Can I Get a Witness
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| "Can I Get a Witness" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by Marvin Gaye | ||
| B-side(s) | "I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby" | |
| Released | September 1963 | |
| Format | LP | |
| Recorded | Hitsville USA, 1963 | |
| Genre | Soul | |
| Length | 2:53 | |
| Label | Tamla | |
| Writer(s) | Holland-Dozier-Holland | |
| Producer(s) | Brian Holland Lamont Dozier |
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| Chart positions | ||
| Marvin Gaye singles chronology | ||
| "Pride & Joy" (1963) |
"Can I Get a Witness" (1963) |
"You Are a Wonderful One" (1964) |
"Can I Get a Witness" was a 1963 hit song by Marvin Gaye on the Tamla (Motown) label. Written and produced by the hottest Motown songwriting and producing team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, the song was built among gospel settings and heralded Gaye's beginnings in the church even if the message was about "love gone bad". The song featured Gaye on piano, playing a boogie pattern, the Funk Brothers in demand, and members of the Four Tops and the Supremes in the background accompanying Gaye. The song became such a big hit in both US and UK shores that British musicians like Dusty Springfield, The Rolling Stones, and Steampacket (which featured a very young Rod Stewart) recorded cover versions of the song. It peaked at #22 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart (though the R&B singles chart had a hiatus around this time, it's been reported that the song hit #3 on the R&B chart) and soon became a memorable catchphrase to any other song released since.
[edit] Credits
- Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye
- Background vocals by The Supremes & The Four Tops
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
