Editing Marvin Gaye (section)

==Career==

===Early career===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Marvin Gaye promotional photo.jpg|thumb|240x240px|A 1959 promotional picture of [[Harvey Fuqua|Harvey]] and the ''New Moonglows''. Gaye is second from the right behind a seated Fuqua.|alt=]] -->
After Gaye left the Air Force, he formed a vocal quartet, [[the Marquees]], with his good friend Reese Palmer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uncamarvy.com/Marquees/marquees.html |title=Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – MARQUEES |access-date=July 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408055035/http://www.uncamarvy.com/Marquees/marquees.html |archive-date=April 8, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=38}} The group performed in the D.C. area and soon began working with [[Bo Diddley]], who tried to persuade his own label, [[Chess Records|Chess]], to sign them to a record deal. Failing that, he sent them to [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] subsidiary [[OKeh Records]].{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=38}} Diddley co-wrote the group's sole single, "Wyatt Earp"; it failed to chart and the group was soon dropped from the label.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=39}} Gaye began [[Musical composition|composing]] music.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=39}}

[[The Moonglows|Moonglows]] co-founder [[Harvey Fuqua]] later hired the Marquees as employees.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=40}} Under Fuqua's direction, the group changed its name to Harvey and the New Moonglows, and moved to Chicago.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=47}} The group recorded several sides for Chess in 1959, including the song "Mama Loocie", which was Gaye's first lead vocal recording.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} The group found work as [[session singers]] for established acts such as [[Chuck Berry]], singing on the songs "[[Back in the U.S.A.]]" and "[[Almost Grown (song)|Almost Grown]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://acerecords.co.uk/features/artist-profiles/etta-james|title=Etta James |publisher=Ace Records |access-date=April 23, 2024}}</ref>

In 1960, the group disbanded. Gaye moved to Detroit with Fuqua, where he signed with Tri-Phi Records as a session musician, playing drums on several Tri-Phi releases. Gaye performed at [[Motown]] president [[Berry Gordy]]'s house during the holiday season in December 1960. Impressed, Gordy sought Fuqua on his contract with Gaye. Fuqua agreed to sell part of his interest in his contract with Gaye.{{sfn|Edmonds|2001a|p=24}} Shortly afterwards, Gaye signed with Motown subsidiary Tamla.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

When Gaye signed with Tamla, he pursued a career as a performer of jazz music and [[standard (song)|standards]], having no desire to become an [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] performer.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=25}} Before the release of his first single, Gaye started spelling his surname with an added "e", in the same way as did [[Sam Cooke]]. Author [[David Ritz]] wrote that Gaye did this to silence rumors of his [[sexual orientation|sexuality]], and to put more distance between himself and his father.{{sfn|Jet|1985b|p=17}}

Gaye released his first single, "[[Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide]]", in May 1961, with the album ''[[The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye]]'', following a month later. Gaye's initial recordings failed commercially and he spent most of 1961 performing session work as a drummer for artists such as [[the Miracles]], [[the Marvelettes]] and blues artist [[Jimmy Reed]] for $5 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5|1961}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US}}) a week.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=6}}{{sfn|Des Barres|1996|p=107}} While Gaye took some advice on performing with his eyes open (having been accused of appearing as though he were sleeping) and also got pointers on how to move more gracefully onstage, he refused to attend grooming school courses at the John Robert Powers School for Social Grace in Detroit because of his unwillingness to comply with its orders, something he later regretted.{{sfn|Posner|2002|p=116}}{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=88}}

===Early success===
In 1962, Gaye found success as co-songwriter of the Marvelettes track "[[Beechwood 4-5789]]", on which he also played drums. His first solo hit, "[[Stubborn Kind of Fellow]]", was later released that September, reaching No. 8 on the R&B chart and No. 46 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. That song and his follow-up, "[[Hitch Hike (song)|Hitch Hike]]", a dance song he co-wrote and which became his first top 40 pop single, helped to land him on the very first [[Motortown Revue]] in late 1962.<ref name=pc26>{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19781/m1/ |title=Show 26 – The Soul Reformation: Phase two, the Motown story. [Part 5] }}</ref> "[[Pride and Joy (Marvin Gaye song)|Pride and Joy]]" became Gaye's first top ten single after its release in 1963.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://billboard.com/artist/marvin-gaye/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Marvin Gaye - Billboard Chart History (Hot 100) |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=March 19, 2025}}</ref>

