| "Sexual Healing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMarvin Gaye | ||||
| from the albumMidnight Love | ||||
| B-side | "Sexual Healing" (instrumental version) | |||
| Released | October 9, 1982 | |||
| Studio | Studio Katy,Ohain, Belgium | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Columbia/CBS Records | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Marvin Gaye | |||
| Marvin Gaye singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
"Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singerMarvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album,Midnight Love (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record labelMotown earlier in the year, following the release of theIn Our Lifetime (1981) album the previous year. It peaked at No. 3 on theBillboard Hot 100 (Gaye's final top 10 hit) and is listed at number 198 onRolling Stone's list of500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1] "Sexual Healing" is written and composed in thekey ofE-flat major and is set intime signature of 4/4 with atempo of 94beats per minute.[2]
In the winter of 1981,Marvin Gaye had relocated toOstend, Belgium, following the end of a European tour amid problems with theInternal Revenue Service and the end of his second marriage. Struggling withdepression andcocaine addiction, Gaye had agreed to move to Ostend on the advice of longtime residentFreddy Cousaert. While in Ostend, Gaye began to curb his drug use and recover from his depression, partaking in Ostend's beaches. Gaye also began cutting ties with his longtime recording label,Motown, following the release ofIn Our Lifetime, an album he did not consider finished. He said that he would never record with Motown again, and accused it of betraying his creativity.[3]
While still with Motown, Gaye had received offers from labels includingI.R.S. Records,Arista Records andElektra Records; afterward, he sought to make a deal withCBS Records after they offered him a contract.[4] CBS agreed to sign him and help clear his financial debt, and spent a year negotiating. In the meantime, Gaye needed spending money, so Cousaert set him up with a month-long England tour between June 13 and July 1, 1981. The tour was called "A Heavy Love Affair Tour 1981", named after his song "Heavy Love Affair", fromIn Our Lifetime.[5] After returning to Belgium that July, Gaye performed two shows at Ostend's Casino Kursaal on July 3 and 4, 1981.[6]
At the end of the tour, two of Gaye's musicians,Gordon Banks andOdell Brown, had decided to stay in Ostend as Gaye had been planning on new musical material after being exposed toreggae music while in England.[7] With just Gordon Banks and Odell Brown, Gaye composed a reggae-inspired instrumental. Gaye used aRoland TR-808 drum machine to create the percussion; he was drawn to the instrument because he could use it to create music without other musicians or producers.[8]
Gaye was still working on the track whenDavid Ritz, then a reviewer forRolling Stone, arrived at Ostend to locate Gaye, despite Gaye's and Couseart's rules that no music critic would be allowed to talk to the singer.[7][9] The story has been disputed on how the lyrics to "Sexual Healing" were devised. Ritz claims that Gaye had been viewingsadomasochismcomic books and advised Gaye he needed "sexual healing".[7][10] When Ritz explained to Gaye what that meant, Gaye told him to "write a poem" while Gaye came up with the melody.[7][10]
In an interview withHUMO in 1994, Cousaert claimed the only songwriters were Gaye and Brown and stated Ritz's contribution was the title.[11] InFrankie Gaye's memoirs,My Brother, Marvin, the singer's brother claimed Ritz had told him, "not only are you sexy, your music is healing," inspiring Gaye to write the lyrics himself.[12] Gordon Banks toldThe Atlantic in 2012 that the conversation between Gaye and Ritz had nothing to do with Marvin's S&M collection but because Gaye had been intrigued byAmsterdam's red light district, to which Ritz replied that Gaye needed sexual healing but said he had nothing to do with the creation of the song.[13] Odell Brown stated he never met Ritz and assumed Ritz was just there for an interview forRolling Stone.[7] Though Gaye himself acknowledged Ritz for coming up with the song title, Ritz sued Gaye for $15 million for partial credit.[14] Though Ritz was eventually credited after settling with Gaye's estate following his death, his case was dropped due to insufficient evidence in 1983.[14]
"Sexual Healing" has been described as apost-disco,[15]soul[16] andfunk song.[17] It begins with a deepbass drum followed by "tinny"handclaps, "ticky"snare, and "tishy"hi-hats generated by aRoland TR-808 drum machine.[18] The first vocal sounds are of whispers, recorded by singerHarvey Fuqua, an early mentor of Gaye who assisted him in production of the song and its parent album,Midnight Love. Fuqua whispers, "Get up" and "Wake up" four times respectively before the sounds of a rhythmickeyboard. Afterwards, Gaye sings an ad-lib before the first verse.
