I heard it Through the Grapevine - Reading, Listening, Discussion

Warm-up: What are some formal and informal ways of getting information?

Vocabulary: To hear of something through the grapevine - Meaning that a piece of information was obtained via an informal contact or word of mouth.

Spanish translation: radio macuto, boca de otros, boca a boca

Origin: From a 19th century expression, 'grapevine telegraph.' The telegraph was invented in the 1800s. Soon after it became popular the term 'grapevine telegraph' appeared. It was first recorded in a US dictionary in 1852. This expression distinguished the new 'wire' telegraph from the 'word of mouth' method of communication, which was compared to the the way the tendrils of a vine grow and spread. The word 'telegraph' was eventually dropped form the expression, so that today we simply refer to the grapevine as an informal method of spreading information.

Reading: Read the article below and underlines any words or expressions you have questions about. 

 

HISTORY OF A SONG: I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Adapted from Wikipedia.)

'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' is a song written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong. Several different versions of the song were recorded by various Motown acts in the late 60s, and two of those versions became hits: one version by Gladys Knight & the Pips became a number-two hit in the United States in 1967, while the version by Marvin Gaye became a number-one hit in the US and the UK in 1968. Gaye's version, the most famous recording of the song, was his first number-one hit, and was the most successful single released by Motown in the 1960s.

Shelved versions by The Miracles and The Isley Brothers

 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' was first recorded in early 1967 by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. During the 1960s, Motown held Quality Control meetings each Friday morning to determine which new recordings would be released as singles. The Quality Control staff voted as a democracy, with Motown chief Berry Gordy also holding veto power. During one of those meetings, songwriter Norman Whitfield presented the Miracles' recording of 'Grapevine' which was not chosen for release. Later that same year Whitfield had The Isley Brothers re-record the song but it was not released either.  

Recording the Marvin Gaye version  

Whitfield had 'Grapevine' recorded a third time, this time as a slow song by Marvin Gaye. It took Gaye two months to complete his recording of the song, which he worked on during April and May of 1967. Motown chief Berry Gordy was not impressed, however, and again vetoed 'Grapevine.'  

Recording and releasing the Gladys Knight & the Pips version  

Whitfield had a fourth version of it recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips, in an uptempo arrangement heavily influenced by Aretha Franklin's recent hit 'Respect'. The song was originally written from the point-of-view of a male, so to make it suitable for Gladys Knight, one of the lines ('I know a man ain't supposed to cry/But these tears I can't hold inside') was altered to make it gender-neutral ('Take a good look at these tears in my eyes/Baby, these tears I can't hold inside'). Berry Gordy listened to this new version and this time allowed the song to be issued as a single. It reached the number-one position on the Billboard R&B (Rhythm & Blues) ) chart on November 25, 1967, and stayed there for six weeks. It reached number-two on the Billboard Pop Singles singles chart the same month. It was Motown's best-selling single up to that time.  

Revisiting the Marvin Gaye version

Whitfield was not entirely satisfied, because he liked the Marvin Gaye version best. He again asked Berry Gordy for permission to release Gaye's 'Grapevine' as a single. However, Gordy didn't think Gaye's version would be a hit, especially after Knight's had already been a success. Whitfield managed to have 'Grapevine' included as a last-minute addition to Gaye's 1968 album. The first single from that album, 'You', made it to number thirty-four on the pop charts. However, radio DJs started playing Gaye's 'Grapevine' directly from the album and it became so popular they began requesting Motown release Gaye's version as a single, which was finally done in the autumn of that year.

Gaye's version of 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' outsold Gladys Knight and the Pips' version. It stayed at the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks, from December 14, 1968 to January 25, 1969. Gaye's 'Grapevine' also held the number-one position on the R&B chart during the same seven weeks, and stayed at number-one in the United Kingdom for three weeks starting on March 26, 1969.  

Gaye's 'Grapevine' was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. In the List of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, published in 2004, Gaye's version of the song was placed at number eighty.

