"Soldier's Plea" is a 1962 single released by singer

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

as Tamla 54063, and was the last non-charted early single Marvin released prior to releasing his first hit single, "

Stubborn Kind of Fellow "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" is a 1962 song recorded by Marvin Gaye for the Tamla label. Co-written by Gaye and produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" became Gaye's first hit single, reaching the top 10 of the R&B chart ...

", later that year.The Complete Motown Singles Vol 2: 1962

D liner notes D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History The ...

New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records.

Background

Recording

Recorded in the spring of 1962 a few days after Marvin turned 23, the song was the first single from Marvin's second album, '' That Stubborn Kinda Fellow''. The song was the answer song to

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

' modest charter, "

Your Heart Belongs to Me "Your Heart Belongs to Me" is a 1962 song written and composed by The Miracles' William "Smokey" Robinson and released as a single by Motown singing group The Supremes during their early years with the label. The song is about a woman whose love ...

", as in that song, the lead singer

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

wrote to her lover who was "serving his country from a faraway land". In Marvin's response, he counter-pleads his lover's stance that her heart belongs to him by having her keep that promise when he returned. The song was recorded with The Love Tones singing in the background.

Release

After "

Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide "Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" is the debuting single for singer Marvin Gaye, released as Tamla 54041, in May 1961. It was also the first release off Gaye's debut album, ''The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye'', in which most of the material was ...

" and "

Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

", this was the third single for Marvin not to chart on any Billboard chart. All three releases predated the grittier

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

-styled dance hits that initially brought Marvin national fame in the early sixties and showed the young singer singing in a smooth tenor that predated his mid-1960s recordings as he became an established R&B star.

Credits

*Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by The Love Tones (Carl Jones,

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

, Joe Miles, and Stan Bracely) *Instrumentation by

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

References

{{Marvin Gaye singles 1962 singles Marvin Gaye songs Songs written by William "Mickey" Stevenson Songs written by Andre Williams 1962 songs Tamla Records singles Songs written by George Gordy