As Gaye sings the verses, background vocals (provided by Gaye and Gordon Banks) are heard singing, "heal me, my darlin'," while Gaye sings the lyrics. During the chorus, sounds of a harmonioussynthesizer are heard before Gaye reaches a vocal bridge, that is led by Gaye and Gordon Banks providing arhythm guitar solo. In the album version of the song, Fuqua's whispers are repeated in the middle of the song, in the single version, however, Gaye takes Fuqua's place, singing in part of Fuqua's words adding more lyrics before returning to the verse. Another bridge follows after the second repeat of the chorus. In different versions of the song, Gaye had added extra lyrics to the second bridge as showcased on the song's demo tape and on an alternate version of the song. Gaye eventually cut part of the lyrics off.
In the album version, Gaye and Banks' background vocals immediately come after the second bridge ends, but in the single version, Gaye repeats the vamp he had sung at the ending of the first bridge, this time with Fuqua's whispers added. The song ends with Gaye repeating the chorus line. As it fades out, Gaye can be heard singing, "please don't procrastinate, it's not good to masturbate."[19]
In his review ofMidnight Love forRolling Stone,Dave Marsh described "Sexual Healing" as a track that was "sort of a polemic for the power of rampant humping."[20]Blender described it as "the plaintivelyblue-balled model for basically everyslow jam" since its release.[21] AnAllMusic reviewer stated Gaye had "concocted a pioneering percussive sound that was balladic in taste but stimulating in feel."[22] In its end-year lists of 1982,Rolling Stone,[23]NME,[24] andThe Village Voice[25] listed it as one of the "songs of the year" with the latter two ranking it at number two.People described it as "America's hottest pop-culture turn-on" sinceOlivia Newton-John's single "Physical".[26]
"Sexual Healing" won several music industry awards. At the1983 Grammy Awards, the song won Gaye two Grammys, includingBest Male R&B Vocal Performance andBest R&B Instrumental Performance.[27] Gaye's performance of the song later made it into the compilation album,Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume I, in 1994.[28] TheAmerican Music Awards recognized the track for Favorite Soul/R&B Single. "Sexual Healing" sold over two million units in its standard 45 RPM single format and was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America. Thedigital sales of "Sexual Healing" reached 500,000downloads and was certified as a gold single in 2005. Also issued as amastertone, this format was certified platinum in 2007.
Credits sourced fromThe Atlantic, Electronic Sound, and the original album liner notes[29][30]
"Sexual Healing" reached number one onBillboard's Black Singles chart on November 6, 1982 in just its fourth week on the chart, making it the fastest rising R&B single in five years.[31] It remained at the top spot for ten weeks. The success was similar on theHot 100 where it peaked at number three, becoming his 18th and last top 10 hit. The song was a success onBillboard's other charts, reaching number 12 on theHot Dance Club Play chart and number 34 on theAdult Contemporary chart. The song reached number one on Canada'sRPM chart.
It peaked at number four on theUK Singles Chart and Australia'sKent Music Report. On Belgium'sUltratop 50 chart, the song reached number two. It reached number one onNew Zealand's RIANZ chart, where it stayed at the top spot for six weeks. It reached number three on theDutch Top 40 in the Netherlands and number seven on theIrish Singles Chart in Ireland. In other countries, success was more modest: West Germany'sMedia Control Charts, Switzerland'sSwedish Singles Chart, and Italy'sItalian Singles Chart, where it reached numbers 23, 17, and 37, respectively. It ultimately sold over four million worldwide.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[57] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[58] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[59] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[60] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[61] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] | 3× Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[63] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Physical 1982 sales | Silver | 250,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[65] Digital 2004 release | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[66] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[66] Digital | Gold | 500,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[66] Physical | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| "Sexual Healing" | |
|---|---|
| Single bySoul Asylum | |
| from the albumNo Alternative | |
| Released | 1993 |
| Length | 4:45 |
| Label | Arista |
| Songwriters | |
"Sexual Healing" was covered in 1993 by Minneapolisrock bandSoul Asylum for the charity compilationNo Alternative. Despite not being promoted as a single, the song managed to peak at number ten on the U.S.Modern Rock Tracks. It was included in the compilationPlaylist: The Very Best of Soul Asylum.