Gaye's first chart album was with [[Mary Wells]] on their 1964 collaborative album, ''[[Together (Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells album)|Together]]'', reaching number 42 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and featured the double-A sided single "[[Once Upon a Time (Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells song)|Once Upon a Time]]" / "[[What's the Matter with You Baby]]". Both sides reached the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and increased Gaye's popularity. 
[[File:Marvin Gaye 1966 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Gaye in 1966|alt=|219x219px]]

Gaye ceased writing afterwards and began a period mostly singing songs given to him by Motown staff writers, the first of which were the team of [[Holland-Dozier-Holland]], whom he produced the hits "[[Can I Get a Witness]]",  "[[You're a Wonderful One]]" and the top ten single "[[How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)]]" with. In October 1964, he performed in the [[concert film]] ''[[The T.A.M.I. Show]]''. Gaye began collaborating with [[Smokey Robinson]], with which he scored his first career million-selling singles, "[[I'll Be Doggone]]" and "[[Ain't That Peculiar]]", which hit number one on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|R&B charts]] and crossed over to the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1965. Still, Gaye's aspirations to become a lounge jazz singer remained unabated and Gaye recorded the jazz albums, ''[[When I'm Alone I Cry]]'', ''[[Hello Broadway]]'', ''[[A Tribute to the Great Nat King Cole]]'' were all released to little fanfare.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=March 20, 1965|title=Tribute To Nat By Marvin Gaye|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/60s/65/RW-1965-03-20.pdf|journal=Record World|pages=19}}</ref> A 1966 [[live album]], recorded at the [[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana]], set for a 1967 release, was shelved due to Gaye and Gordy fighting over control of the project.

After reaching the top 20 on the pop charts with the hit single, "[[It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)|It Takes Two]]" with [[Kim Weston]] in late 1966, Gaye began working with [[Tammi Terrell]] on a series of hit duets in 1967, mostly composed by [[Ashford & Simpson]], including "[[Ain't No Mountain High Enough]]", "[[Your Precious Love]]", "[[Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing]]" and "[[You're All I Need to Get By]]".{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

<!-- {{Listen|filename=1968-marvin-gaye-grapevine.ogg|title="I Heard It through the Grapevine"|description="I Heard It through the Grapevine" was recorded by Gaye in April 1967, several months before [[Gladys Knight and the Pips]] recorded it. The song features a [[Wurlitzer electric piano|Wurlitzer]] piano, percussion, and horns. Gaye's recording of it paved the way for what later became "[[psychedelic soul]]".}}

 -->In October 1967, Terrell collapsed in Gaye's arms during a performance in [[Farmville, Virginia]].{{sfn|Gaye|2003|p=65}} Terrell was subsequently rushed to Farmville's Southside Community Hospital, where doctors discovered she had a malignant [[brain tumor|tumor in her brain]].{{sfn|Gaye|2003|p=65}} The diagnosis ended Terrell's career as a [[live music|live performer]], though she continued to record music under careful supervision. Despite the presence of successful singles such as "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By", Terrell's illness caused problems with recording, and led to multiple operations to remove the tumor. Gaye was reportedly devastated by Terrell's sickness and became disillusioned with the record business.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

On October 6, 1968, Gaye sang the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|U.S. national anthem]] during Game 4 of the [[1968 World Series]], held at [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]], in [[Detroit|Detroit, Michigan]], between the [[Detroit Tigers]] and the [[St. Louis Cardinals]].<ref>{{cite video |title=1968 WS Gm4: Marvin Gaye performs national anthem |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqtItl6nC7U |publisher=Major League Baseball |access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref>

In late 1968, Gaye's recording of "[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]" became his first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top of the charts in other countries, selling over four million copies.{{sfn|Kempton|2005|p=207}} However, Gaye felt the success was something he "didn't deserve" and that he "felt like a puppet – Berry's puppet, [[Anna Gordy Gaye|Anna's]] puppet".{{sfn|Posner|2002|p=225}}{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=126}}{{sfn|Gulla|2008|p=344}} Gaye followed it up with "[[Too Busy Thinking About My Baby]]" and "[[That's the Way Love Is (The Isley Brothers song)|That's the Way Love Is]]", which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. That year, his album ''[[M.P.G.]]'' became his first No. 1 album on the R&B album charts. During this period, Gaye produced and co-wrote "[[Baby I'm For Real]]" and "[[The Bells (The Originals song)|The Bells]]" for [[The Originals (band)|the Originals]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

