OH,
WE THOUGHT OUR LOVE
WOULD STAND THE TEST OF TIME
BUT AS I SING THIS SONG RIGHT NOW,
I WONDER
TODAY,
IF YOU'RE A FRIEND OF MINE ?
Here, My Dear
is the fourteenth
studio album
by the American
soul singer
and songwriter
released as a
double album
on
December 15, 1978,
on Motown-subsidiary label
Tamla Records.
Recording sessions
for the album took place
between
1977 and 1978
at Gaye's
personal studios,
Marvin Gaye Studios,
in Los Angeles, California.
It is a concept album,
notable for its subject matter
focusing largely on
Gaye's
acrimonious divorce
from his first wife,
Anna Gordy Gaye.
A commercial
and critical failure
upon its release,
it was later hailed by
music critics
in the years
following Gaye's death
as one of
his best albums,
and was placed at
number 493
on
Rolling Stone's
"500 Greatest Albums
of All Time"
list in 2020.
Marvin Gaye
was going through a
personal crisis
in the summer of 1976.
In November 1975,
Gaye's estranged first wife,
Anna Gordy Gaye,
sued Gaye for divorce,
claiming
irreconcilable differences,
and sought child support
for their adopted son,
Marvin Gaye III.
Gaye later argued his
spending habits were
causing him to
fall behind on payments.
In September 1976,
a warrant was issued
for Gaye's arrest
after he failed
to pay alimony;
this made him
feel vulnerable
during the
recording sessions,
causing the singer
to hide from
the public
for several days.
Several weeks later,
Gaye accepted an offer
to do a tour of Europe.
Between October
and
December 1976,
Gaye performed in
the United Kingdom,
France,
the Netherlands
and Germany.
Following his return,
he recorded
"Got to Give It Up"
and released it
on his album,
Live at the London Palladium.
The song became an
international hit,
reaching number one
on the
Billboard Hot 100.
After months of delays,
in March 1977,
the singer's attorney,
Curtis Shaw,
wanted to end
divorce proceedings
and convinced Gaye
to give up half
of the percentage of
album royalties
he would earn from
his next
Motown album
to Anna.
The Gayes' divorce
was finalized
later that month.
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