Sometimes a song is so powerful, so timeless, that it brings good luck on the charts to not just one artist or band, but two…or, in very rare cases, even more. Not many songs can make that claim, but “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” absolutely can, and for good reason.
Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” was recorded by Smokey Robinson‘s Miracles in August of that year, according to Stereogum. Motown founder Berry Gordy decided not to let the Miracles release the song as a single, and he did the same thing when Marvin Gaye recorded his own take on “Grapevine” in 1967.
Later, Gordy claimed the song didn’t match the “smooth, romantic” persona he was trying to cultivate for Gaye.
Instead, he gave “Grapevine” to newly signed Motown artists Gladys Knight & The Pips. Gordy’s instincts were good, on the one hand, since their version peaked at #2 in 1967 on the Billboard Hot 100. On the other, he must have been pretty shocked when Gaye finally released “Grapevine” on his 1968 album In the Cut and it went all the way to #1. It wasn’t just Gaye’s first song to top the charts; it was also Motown’s biggest hit of the decade.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, “Grapevine” showed up on Rolling Stone‘s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004, 2010 and 2021. But the Prince of Soul’s rendition wasn’t the last…or the longest.
In 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival released a cover of “Grapevine” on their Cosmo’s Factory album. The band didn’t usually record songs they didn’t write themselves, according to Songfacts. The song also stood out from CCR’s other tunes because it was considerably longer than most of them, stretching out to 11 minutes.
Interestingly enough, even though CCR didn’t want “Grapevine” released as a single — and it was considered too long for airplay — radio stations started playing the track anyway. Eventually, in 1975, CCR’s label released “Grapevine” as a single against the group’s wishes, according to Cover Me: The Stories Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time by Ray Padgett. This version wasn’t nearly as successful as Gaye’s, peaking at #43, but it remains a classic rock radio staple nonetheless.
Related: 1969 Rock Classic, Written During Soundcheck, Ranked Among ‘Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time’
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