The Onion Song
1969 single by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
| "The Onion Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell | ||||
| from the album Easy[1] | ||||
| B-side | "California Soul" | |||
| Released | October 1969 (U.K.); March 20, 1970 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1969, Detroit | |||
| Genre |
| |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ashford & Simpson | |||
| Producer(s) | Ashford & Simpson | |||
| Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Onion Song" was a hit for soul singers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1969.[2] It reached the top ten overseas, where it became Gaye & Terrell's biggest hit in the United Kingdom, entering the singles chart on 15 November 1969 and peaking at No.9 on 9 December.[2] "The Onion Song" was a more modest hit in the U.S. where it peaked at No. 18 on the soul singles chart and No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100[3]
Background
The song's lyrics reflected social consciousness. Tammi Terrell died, aged 24, just prior to the song's release as a single in the U.S., and it became her and Gaye's last official single together.
Record World called the song "a groovy, bouncy tune."[4] Cash Box said it has a "brotherhood message with the rhythmic familiarity of past Marvin-Tammi hits."[5]
Chart performance
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[6] | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 50 |
| US Billboard Best Selling Soul Singles | 18 |
Credits
- All vocals by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell/Valerie Simpson
- All instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
References
- ^ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "BBC Radio 2 - Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn - Marvin Gaye". BBC.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 225.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. April 11, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 11, 1970. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- v
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- The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961)
- That Stubborn Kinda Fellow (1962)
- When I'm Alone I Cry (1964)
- Hello Broadway (1964)
- How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You (1965)
- A Tribute to the Great Nat "King" Cole (1965)
- Moods of Marvin Gaye (1966)
- In the Groove (1968)
- M.P.G. (1969)
- That's the Way Love Is (1970)
- What's Going On (1971)
- Trouble Man (1972)
- Let's Get It On (1973)
- I Want You (1976)
- Here, My Dear (1978)
- In Our Lifetime (1981)
- Midnight Love (1982)
- Dream of a Lifetime (1985)
- Romantically Yours (1985)
- Vulnerable (1997)
- You're the Man (2019)
- Together (with Mary Wells, 1964)
- Take Two (with Kim Weston, 1966)
- United (with Tammi Terrell, 1967)
- You're All I Need (with Tammi Terrell, 1968)
- Easy (with Tammi Terrell, 1969)
- Diana & Marvin (with Diana Ross, 1973)
- Greatest Hits (1964)
- Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1967)
- Marvin Gaye and His Girls (1969)
- Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits (1970)
- Super Hits (1970)
- Anthology (1974)
- Marvin Gaye's Greatest Hits (1976)
- Motown Remembers Marvin Gaye: Never Before Released Masters (1986)
- The Marvin Gaye Collection (1990)
- The Norman Whitfield Sessions (1994)
- Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased (1994)
- The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (1994)
- The Master (1961–1984) (1995)
- Marvin Gaye: The Love Songs (2000)
- The Complete Duets (2001)
- The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (2001)
- Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage (1963)
- Marvin Gaye Live! (1974)
- Live at the London Palladium (1977)
- Marvin Gaye at the Copa (2005)
- What's Going On Live (2019)
- The Real Thing: In Performance (1964–1981) (2006)
ten singles
- "Pride and Joy"
- "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
- "I'll Be Doggone"
- "Ain't That Peculiar"
- "Your Precious Love"
- "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"
- "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
- "You're All I Need to Get By"
- "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
- "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"
- "That's the Way Love Is"
- "Abraham, Martin and John"
- "The Onion Song"
- "What's Going On"
- "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
- "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
- "Trouble Man"
- "Let's Get It On"
- "You Are Everything"
- "Got to Give It Up"
- "Sexual Healing"
- Marvin Gay Sr. (father)
- Alberta Gay (mother)
- Anna Gordy Gaye (first wife)
- Denise Gordy (son's birth mother)
- Nona Gaye (daughter)
- Frankie Gaye (brother)
- Gordon Banks (brother-in-law)
topics
- Discography
- Songs
- Albums
- Songs by Marvin Gaye
- Albums produced by Marvin Gaye
- Songs produced by Marvin Gaye
- Personal life
- Death
- Tributes
- Songs in memory
- The Marquees
- Harvey Fuqua
- Tammi Terrell
- Leon Ware
- Marvin's Room
- Marvin Is 60: A Tribute Album
- Divided Soul
- Sexual Healing Tour
Category
 | This 1970s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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