Songfacts®:

• Marvin Gaye recorded a string of hit love songs in the '60s, which were usually written by Motown songwriters. In the early '70s, he took control of his career and began writing and performing songs with a more socially conscious message. Gaye grew up in Washington, DC before moving to Detroit in 1960. This song deals with the poverty and hopelessness people living in the ghettos of urban America often felt. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• Gaye gave James Nyx a songwriting credit on this as well as "What's Going On." Nyx was a longtime friend of Gaye who helped him organize and arrange his songs.
• "Inner City Blues" was covered by four artists/groups in 1972 alone: Grover Washington Jr., Sarah Vaughan, The Chi-Lites and The Impressions. John Mayer covered the song on his 2004 live album, As/Is. Mayer credits hits like "Waiting On The World To Change" as being rooted in the tradition of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield.
• This was used in the soundtrack of the 2007 film Zodiac.
• "Inner City Blues" was featured in the HBO Sports Documentary A City on Fire: The Story of the '68 Detroit Tigers. Gaye was loyal to Detroit teams and even wanted to become a professional football player with the Lions in 1970 after the death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell left him depressed and confused about his role in the music industry. The singer had never played football before in his life, but he was confident he could become just as big a star on the field as he was in the recording studio. Former Lions cornerback Lem Barney told the LA Times of Coach Joe Schmidt's first interaction with the newly bulked-up Gaye: "If I could sing like you, I certainly wouldn't want to play football," he had said. With the weight of Gaye's music career also resting on the tryout, Schmidt decided the singer was too much of a liability.
  
  Would-be teammates Barney and running back Mel Farr provided backing vocals on subsequent, politically charged hit "What's Going On."