[[Tammi Terrell]] died from [[brain cancer]] on March 16, 1970; Gaye attended her funeral{{sfn|Jet|1970|p=60}} and after a period of depression, Gaye sought out a position on a [[Professional football (gridiron)|professional football]] team, the [[Detroit Lions]], where he later befriended [[Mel Farr]] and [[Lem Barney]].<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Jason Plautz |url=http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/92596 |title=Marvin Gaye, Detroit Lions Wide Receiver? |magazine=Mental Floss |date=June 30, 2011 |access-date=March 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510210102/http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/92596 |archive-date=May 10, 2012 }}</ref> Barney and Farr had gotten gold records for providing backup vocals for the title track of Gaye's ''What's Going On'' album. The Lions played along for the publicity, but ultimately declined an invitation for Gaye to try out, owing to legal liabilities and fears of possible injuries that could have affected his music career.<ref>[http://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/2009/07/29/music-legends-revealed-16/ Music Urban Legends Revealed #16] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712214807/http://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/2009/07/29/music-legends-revealed-16/ |date=July 12, 2012 }}. Legendsrevealed.com (July 29, 2009). Retrieved May 14, 2012.</ref>{{sfn|Gates|2004|p=332}}

===''What's Going On'' and subsequent success===
{{Main|What's Going On (album)|Let's Get It On}}
On June 1, 1970, Gaye returned to [[Hitsville U.S.A.]], where he recorded his new composition "[[What's Going On (song)|What's Going On]]", inspired by an idea from [[Renaldo "Obie" Benson]] of the [[Four Tops]] after he witnessed an act of [[police brutality]] at an [[anti-war]] rally in Berkeley.{{sfn|Lynskey|2011|pp=155}} Upon hearing the song, Berry Gordy refused its release due to his feelings of the song being "too political" for radio and feared Gaye would lose his crossover audience.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=16}} Gaye responded by deciding against releasing any other new material before the label released it.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=16}} Released in 1971, it reached No. 1 on the R&B charts within a month, staying there for five weeks. It also reached the top spot on [[Cashbox (magazine)|Cashbox]]'s pop chart for a week and reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and the [[Record World]] chart, selling over two million copies.{{sfn|Vincent|1996|p=129}}{{sfn|Whitburn|2004|p=250}}

After giving an ultimatum to record a full album to win creative control from Motown, Gaye spent ten days recording the ''[[What's Going On (album)|What's Going On]]'' album that March.{{sfn|Lynskey|2011|p=157}} Motown issued the album that May after Gaye remixed the album in Hollywood.{{sfn|Bowman|2006|p=16}} The album became Gaye's first million-selling album launching two more top ten singles, "[[Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)]]" and "[[Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)|Inner City Blues]]". One of Motown's first autonomous works, its theme and segue flow brought the [[concept album]] format to rhythm and blues and soul music. An [[AllMusic]] writer later cited it as "the most important and passionate record to come out of [[soul music]], delivered by one of its finest voices".<ref name="review_1">John Bush. ''What's Going On'' remains one of the few examples in modern music of critical acclaim and immediate commercial success occurring simultaneously. ''What's Going On'' was the first in a series of Motown albums in which albums overtook singles in commercial importance as well as cultural significance.[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8079/review|pure_url=yes}} review of ''What's Going On''], by Marvin Gaye, allmusic.com (accessed June 10, 2005)</ref> For the album, Gaye received two [[14th Annual Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] nominations at the 1972 ceremony and several [[NAACP Image Award]]s.{{sfn|Jet|1973|p=60}} The album also topped ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s year-end list as its album of the year. ''Billboard'' magazine named Gaye "Trendsetter of the Year" following the album's success.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

[[File:Marvin Gaye (1973).png|thumb|Gaye in 1973|alt=|190x190px]]