Because of the success of both versions of the song, 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' was both the first and last number-one song on the Billboard R&B chart in 1968: the Pips version was number-one the first week of January, while the Marvin Gaye version was number one the last week of December.  

Knight was not pleased that Gaye's version of the song usurped the success of her own. 

The song's themes  

The song is about a relationship in the beginning stages of breakup. The narrator in the song has no clue that his/her relationship is in a bad state, and only learns after hearing gossip 'through the grapevine' that his/her lover is cheating. The narrator confronts the lover, and explains that, although the betrayal hurts deeply, it is the fact that the lover did not inform the narrator of the infidelity that hurts the most.  

Cover Versions

'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' has been recorded by other artists frequently since Gaye's version was released. These include The Temptations in 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970, the Average White Band in 1976, Brazilian singer Marisa Monte in 1989, Michael McDonald in 2003, Italian singer Giorgia in 2005, and Britain's Amy Winehouse in 2007.

TRUE / FALSE: If it is false, what is the truth?

a. Gladys Knight and the Pips and Marvin Gaye both enjoyed number one hits in the USA and the UK with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

b. Motown staff held quality assurance meetings on Fridays.

c. Barry Gordy never liked the song.

d. Whitfield had the song added as the second to last song on Marvin Gaye's 1968 album.

e. Gaye's version of the song was 80 on Rolling Stone's 1998 list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

f. The Pips and Gaye's versions of the songs were hits at the beginning and the end of 1968.

g. The fact that the singer refused to tell the narrator of the unfaithfulness is what hurts the singer the most.

h. The song has been recorded by singers from the US, the UK, Italy, Brazil and Holland.

VOCABULARY EXERCISE: Match the following words from the article with synonyms on the right:

1. infidelity                  A. displaced  
2. shelved                   B. unfaithfulness  
3. issued                     C. deferred  
4. suitable                   D. to be unaware  
5. out sold                  E. released  
6. usurped                  F. sold more than  
7. to have no clue      G. appropriate

Listening Gap-fill: 

 I Heard It Through the Grapevine 

Ooh, ooh, I ______ you're wonderin' how I knew
About you're plans to make me blue
With some other guy you _______ before.
Between the two of us guys
You know I love you more.
It took me by ____________ I must say,
When I found out yesterday.
Don't you _________

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much ____________ would you be mine.
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine,
And I'm just about to ________ my mind.
Honey, honey, yeah!

(I heard it through the grapevine not much longer would you be my baby!)

I know a man ain't supposed to cry,
But these ________ I can't hold inside.
Losing you would end my life you see,
Cause you mean that ________ to me.
You could have told me yourself
That you love someone _________.
Instead

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much ____________ would you be mine.
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine,
And I'm just about to ________ my mind.
Honey, honey, yeah!

(I heard it through the grapevine not much longer would you be my baby!)

People say believe half of what you see,
Son, and none of what you _______.
I can't help being confused
If it's true please ________ me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other ________ you loved before?
Don't you know

I heard it through the grapevine
Not much ____________ would you be mine.
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine,
And I'm just about to ________ my mind.
Honey, honey, yeah!

(I heard it through the grapevine not much longer would you be my baby!)

Honey, honey, I know that you're __________ me go!
I said, I heard it through the grapevine!
Yeah, I heard it through the grapevine! 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Did anything about the article surprise you?

What do you know about Motown?

What do you know about Marvin Gaye or Gladys Knight and the Pips?

Which version do you think is better, Knight's or Gaye's? Why?

What kind of music do you like?

Do you have a favorite singer?

Would you like to work in the music industry?

Is there a Quality Control department where you work? If so, what does it do? 

What do you think Quality Control staff of a record company do?  

What other staff and departments would be important to a record company? 

Have you ever felt usurped? 

Have you ever not had a clue that something was going on? 

Have you ever shelved an idea? 

Do you think men are not supposed to cry? 

Have you ever heard something through the grapevine? If so, give an example. 

Do you think the grapevine is usually a good source for information? Why / Why not?
 

 
Click here for answers to T/F, Vocabulary Match and Gap-fill.