I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Recorded during a period of immense personal turbulence, this track transformed a standard Motown hit into a dark, paranoid psychological thriller. Norman Whitfield's moody, voodoo-influenced arrangement features a creeping Wurlitzer piano and dramatic strings that perfectly match Gaye's anguished, desperate vocal delivery. It became the biggest-selling single in the label's history at the time of its release.