Comments: 43

• Mark from Detroit, MiA great instrumental version was laid down by Canadian Guitar player Bill Frizelle on the 2005 album "East West". I get goose bumps just thinking about it!
• Elaine Milne from TorontoMarvin will live forever, and will never be forgotten.
• Joe from Austin"Some, or none, of what you hear."
• Camille from Toronto, OhLooking at lists by Songfacts, for example, top 10 albums for each of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s decade, making that 40 albums total, only one is from woman, Alanis Morrisette, and one album featuring both men and women, Fleetwood Mac; the other 38 all men. More lists from Songfacts, top 10 debut singles, all men. Top 10 videos, all men. Top 10 collaborative albums, all men. Other examples on the website of the heavy male presence can be found.
• Camille from Toronto, OhGladys Knight and the Pips’ version is best. Songfacts is overtly male oriented and minimizes women’s contributions to music history. The song is written in such a way that it can also be about a woman learning through grapevine gossip that her lover is cheating on her. Gladys’ vocals are in-your-face “how dare you” passionate confrontation and righteous indignation—she’s pissed—whereas Marvin Gaye’s rendition expresses pain and hurt coming to grips with the reality that his lover is a cheater. I don’t care for the twang of CCW singing “hoi’d” it through the grapevine. [Editor's note: This is listed under Marvin Gaye because he did the most famous version of the song. We make every effort to reveal the contributions of women in music history, but accept the criticism.]
• Casey from Palm SpringsA rumor has persisted that the lyrics were actually written by Roger Penzabene (The End of Our Road, I Wish it Would Rain, etc) about his relationship, and this was part of his "paying his dues" to write for Motown. The lyrics fit with his other songs but who knows?
• Dj Romie Borgdata from The Independent Nation Of The Conch Repulic In Key WestWhat if the singer is a stalker or fan watching from a distance as the object of their obsession started dating someone? I love this song for both it's intended meaning of a naïve person freaking out over losing their first love, and for how perfectly, without changing a word, it applies to this darker interpretation.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 25th 1968, Gladys Knight and the Pips performed a three song medley; "The End of Our Road", "And So Is Love", & "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"; on CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show'...
  At the time "The End of Our Road" was at #26 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and one week later on March 3rd it peaked at #15 {for 3 weeks} and spent 10 weeks on the Top 100...
  It reached #5 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
  And two months earlier on December 10th, 1967 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" peaked at #2* {for 3 weeks} on the Top 100...
  * The first two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record was "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees and for its third week at #2, "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles was in the top spot.
• Markantney from BiloxeAug 2014,
  
  For those of you unfamiliar with 80s R&B, Roger Troutman's rendition is a good 10 minutes long and though it uses the same melodic flow as MGaye's, it sounds nothing like it. Minus when I first knew/heard of the song/remake; I can't recall once hearing his version and thinking of the prior versions.
• AnonymousNorman Whitfield booked a recording studio for three hours and sat playing the bass part to Heard it Through the Grapevine over and over while we recorded all of it. The riff evolved as he played. He finally had us make a portion of the tape as a 7 1/2 ips copy for home use. It's possible that Barrett Strong wrote the bass line riff, but I heard Whitfield perfect it. Did I say I was working at Motown as a recording engineer?
• Markantney from Biloxi, MsJul 2014,
  
  Werd in how many different versions of this (Same) Song, became Hits.
  
  But they ALL have to "BowDown" to Gaye's Souful-Jazzy(???) Rendition.
  
  Someone noted earlier, Marvin's Intro (the pulsating Drums, horns,..) alone surpasses the others and his vocals seem more Personal, so much so you'd not only think he wrote the Song but the Woman and the Man she's now with was right in front of him as he sang it:)
  