In 1971, Gaye signed a new deal with Motown worth $1&nbsp;million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1000000|1971}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US}}), making it the most lucrative deal by a black recording artist at the time.{{sfn|MacKenzie|2009|p=156}} Gaye first responded to the new contract with the soundtrack and subsequent [[Sheet music|score]], ''[[Trouble Man (album)|Trouble Man]]'', released in late 1972. Before the release of ''Trouble Man,'' Marvin released a single called "[[You're the Man]]". The [[You're the Man (album)|album of the same name]] was a follow-up to ''What's Going On,'' but Motown refused to promote the single, according to Gaye. According to some biographies,{{which|date=June 2023}} Gordy, who was considered a moderate, feared Gaye's left-leaning political views would alienate Motown's moderately liberal audiences. As a result, Gaye shelved the project and substituted it for ''Trouble Man''. In 2019, [[Universal Music Group]] released the album on what would've been Gaye's 80th birthday.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/marvin-gaye-youre-the-man-official-release/|title=Marvin Gaye's lost 1972 album You're the Man to receive official release|date=February 7, 2019|access-date=February 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212214103/https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/marvin-gaye-youre-the-man-official-release/|archive-date=February 12, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In between the releases of ''What's Going On'' and ''Trouble Man'', Gaye and his family relocated to Los Angeles, making Marvin one of the final Motown artists to move there despite early protests urging him to stay in Detroit.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In August 1973, Gaye released the ''[[Let's Get It On]]'' album. Its [[Let's Get It On (song)|title track]] became Gaye's second No. 1 single on the Hot 100. The album was later hailed as "a record unparalleled in its sheer sensuality and carnal energy".<ref name="review_2">Jason Ankeny, [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r8081|pure_url=yes}} review of ''Let's Get It On''], by Marvin Gaye, allmusic.com (accessed June 10, 2005).</ref> Other singles from the album included "[[Come Get to This]]", which recalled Gaye's early Motown soul sound of the previous decade, while the suggestive "[[You Sure Love to Ball]]" reached modest success on the R&B charts, while also managing to make the pop top 50, its success halted by radio refusing to play the sexually explicit song.{{sfn|Edmonds|2001b|pp=8–9}}

In the 1970s, Gaye's sister-in-law turned her attention to [[Frankie Beverly]], the founder of [[Maze (band)|Maze]]. Marvin took them on his tours, featured them as the opening acts of his concerts, and persuaded Beverly to change the band's name from Raw Soul to Maze.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

Marvin's final duet project, ''[[Diana & Marvin]]'', with [[Diana Ross]], garnered international success despite contrasting artistic styles. Much of the material was crafted especially for the duo by Ashford and Simpson.<ref>"Ross, Diana/Marvin Gaye – Diana & Marvin." ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', 4th ed. Ed. Colin Larkin. ''Oxford Music Online''. [[Oxford University Press]]. Web. January 28, 2017.</ref> Responding to demand from fans and Motown, Gaye started his first [[concert tour]] in four years at the [[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]] on January 4, 1974.{{sfn|Edmonds|2001b|p=14}} The performance received critical acclaim and resulted in the release of the live album, ''[[Marvin Gaye Live!]]'' and its single, a live version of "[[Distant Lover]]", an album track from ''Let's Get It On''.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

The tour helped to enhance Gaye's reputation as a live performer.{{sfn|Edmonds|2001b|p=14}} For a time, he was earning $100,000 a night (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|100000|1974}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) for performances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.superseventies.com/1973_5singles.html |title=Let's Get It On – Marvin Gaye |work=SuperSeventies.com |access-date=September 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911171256/http://www.superseventies.com/1973_5singles.html |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Gaye toured throughout 1974 and 1975. A renewed contract with Motown allowed Gaye to build his own [[Marvin's Room (recording studio)|custom-made recording studio]].{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In October 1975, Gaye gave a performance at a [[UNESCO]] benefit concert at New York's [[Radio City Music Hall]] to support UNESCO's African literacy drive, resulting in him being commended at the United Nations by then-Ambassador to [[Ghana]] [[Shirley Temple Black]] and [[Kurt Waldheim]].{{sfn|Jet|1975|p=19}}{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=208}} Gaye's next studio album, ''[[I Want You (Marvin Gaye album)|I Want You]]'', followed in March 1976 with the title track [[I Want You (Marvin Gaye song)|"I Want You"]] reaching No. 1 on the R&B charts. The album would go on to sell over one million copies. That spring, Gaye embarked on his first European tour in a decade, starting off in Belgium. In early 1977, Gaye released the live album, ''[[Live at the London Palladium]]'', which sold over two million copies thanks to the success of its studio song, "[[Got to Give It Up]]", which charted at No. 1. In September 1977, Gaye opened Radio City Music Hall's New York Pop Arts Festival.<ref>{{Cite news|date=September 18, 1977|title=Marvin Gaye's Deliberate Start Builds to a Climactic Bacchanal|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/18/archives/marvin-gayes-deliberate-start-builds-to-a-climactic-bacchanal.html|access-date=October 16, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

