Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye’s twelfth studio album, Let’s Get It On, was released on August 28, 1973, through Motown’s Tamla label. Recorded between June 1970 and July 1973 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World Studio in Detroit, and Hitsville West in Los Angeles, the album marked Gaye’s first foray into funk, blending smooth soul and doo-wop with explicitly sexual lyrics. One critic called it “one of the most sexually charged albums ever recorded.” Gaye wove themes of spiritual healing into songs about sex and romance, partly to address childhood abuse by his father, Marvin Gay Sr., which had hindered his own sexuality.

Legacy and influence

After the success of his socially conscious album What’s Going On (1971), Let’s Get It On turned Gaye into a sex symbol and expanded his mainstream audience. Three singles—“Let’s Get It On,” “Come Get to This,” and “You Sure Love to Ball”—performed well on the Billboard charts. The album became Gaye’s best-selling record at Motown, earning him greater creative freedom from the label. Its erotic ballads, layered vocal harmonies, and seductive funk sound shaped later R&B artists and producers, with the title track helping to launch the slow jam and quiet storm formats.

Critics and writers now consider Let’s Get It On a landmark soul album. It boosted funk’s popularity in the 1970s, and Gaye’s smooth-soul style marked a shift from Motown’s earlier “Motown Sound” formula. Frequently ranked among the greatest albums ever, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Motown reissued it as a two-CD deluxe edition in 2001, and a 50th-anniversary reissue with extra material followed in 2023.

Background

In spring 1972, Gaye struggled with writer’s block after the commercial peak of What’s Going On and the Trouble Man soundtrack. Motown had renegotiated his contract, giving him more creative control and a $1 million deal—making him the highest-earning soul artist and black artist at the time. He was also torn about relocating to Los Angeles after Motown CEO Berry Gordy moved the label from Detroit. Amid this, Gaye faced personal turmoil: expectations from his wife Anna (Gordy’s sister), separation from Gordy, and unresolved childhood trauma.

His father, a preacher, had physically abused him under strict Christian teachings, leaving Gaye confused about sex. As an adult, he suffered impotence and sadomasochistic fantasies that caused guilt. He turned to spirituality, which he had first expressed in What’s Going On and in photos wearing a kufi.

With greater creative control after What’s Going On, Gaye aimed to explore themes beyond sex. He wanted the album to have a deeper meaning—using love and romance as a metaphor for God’s love.

Biographer David Ritz noted this inspiration. In the liner notes, Gaye wrote: “I can’t see anything wrong with sex between consenting anybodies… I contend that SEX IS SEX and LOVE IS LOVE. When combined, they work well together… I hope the music that I present here makes you lucky.”

Recording

Gaye recorded politically conscious material at Golden World (Motown’s Studio B) and laid down preliminary vocals and instrumentation for the album. From February to July 1973, he worked at Hitsville West in Los Angeles with The Funk Brothers, a seasoned group of session musicians.