  RIP to the Ali of Soul, MGaye.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 8th 1968, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye peaked at #1 (for 7 weeks) on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; it had entered the chart on November 23rd and spent 15 weeks on the Top 100...
  The next two records on the Top 10 were also Motown artists; at #2 was "Love Child" by the Supremes and at #3 "For Once In My Life" by Stevie Wonder...
  And a year earlier in 1967 another Motown act, Gladys Knight & the Pips, reached #2 (for 3 weeks) with it on the Top 100.
• Lana from Norfolk, United KingdomSorry guys you are wrong about most of this. I have been researching about this song for college and in fact it was Smokey Robinson and The Miracles who was the first to record this song and that was on the 25th of September 1967
• Meocyber from Alma, Co The Original Marvin version is a Top 10 greatest rock song to me. But I think CCR's cover is easily one of the best. best covers of all time. It was genius to put the dark swamp rock touch on it. The guitar middle is a real classic!
• Megan from Stevenson, AlThis is such a great classic! Lovely song and music. The lyrics are so catchy!
• Rick from Belfast, MeThis song....and the album it is from(Cosmos Factory), where they recorede it, should at LEAST be in the top 25 songs AND albums of all time.....should at least be higher than Nirvana(they call that music?...lol)....rock on CCR...John and Tom,Doug and Stu
• Markus from Norrköping, SwedenJust saw the "Standing in the shadows of motown" documentary.. i'm feeling kinda sorry for the guys who recorded this song in a smallbasement studio. All the talk about marvin gaye and the songwriters.. but the people who brought the majority of all motown hits to life have almost never been heard of.. "the funkbrothers" you guys really should see the "SITSOM" documentary.. just a tip (;
• John from Nashville, Tn"Grapevine" is the only song to hit #1 on the Billboard R&B charts three times: Gladys Knight & The Pips (1967), Marvin Gaye (1968), and electro-funk musician Roger (Troutman)(1981).
• Kerry G. from Detroit Rock City, MiI dig Marvin a whole lot, and this song is real cool, but i still believe his best song ever was "trouble man". "Pimps, Players & PrivateEyes"
• Fulu Thompho from Limpopo, South Africasomewhere, somehow during marvin's living years, a certain woman might have cheated on him and hence whoever form wherever wrote this song for him.
• N.i. from Baltimore, MdThe CCR version would almost be a decent cover, but every time Fogerty sings "I hoid it through the grapevine," it just ruins it for me.
• Mixermatt from Bloomington, MnCCR version is a Disc Jockeky's best friend, this long version gives us the chance to look through more music and a chance to use the rest room
• Sara from Silver Spring, MdIt could be about a man cheating on a woman or vice versa if you're listening to the Gladys Knight version. Michael McDonald did a fabulous rendition. There was also a parody of this in the preview of Meet the Robinsons (the Disney/ Pixar film featuring singing frogs!)
• Ched - from La Union, Philippinesi love the CCR version!
• Anthony from Collinsville, IlThis is a good song , however all of you are on the wrong page,true enough the song was made for Marvin gaye ,but it went to Gladys Knight first.
  The version Marvin did was first done by Ronald Isley first,This took place while the Isleys were still at Motown records.They never acutully released his(Ronald) version,but he did the song first. There is alot of info on the Isleys that alot of people are unaware of.
• Bob from Seguin, TxI have been looking without success for a particular video synched to Marvin Gaye's version of Grapevine. It was played regularly on MTV maybe 20 or 25 years ago. It was a dance set in a school or college library that built slowly in rhythm to the music and grew to a feverish pitch. Professional and very sexy. Can anyone tell me how to locate this. Bob in Texas
• Max from New Brunswick, NjI actually thought that CCR wrote this song because i had never heard of them performing covers. Anyway, I love Gaye's vocals but nothing beats an extended jam version by CCR.
• Marina from Seattle, WaIt's amazing to think that someone with a great ear like Berry Gordy failed to immediately jump on this song. The Gladys Knight and the Pips version of this song is excellent as well.
• Henry from Kingston, NyOne of the best basslines ever. Gaye's vocals are great, too. CCR's version is cools.
• Ivan from Dallas, TxIt was CCR's version I heard first. I was a kid in HongKOng and saw CCR's MTV on stage. They also had "Looking Out My Backdoor" and "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" on the air. Later when I came to the US then I heard Gaye's version. I like both. They have different qualities, so it's hard to say which is better. Just like Lennon's and Elton's versions of L-S-D.
• Jerry from Eatontown, NjI like the Creedence Clearwater version more because of its length. It shows the guitar artistry of Fogerty and the tightness of a very good band.
• Fyodor from Denver, CoI'm always fascinated to learn of singer-songwriters who wrote hits for others (like Dancing In The Streets in Marvin Gaye's case) but whose biggest hit or hits were written by others. Kinda like Harry Nilsson.
• Louis Rodriguez from Lancaster, Camy favorite artist(s) who recorded this song are in the following order:gladys knight and the pips,creedence clear water revival and marvin gaye
• Andy from Mdq, ArgentinaRecently covered by Kaiser Chiefs for the new charity record Help: A Day In The Life. the sequel of the 1995 war child album wich featured oasis, blur and radiohead among many others.
  Great version by the kaisers.
• Joel from Detroit, Migladys blows my mind!
• Vickie from Sydney, AustraliaI also like CCR's version the best, especially the long jam session at the end. Go John Fogerty!
• Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumThank you Stefanie, you're right but I think the exact name is Kim Weston. I like her voice very much.
• Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScI think the woman he sang "It Takes Two" with was Kim Westin. I don't know if I spelled it right.
• Teresa from Mechelen, BelgiumI love the version of Marvin Gaye. It has a super introduction, one of the best ever made. Marvin Gaye made a super hit of this. I also like his other songs like "Too busy thinking about my baby"
  "Sexual Healing" "It takes two"(I don't remember the name of the woman he sang with) and his duos with Tammy Terrel.
  
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScThe Gay version is the best. the CCR version is good, but too long and repetitive.
• Ross from Independence, MoThis is #80 on Rolling Stone's list of 500 greatest songs.
• Edward Pearce from Ashford, Kent, EnglandBarrett Strong originally wrote this on a $40 piano with only 10 working keys.
• Mars from Vancouver, CanadaI like the CCR version bestest.

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