"You" is a 1967 single released by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

on the

Tamla Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label.

Background

Released as the first single from Gaye's '' In the Groove'' album, it was written by

Ivy Jo Hunter George Ivy Hunter (August 28, 1940 – October 6, 2022), known as Ivy Jo Hunter, was an American R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for Motown in the 1960s. Life and career Raised in Detroit, Michigan ...

, Jack Goga and

Jeffrey Bowen Jeffrey Bowen is an American songwriter and record producer, notable for his work at both Motown Records and Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus and Hot Wax labels. He is best known for his work with the Detroit male vocal groups Chairmen of the ...

and produced by Hunter. The song talked of a man wanting to keep a rendezvous secret with one woman due to their differing social statuses, Marvin's narrator being working class, while the woman is upper class. Recorded after Gaye recorded his "

I Heard It Through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a ...

" single, it showcased a new rougher Gaye vocal than usual signaling a change in the singer's direction as he stepped away from the sophisticated-styled soul that dominated his mid-sixties releases. A modest hit on the pop charts peaking at number thirty-four, it was a top ten single on the R&B charts where it peaked at number seven. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that it has "tremendous rhythmic impact and a big vocal showing."

Chart performance

Credits

*Lead vocals by

*Background vocals by

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simpl ...

*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 ...

Other versions

*A jazz instrumental cover of the song, titled "You, Baby", was released by

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition " ...

on his 1968 album of the same name. *

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

released a version of the song on their 1971 album, ''

Harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

''. * Rare Earth recorded this song. It appears on the second volume of '' Anthology: The Best of Rare Earth''. *

Judie Tzuke Judie Tzuke ( ; born Judie Myers, 3 April 1956) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1979 hit " Stay with Me till Dawn", which reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Life and career Early life Tzuke's family relocated ...

recorded the song for her 1985 album ''

The Cat Is Out ''The Cat Is Out'' is the title of the sixth studio album by the British singer-songwriter Judie Tzuke, released in June 1985. Four singles were released from the album: "You" (UK #92), "I'll Be The One" (UK #97), "Love Like Fire" and "This Si ...

''.

References

1967 songs 1967 singles Songs written by Ivy Jo Hunter Songs written by Jeffrey Bowen Marvin Gaye songs Three Dog Night songs Tamla Records singles {{1960s-single-stub