===Last Motown recordings and European exile===
{{Main|Here, My Dear|In Our Lifetime (Marvin Gaye album)}}
In December 1978, Gaye released ''[[Here, My Dear]]'', inspired by the fallout from his first marriage to [[Anna Gordy Gaye|Anna Gordy]]. Recorded with the intention of remitting a portion of its royalties to her as [[alimony]] payments, it performed poorly on the charts.<ref name=snopes>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/heredear.asp |title=Marvin Gaye Here, My Dear |work=snopes.com |date=September 16, 1994 |access-date=November 28, 2012}}</ref> During that period, Gaye's [[cocaine]] addiction intensified while he was dealing with several financial issues with the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]]. These issues led him to move to [[Maui]], where he struggled to record a [[disco]]-influenced album titled ''Love Man'', with a probable release date for February 1980, though he would later shelve the project.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=265}} That year, Gaye went on a European tour, his first in four years.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=267}} By the time the tour stopped, he had relocated to London when he feared [[imprisonment]] for failure to pay [[back taxes]], which had now reached upwards of $4.5&nbsp;million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4500000|1980}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US}}).{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=267}}{{sfn|Gates|2004|p=333}}

Gaye then reworked ''Love Man'' from its original disco concept to another socially-conscious album invoking religion and the possible [[Eschatology|end time]] from a chapter in the [[Book of Revelation]].{{sfn|Ritz|1991|pp=266–267}} Titling the album ''[[In Our Lifetime (Marvin Gaye album)|In Our Lifetime?]]'', Gaye worked on the album for much of 1980 in London studios such as [[AIR Oxford Circus|AIR]] and [[Odyssey Studios]].{{sfn|Ritz|1991|pp=270–275}}

In the fall of that year, a master tape of a rough draft of the album was stolen from one of Gaye's traveling musicians, Frank Blair, and taken to Motown's Hollywood headquarters.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=279}} Motown remixed the album and released it on January 15, 1981.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=280}} When Gaye learned of its release, he accused Motown of editing and remixing the album without his consent, allowing the release of an unfinished production ([[Far Cry (Marvin Gaye song)|"Far Cry"]]), altering the cover art and removing the album title's question mark, muting its irony.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|pp=280–281}} He also accused the label of rush-releasing the album, comparing his unfinished album to an unfinished [[Pablo Picasso]] painting.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|pp=280–281}} Gaye then vowed not to record any more music for Motown.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=281}}

On February 14, 1981, under the advice of music promoter [[Freddy Cousaert]], Gaye relocated to Cousaert's apartment in [[Ostend]], Belgium.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=282}} While there, Gaye shied away from heavy drug use and began exercising and attending a local Ostend church, regaining personal confidence.{{sfn|Gaye|2003|p=320}}{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=283}} In this period, Gaye lived in the home of Belgian musician {{interlanguage link|Charles Dumolin|nl}}. In March 2024, it was revealed that when he moved on, Gaye had given the family a large collection of unreleased recordings made during his stay in the country.<ref name="Connolly">{{cite news |last1=Connolly |first1=Kevin |last2=Crook |first2=Richard |last3=Boelpaep |first3=Bruno |name-list-style=amp |date=March 30, 2024 |title=Marvin Gaye: Never-before heard music resurfaces in Belgium |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68674814 |website=[[BBC News]] |location=London |access-date=March 30, 2024}}</ref>

