I Want You – Marvin Gaye
From You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians by Peter Martin & Adam Maness
April 13, 2026 · 1h 7m · Season 14 · Episode 14
About this episode
Peter and Adam discuss Marvin Gaye's album 'I Want You' and its significance in music history.
Marvin Gaye's I Want You could be one of his greatest albums, and he didn't even write it. Producer Leon Ware wrote most of the songs for himself. Marvin Gaye was only supposed to record the title track. But he heard Leon playing a demo of the album one night and stayed up listening until morning. The next day, he asked Ware if he could have the whole thing. In this episode, Peter and Adam break down why the title track, "I Want You", might be one of his best songs, and whether the rest of the album can possibly live up to it. This episode was recorded before the passing of James Gadson (June 17, 1939 – April 2, 2026), the drummer on I Want You. Gadson was one of the defining session drummers of 1970s soul. He was the drummer behind "Lean On Me," "I Will Survive," "Express Yourself", and the groove that powers this very album. Rest in peace, James. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/yhi ------------------------------ Adam and Peter break down Marvin Gaye's What's Going On: https://youtu.be/PHowrEiaInQ ------------------------------- About You'll Hear It: In this popular music series, Adam…
People in this episode
Hosts: Peter Martin, Adam Maness
Topics covered
- Marvin Gaye
- album analysis
- soul music
- music production
- session musicians
Keywords
- Marvin Gaye
- I Want You
- Leon Ware
- James Gadson
- soul music
- album review
- music commentary
Sponsors
Open Studio
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: I Want You, What's Going On
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