Ain't That Peculiar

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"Ain't That Peculiar"
Single by Marvin Gaye
from the album Moods of Marvin Gaye
B-side"She's Got to Be Real"
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1965
RecordedHitsville, USA, Detroit, Michigan; May 5 & 12, 1965
GenreSoul, pop, R&B
Length2:50
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Pete Moore, William "Smokey" Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin
Producer(s)Smokey Robinson
Marvin Gaye singles chronology
"Pretty Little Baby"
(1965)
"Ain't That Peculiar"
(1965)
"One More Heartache"
(1966)

"Ain't That Peculiar" is a 1965 song recorded by American soul musician Marvin Gaye for the Tamla (Motown) label.

Background[edit]

The single was produced by Smokey Robinson, and written by Robinson, and fellow Miracles members Bobby Rogers, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. "Ain't That Peculiar" features Gaye, with the Andantes on backing vocals, singing about the torment of a painful relationship.

Billboard said that "penetrating hard-drive dance beat backs another soulful, first-rate Gaye performance."[1] Cash Box described it as a "rollicking, rhythmic pop-blues romantic handclapper about a love-struck fella who can't get along without his gal."[2] Record World said that "The Detroit beat gets going in high speed on this marvy Gaye slice."[3]

Chart success[edit]

The single was Gaye's second U.S. million seller successfully duplicating its predecessor "I'll Be Doggone", from earlier in 1965 by topping Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart in the fall of 1965, peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] It became one of Gaye's signature 1960s recordings, and was his best-known solo hit before 1968's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".

Diamond Reo version[edit]

"Ain't That Peculiar"
Single by Diamond Reo
from the album Diamond Reo
B-side"(From Here To) Infinity"
Released1975
Recorded1974
Genrehard rock, blues rock
Length2:43
LabelBig Tree Records
Songwriter(s)Pete Moore, William "Smokey" Robinson, Bobby Rogers, Marv Tarplin
Producer(s)David Shaffer

Hard rock band Diamond Reo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania released their version of "Ain't That Peculiar" in early 1975. The single peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 8 of the same year, becoming their only hit.[5] The Diamond Reo version is considered one of the first recordings to use the talk box.[citation needed]

Other versions[edit]

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. October 2, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  2. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. October 2, 1965. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  3. ^ "Singles Reviews" (PDF). Record World. October 2, 1965. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 225.
  5. ^ "Diamond Reo Chart History; Billboard". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Fanny Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-04-24. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  7. ^ "Stevie Woods". Billboard.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. ^ "MARI WILSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-89820-203-8.
  10. ^ "Motown drummer Uriel Jones dies in Michigan". Reuters.com. 25 March 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2022.