Has everyone seen this yet? I love how they brought Marvin's rendition to a new generation. It's probably the first time a lot of young people have heard it.

When the Redeem Team got together at one of the early practices, Coach K brought them all in front of a TV and had them watch Marvin's rendition as inspiration. Apparently, Coach K watched it back in the day and was moved and inspired.

I think it's huge for some of these guys on the team who only did a year or to of college ball [even LeBron, Koke, and Wade (did he play at Marquette?) who came straight out of High School] to be working with somebody like Coach K. He's obviously a class act, and a great leader. He's done so much to get these personalities to focus on the prize.

Nice way to bring Marvin Gaye back to the national consciousness.

I saw that online a few days ago.

...

Kool ad, great idea bringing that performance back!

This actually reminds of a piece Thomas Dolby wrote on his blog last year, about Marvin's performance, and Stevie Wonder describing it to him:

"Stevie and Marvin

Friday, February 9th, 2007

I just watched a clip on YouTube that filled in a missing blank in my personal history. And I’m blubbing my eyes out right now.

In 1985 I was asked to perform live at the Grammy Awards with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Howard Jones. [Note: there is also a clip of this, but that's NOT what this blog is about. Read on!] The producers wanted us to play a synth medley consisting of one hit from each of us, and ending with the US National Anthem. We were booked to record the backing track the day before the dress rehearsal at Stevie’s studio on Western in Los Angeles, which was a huge and beautiful old movie theater.

This was quite an elaborate process, and it took all day. Towards nightfall Stevie’s manager took myself and Howard aside and told us that Stevie was going to play a practical joke on Herbie, and it was going to be filmed for an NBC TV show called ‘Bloopers and Practical Jokes.’ Stevie had told Herbie that we’d been recording on a brand new prototype Sony 48-track digital recorder, and that two top Sony executives from Japan were coming to be filmed with us at the session. They showed up, bowing very cheerfully, everybody danced around to our groovy backing track, and the cameraman was getting it all down. But suddenly someone in the control room pressed the wrong button, and the tape went silent. It seemed all 48 tracks had mistakenly gone into ‘erase’ mode, leaving a 5-second silence in our recording.

Of course, everybody but Herbie knew it was all a hoax. They allowed him to suffer for about 5 minutes before telling him the truth. Everybody was delighted with the joke, even Herbie, and around midnight people started to disperse to different parts of the building.

But I was a bit concernced as we had not yet recorded ‘The Star Spangled Banner’, and we were due at the Grammy’s rehearsal in about 10 hours’ time. So I went to look for Stevie in the maze of small rooms scattered around the building. Usually he is pretty easy to find as there’s an entourage of several people with him. But on this occasion he was nowhere to be found.

I eventually tracked Stevie down. He was all alone, in an attic-like room on the top floor of the building filled with old files and papers. He was on his knees, playing a beaten-up upright piano.

I announced my presence, and reminded him we had an anthem to record. He asked if I had any ideas for it. I said, what about a really slow sexy groove on a drum machine, and really spread it out? Stevie thought for a moment, then said ‘uh-uh. Marvin already did that, man. He sang it that way at an NBA all-star game, and you know what? he never got on TV again until the day he died. Because all the network executives couldn’t handle a black man singing a sexy soul version of the National Anthem.’

Ok, I thought, that wasn’t such a good idea. But the image of Marvin, one of my all time favorite singers, shocking televisionland in his own inimitable style, was too much. So I said ‘wow, that must have sounded pretty great! How did he sing it?’

Stevie’s head stopped moving and for a few seconds he was completely motionless. Then slowly his fingers found the piano keys, and he started to play and sing. He sang the song through to the end. For those two minutes I don’t think my heart beat at all. I couldn’t breathe. I swear if my vital signs had been hooked up to a monitor, it would have been a flatline.

He was simultaneously recalling the song; translating the chords into a gospel style; and playing in his memory banks, if not perhaps the exact licks, then at least the soul and the feeling of Marvin’s vocal performance from two years earlier. His only audience was me, huddled in a corner of this dusty attic. And any single line was one that I (or any almost other singer on the planet) would have given my right eye for.

I’ve told this story a few times over the years. But until tonight, I had never seen Marvin’s actual performance the NBA game. I’d never thought to look for it on YouTube—though now I come to think of it, it’s a natural for someone to put up there. By chance I saw an article today about Marvin, and it included a link to the clip. So, thanks to YouTube, a little piece of history is now complete for me. From the first few seconds I was completely crying my eyes out."





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[Edited 8/14/08 8:46am]

Great story but Stevie's a damn liar.

His last performance was on "Soul Train" and beforehand Marvin was reunited with his former Motown acts on "Motown 25".

Amazing!!!!

My favorite versions of the National Anthem are
Marvin Gaye's in my hometown of Oakland, CA
and Jimi Hendrix's.
For those who don't know, this was in Oakland, CA at the NBA All-Star Game.
Any one else is . . . . . anyone else.
[Edited 8/14/08 10:32am]

SUPRMAN said:

Amen to that! Marvin and Jimi did amazing renditions of the song in their own unique ways.

Also most prominent to remember: Marvin sung the national anthem at three other major sports events spanning 15 years. He was amazing in each.

Too much Kobe, not enough Marvin but I like it!

HatrinaHaterwitz said:

That voice was all it needed tho. But yeah I get what you're saying.

A lot of times I hear Whitney's version mentioned as a great one. Jimi's is electrifying, literally and figuratively (it's almost cinematic).

But Marvin's rendition at the Forum is my favorite of all time. I get chills every time I hear it.

And despite my mixed feelings on Kobe (lifelong Laker fan who held a longtime beef against him), the commercial is stunning. The Redeem Team is really, I think, setting a good example, from what I've seen. They play together, and with grace.

Much love to the shining prince of soul, may he rest in eternal peace.

I can't say I've seen a lot of renditions of the 'Star Spangled Banner' but Marvin's... lawd. It really is something else.

That bit, towards the end, where he starts to well up..

Amazing.



.
[Edited 8/16/08 8:48am]

onenitealone said:

Yeah he did get emotional near the end. I was emotional along with him.

Timmy84 said:

It's an amazing performance... raw and heartfelt. And that Thomas Dolby/Stevie story that paligap posted... it gives me the chills. Imagine!

And Marv's rendition caused them to forbid anyone from "re-tooling" (code for "Blackonizing it") the National Anthem during games. Fuck 'em, Marv!

MuthaFunka said:

Yeah, fuck 'em, indeed! Go 'head, Marvin!

Timmy84 said:

Astounding when you consider the reaction he gets at the end of it... THAT is pure love and awe from an audience.

onenitealone said:

Yeah, and also it is very hard to sing the song in its original key anyway. What Marvin did was genius. Whitney's while great was too boring for me. Andy can attest to that too!

Timmy84 said:

He probably put a boot through the tv screen.

I have to add though that Marvin took it to church. The way he sung reminded me of a choir singer who's about to wow the audience and the folks go "sing it!", "well..." and "tell the truth". It makes sense since he was raised Pentecostal. And then when he raised his vocals up when it got to "and the rocket's RED GLAAAAARE!" oooh-weee... he smoothed it out again before "...o'er the land of the FREEEEE..." I mean every note, every key, every vocal run was magnificent.

I think now reading what Stevie said about Marvin not being on TV wasn't TV itself but Marvin being allowed to sing the national anthem at any sports event again and that's a bummer considering how he tore the sucka up.