Following several months of recovery, Gaye sought a comeback onstage, starting the short-lived ''Heavy Love Affair'' tour in England and Ostend in June–July 1981.{{sfn|Ritz|1991|p=284}} Gaye's personal attorney Curtis Shaw would later describe Gaye's Ostend period as "the best thing that ever happened to Marvin". When word got around that Gaye was planning a musical comeback and an exit from Motown, [[Sony Music|CBS Urban]] president Larkin Arnold eventually convinced Gaye to sign with [[Sony Music|CBS Records]]. On March&nbsp;23, 1982, Motown and CBS negotiated Gaye's release from Motown. The details of the contract were not revealed due to a possible negative effect on Gaye's settlement to creditors from the IRS and to stop a possible bidding war by competing labels.{{sfn|Jet|1982|p=59}}

===''Midnight Love''===
{{Main|Midnight Love|Sexual Healing}}
{{Listen|filename=Sexual_Healing.ogg|title="Sexual Healing"|description="Sexual Healing" was written by Gaye alongside Odell Brown and [[David Ritz]]. Ritz said Gaye advised him to write a poem after telling the singer he needed "sexual healing" while living in Europe. The song became an international hit after its release in 1982.}}
Assigned to CBS's [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] subsidiary, Gaye worked on his first post-Motown album titled ''[[Midnight Love]]''. The first single from the album, "[[Sexual Healing]]", which was written and recorded in Ostend in Freddy Cousaert's apartment, was released in October 1982, and became Gaye's biggest career success, spending a record 10 weeks at No. 1 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Hot Black Singles]] chart, becoming the biggest R&B hit of the 1980s according to ''Billboard'' stats. In January 1983, it successfully crossed over to the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], where it peaked at No. 3, while the record reached international success, reaching the top spot in [[RIANZ|New Zealand]] and [[RPM (magazine)|Canada]] and reaching the top 10 on the United Kingdom's [[Official Charts Company|OCC singles chart]], Australia and Belgium, later selling more than two million copies in the U.S. alone, becoming Gaye's most successful single to date. The video for the song was shot at Ostend's Casino-Kursaal.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.ramada-ostend.com/ostendblog/ |title=What's on in Ostend |access-date=November 16, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204093349/http://blog.ramada-ostend.com/ostendblog/ |archive-date=December 4, 2010 }}</ref>

"Sexual Healing" won Gaye his first two [[Grammy Award]]s including [[Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance|Best Male R&B Vocal Performance]], in February 1983, and also won Gaye an [[American Music Award]] in the [[rhythm and blues|R&B]]-soul category. ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine called it "America's hottest musical turn-on since [[Olivia Newton-John]] demanded we get '[[Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)|Physical]]{{'"}}. ''Midnight Love'' was released to stores less than a month after the single's release, and was equally successful, peaking at the top 10 of the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and becoming Gaye's eighth No. 1 album on the [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|Top Black Albums]] chart, eventually selling three million alone in the U.S.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

{{blockquote|I don't make records for pleasure. I did when I was a younger artist, but I don't today. I record so that I can feed people what they need, what they feel. Hopefully, I record so that I can help someone overcome a bad time.|''[[NME]]'', December 1982<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years">{{cite book | first= John | last= Tobler | year= 1992 | title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years | edition= 1st | publisher=Reed International Books Ltd | location= London | page= 373
| id= CN 5585}}</ref>}}

On February 13, 1983, Gaye sang "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]" at the [[1983 NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star Game]] at [[The Forum (Inglewood, California)|The Forum]] in [[Inglewood, California]]—accompanied by [[Gordon Banks (musician)|Gordon Banks]], who played the studio tape from the stands.{{sfn|Batchelor|2005|pp=41–43}} The following month, Gaye performed at the ''[[Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever]]'' special. This and a May appearance on ''[[Soul Train]]'' (his third appearance on the show) became Gaye's final television performances. Gaye embarked on his final concert tour, titled the ''[[Sexual Healing Tour]]'', on April 18, 1983, at The El Cortez Hotel Concerts by the Bay in San Diego.{{sfn|Ebony|1985|p=102}} The tour, which had 51 dates in total and included a then-record six sold-out shows at [[Radio City Music Hall]] in New York City, ended on August 14, 1983, at the [[Pacific Amphitheatre]] in [[Costa Mesa, California]], but was plagued by cocaine-triggered [[paranoia]] and illness. Following the concert's end, he moved into his parents' house in Los Angeles. In early 1984, ''Midnight Love'' was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category, his 12th and final nomination.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}