Anna's Song

Last updated
"Anna's Song"
Song by Marvin Gaye
from the album Here, My Dear
Released1978
Recorded1977
Genre Jazz, soul jazz
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s) Marvin Gaye
Composer(s) Marvin Gaye
Producer(s) Marvin Gaye
Here, My Dear track listing

"Anna's Song" is a song recorded by singer Marvin Gaye as part of his 1978 album, Here, My Dear . Recorded during the midst of Marvin and estranged wife Anna going through an acrimonious divorce, the song autobiographically depicted several parts of Marvin and Anna's past including one lyric that hints at his first hit single, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" where Gaye says "What's it, husband, makes you so stubborn?". A memorable part of the song for Marvin's fans includes a verse where Marvin's vocals rise when singing Anna's name. Unlike most of the songs on the album with the exception of "Sparrow", this song was recorded in a jazzy atmosphere.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Marvin Gaye American singer

Marvin Gaye 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 artist with a string of hits, earning him the nicknames "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul".

<i>Lets Get It On</i> Album by Marvin Gaye

Let's Get It On is the thirteenth studio album by American soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP.

<i>Here, My Dear</i> 1978 studio album by Marvin Gaye

Here, My Dear is the fifteenth studio album by music artist Marvin Gaye, released as a double album on December 15, 1978, on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between 1977 and 1978 at Gaye's personal studios, Marvin Gaye Studios, in Los Angeles, California. The album was notable for its subject matter focusing largely on Gaye's acrimonious divorce from his first wife, Anna Gordy Gaye.

Got to Give It Up

"Got to Give It Up" is a song by American music artist Marvin Gaye. Written by the singer and produced by Art Stewart as a response to a request from Gaye's record label that he perform disco music, it was released in March 1977.

"Hitch Hike" is a 1962 song by Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label. Another song Gaye co-wrote, this time instead of confessing to being stubborn, the singer is now hitchhiking on the look out for his girl, whom he feels has run so far that he has to travel "around the world" thinking of places she could have found herself at including St. Louis, "Chicago City Limits" and "L.A."

Pride and Joy (Marvin Gaye song) 1963 single by Marvin Gaye

"Pride and Joy" is a 1963 single by Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label. The single, co-written by William "Mickey" Stevenson, Gaye and Norman Whitfield, and produced by Stevenson, was considered to be a tribute to Gaye's then-girlfriend, Anna Gordy.

"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 and the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1962.

"Just to Keep You Satisfied" is a song by soul singer Marvin Gaye. The song was the b-side to Marvin's modest 1974 hit, "You Sure Love to Ball" and was the eighth and final song issued on the singer's 1973 album, Let's Get It On.

<i>The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye</i> 1961 studio album by Marvin Gaye

The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye is the debut studio album by Marvin Gaye, released in 1961, and the second long-playing album (TM-221) released by Motown. The first was Hi... We're the Miracles (TM-220). It is most notable as the album that caused the first known struggle of Gaye's turbulent tenure with the label.

<i>That Stubborn Kinda Fellow</i> 1963 studio album by Marvin Gaye

That Stubborn Kinda Fellow is the second studio album by Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label in 1963. The second LP Gaye released on the label, it also produced his first batch of successful singles for the label and established Gaye as one of the label's first hit-making acts in its early years.

<i>Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage</i> 1963 live album by Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage is the first live album released by singer Marvin Gaye on the Tamla label. Recorded during a Motortown Revue show at Chicago's Regal Theater, the album showcased the musician performing early hits such as "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Pride and Joy" and "Hitch Hike" while also adding in unreleased numbers including "One of These Days", "Mo Jo Hanna" and That Stubborn Kinda Fellow album track, "Get My Hands on Some Lovin'" while also singing three covers - the jazz standard, "Days of Wine and Roses", blues song "Mo Jo Hanna" and his cover of Ray Charles' R&B version of "You Are My Sunshine".

<i>Marvin Gaye Live!</i> 1974 live album by Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye Live! is the second live album issued by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released on June 19, 1974, by Tamla Records.

<i>Live at the London Palladium</i> 1977 live album by Marvin Gaye

Live at the London Palladium is a live double album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released March 15, 1977, on Tamla Records. Recording sessions took place live at several concerts at the London Palladium in London, England, in October 1976, with the exception of the hit single "Got to Give It Up", which was recorded at Gaye's Los Angeles studio Marvin's Room on January 31, 1977. Live at the London Palladium features intimate performances by Gaye of many of his career highlights, including early hits for Motown and recent material from his previous three studio albums. As with his previous live album, Marvin Gaye Live!, production of the record was handled entirely by Gaye, except for the studio portion, "Got to Give It Up", which was managed by Art Stewart.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Marvin Gaye album) 1964 greatest hits album by Marvin Gaye

Greatest Hits is a 1964 greatest hits album, the first for American R&B-soul singer Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label. Released during Gaye's first period of success, it was also his first charted album as a solo artist after making his album chart debut with the Mary Wells duet album, Together, the same year.

Save the Children (song) 1971 single by Marvin Gaye

"Save the Children" is a 1971 song written by Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson and Marvin Gaye and issued on Marvin's 1971 album, What's Going On. While not issued as a single in the United States, the song was issued as a single by the Tamla-Motown label in the United Kingdom where it peaked at No. 41 on the charts in December 1971, whereas the other major US single releases initially failed to chart in Europe.

"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 the singer's failed attempt at making an 'adult' record compared to Motown's younger R&B sound.

"Soldier's Plea" is a 1962 single released by singer Marvin Gaye as Tamla 54063, and was the last non-charted early single Marvin released prior to releasing his first hit single, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", later that year.

Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father) 1978 single by Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder

"Pops, We Love You " is a 1978 single recorded and released by Motown stars Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder, as a tribute to Berry "Pops" Gordy, Sr., father of Motown founder Berry Gordy, who had died that year from cancer.

Anna Ruby Gaye was an American businesswoman, composer and songwriter. An elder sister of Motown founder Berry Gordy, she became a record executive in the mid-to-late 1950s distributing records released on Checker and Gone Records before forming the Anna label with Billy Davis and her sister Gwen Gordy Fuqua. Gordy later became known as a songwriter for several hits including the Originals' "Baby, I'm for Real", and at least two songs on Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album. The first wife of Gaye, their turbulent marriage later served as inspiration for Gaye's album, Here, My Dear.

<i>Whats Going On</i> Live Live album by Marvin Gaye (recorded 1972; released 2019)

What's Going On Live is a live album recorded in 1972 by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and released posthumously in 2019 by Motown. The album documents a live performance of his masterpiece What's Going On and has received mixed feedback from critics.