Heavy Love Affair Explained

Heavy Love Affair
Type:single
Artist:Marvin Gaye
Album:In Our Lifetime
Released:1981
Recorded:1980, Air Studios, London, England
Genre:Funk, soul
Length:3:45
Label:Tamla
Producer:Marvin Gaye
Prev Title:Praise
Prev Year:1981
Next Title:Sexual Healing
Next Year:1982

"Heavy Love Affair" is a funk song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released as the second and last single off Gaye's last Motown album, In Our Lifetime, in 1981, the song was based on Gaye's real-life emotional crisis after being separated from his wife at the time. In some parts of the song, Gaye knows that he's a major female attraction but still feels the warmth of his lost love saying "lots of ladies love me/but it's still a lonesome town" bringing that point clearer in the next verse saying "you got me looking for love (again)". The song became one of his lowest-charted Billboard hits on the R&B side reaching just #61 there becoming the final release of Gaye's on the Tamla (Motown) label before he left the label for Columbia the next year. The musical background of this song originally came from the song, "Life's a Game of Give and Take" from Marvin's aborted 1979 release, Love Man

Record World described the song as a "hypnotic single" and praised Gaye's "trademark cool tenor" and the graceful "light funk line" in the music.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Record World. May 2, 1981. 52. 2023-02-27. Single Picks.