the best side one track ones of all time, to bring <em>High Fidelity<\/em> back. I love love love this chord progression. That I &#8211; iii &#8211; IV &#8211; V is gorgeous no matter what you do with it. Playing it slow is nice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PLEASE DON&#8217;T STAY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another song that leads with the vocals! Why not, when you&#8217;ve got Marvin Gaye. It&#8217;s not too much of a tempo shift, even if it&#8217;s a markedly more mellow song. Feels like I&#8217;ve been listening to (80s and 70s) stuff lately where they throw a ballad in as track two, and that&#8217;s just an atrocious move. Keep the energy up. Do whatever the guitar is doing at 1:12 here, that cutoff thing that Marvin mimics slightly with his vocals. That&#8217;s the minimum energy for a track two. Of course, Marvin coursing through with more electricity than a power line helps the energy, no matter what the tempo is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>IF I SHOULD DIE TONIGHT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marvin Gaye - If I Should Die Tonight\" width=\"790\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M-IZYXj9xfk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;ve never felt this way about another person then I feel sorry for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>KEEP GETTIN&#8217; IT ON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">YEAH BRING IT BACK! MORE SAX THIS TIME!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>COME GET TO THIS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Marvin Gaye - Come Get To This (Soul Train 1974)\" width=\"790\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5duOsXa2LGk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Really vocal-foward album, and I&#8217;m so into it. You know yr man the shipwrecked sailor likes plenty of cool guitar riffs and such, but I&#8217;m fine with Marvin Gaye announcing himself within the first two bars of every song. I think the chord progressions\u2014always surprising\u2014do a lot to scratch the musical itches in my brain. The bass lines are so good, too. This one just steady walks you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DISTANT LOVER<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How can you not love bass guitar if you listen to this song? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>YOU SURE LOVE TO BALL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Okay, as sex-positive as this column is, one thing I&#8217;ll never be able to shake is being uncomfortable when women are orgasming over songs. Guns N Roses, Outkast, Marvin\u2014it just never feels like the right move. Then again, Wikipedia is telling me that &#8220;ball&#8221; is slang for &#8220;to have sex.&#8221; I uh, grew up with a more Rasheed Wallace definition of the word &#8220;ball.&#8221; That all said, love the music on this track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>JUST TO KEEP YOU SATISFIED<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phenomenal closer. Just great. I <em>am<\/em> satisfied, thank you, Marvin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>WHAT DO I THINK? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It goes, man. Who doesn&#8217;t love Motown? The production is relatively minimalist ~~<em>by Motown standards<\/em>~~, and the songs are just <em>good<\/em>. I think Marvin got put on one of those &#8220;100 Greatest Songwriter&#8221; lists recently, and he deserved it. Guy was not just a sex symbol, guy was spiritual and a thinker and an artist. Sex is good, sex is human, sex shouldn&#8217;t be feared. I mean, be safe, do whatever you&#8217;re comfortable with and nothing you&#8217;re not, consent is a thing. Yes, religion is often about self-denial, and that can often be a good thing. But not to the point where whole swaths of people are just <em>afraid <\/em>of sex. That&#8217;s stupid. Listen to Marvin Gaye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sorry you got an email, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been really trying&#8221; &#8211; Marvin Gaye, &#8220;Let&#8217;s Get It On&#8221; It&#8217;s just so easy to think you&#8217;ve got the gist of something. You see a few movies with a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":162658769,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,169,10],"tags":[242,249],"class_list":["post-162658026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-shipwrecked-sailor-blog","category-wednesday-column","tag-albums-i-should-have-listened-to-already","tag-marvin-gaye"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162658026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=162658026"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162658026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162658773,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162658026\/revisions\/162658773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/162658769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=162658026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=162658026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=162658026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}