Marvin Gaye You Sure Love To Ball (Single Mix) Video

Rhino Records album Seek & You Shall Find: More of the Best (1963-1981)

The overtly erotic content of Let's Get It On raised many eyebrows, but the most interesting thing about the album is that it explored the role that sex plays in a romantic relationship. Most importantly, it explored sex as a way of expressing the all-consuming passion between two lovers. The album's best exploration of this theme is "You Sure Love to Ball," an intense slow jam that is one of the steamiest recordings in the Marvin Gaye catalog. The lyrics portray a man so consumed with love for his partner that he no longer cares about anything else: "Don't ever go away/Stay with me/I'll love you night and day." The music captures the overheated feel of the lyrics by juxtaposing short ballad-styled verses with a meditative chorus that repeats a few notes in a hypnotic staccato fashion. Gaye's recording of "You Sure Love to Ball" has an ethereal feel thanks to a dreamy arrangement that layers gauzy strings over a gentle throb from the rhythm section. Some exploratory saxophone lines add a jazzy touch, and Gaye tops it off with a sweet, murmured vocal that is pure pillow talk. The result was a little too hot for the pop charts, but "You Sure Love to Ball" enjoyed a Top 15 ranking on the R&B charts as a single and has become an enduring favorite with slow-jam fans. It has also inspired some notable covers, including a sax-driven instrumental version by Fred Wesley and the J.B.'s and a stellar remake by Sylvia that adds a scorching monologue.