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USAlternative Airplay (Billboard)[67] | 10 |
In 1995, American musical groupMax-A-Million covered "Sexual Healing". Their version peaked at number 60 on the USBillboard Hot 100, number five in Australia, number four in New Zealand and number one on the CanadianRPMDance chart.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[77] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] | Gold | 5,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
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| "Sexual Healing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single bySarah Connor featuringNe-Yo | ||||
| from the albumSoulicious | ||||
| B-side | "Get It Right" | |||
| Released | 2007 | |||
| Studio | Saal 4 (Berlin, Germany) | |||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | X-Cell | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
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| Sarah Connor singles chronology | ||||
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| Ne-Yo singles chronology | ||||
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In 2007, the song was covered by German singerSarah Connor for her studio album of covers,Soulicious (2007). A re-recorded version featuring American singerNe-Yo was released as the album's secondsingle in 2007. On the same album, Connor performed a posthumous duet with Gaye entitled "Your Precious Love".
The song's music video is placed in the story of the 1986 erotic drama film9½ Weeks, featuring representative scenes from the film, e.g. the well-known ice scene, Connor being fed by a Ne-Yodoppelgänger and her homemade striptease. Apart from the original film, this video is one of the few visual works that repeat the proem to the sex scene on the stairs in the rain. Ne-Yo was not available the day the music video was shot, so a doppelgänger was used. Connor stated that she was slightly drunk during the shoot of the video.[80]
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[81] | 45 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)[82] | 44 |
| Germany (GfK)[83] | 11 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[84] | 41 |
| "Sexual Healing (Kygo Remix)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Remix byMarvin Gaye andKygo | ||||
| Released | April 27, 2015 (2015-04-27) | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Tropical house | |||
| Length | 6:08 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Kygo | |||
| Kygo singles chronology | ||||
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Norwegian DJ and record producerKygo released a remix of "Sexual Healing" onSoundCloud on 21 November 2013.[85] It was watched millions of times on YouTube.[86]
The track was released as a single on April 27, 2015 byUltra Music.[87] The remix would later appear on the special-edition 12-inch single issued onRecord Store Day 2018.
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[88] | 17 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[89] | 75 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[90] | 23 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[91] | 57 |
SingerMichael Bolton covered the song for his 1999 album,Timeless: The Classics Vol. 2. His version peaked at number 28 on the USAdult Contemporary chart[92] and at number 48 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.[93]
Kate Bush andDavy Spillane's version of 'Sexual Healing' appeared as a non-album bonus track on her "King of the Mountain"single in 2005.
In 2005, theHot 8 Brass Band included a cover of the song on their albumRock with the Hot 8 (later re-released on the Tru Thoughts label, in 2007). This version of the song also features prominently in the movieChef, with the title character (played byJon Favreau) and his sous-chef (played byJohn Leguizamo) singing along.
In 2001, "Sexual Healing" is interpolated byJoe on the song "Let's Stay Home Tonight".[94]
In 2005, "Sexual Healing" was sampled by Japanese singer-songwriterMiliyah Kato in her song "Dear Lonely Girl".[95] The song charted at number 15 on theOricon Singles Chart.[96]
In 2007, this song was remixed byAlibi vs. Rockefeller with amusic video featuring three female dancers dressed as nurses (Lauren Ridealgh, Bayley Darling, and Stephanie Fitzpatrick). It charted at number 16 on the Finnish Singles Chart[97] and at number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.[98]
In 2017, R&B singer, Miguel, used a sampled portion & interpolations of "Sexual Healing" in the song, "Pineapple Skies", from his 2017 studio album, "War & Leisure".
In 2003,Rolling Stone listed "Sexual Healing" at number 231 on its list of the500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[99] In the follow-up 2011 list, it dropped two places to number 233.[100] In the 2021 list, it was ranked at number 198.[1] Frequently included in best-of lists, the song ranked number 45 onBlender's list of their "Top 500 Songs Since You Were Born".[21] It also ranked in several rock lists in Norway, Spain, the UK and the United States.[citation needed] It was also inducted to theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.[citation needed]
