If José started it and Jimi redefined it, then this son of a preacher man bought it dinner, took it back to the house and made sweet, sweet love to it.

For the 1983 NBA All-Star Game, Marvin Gaye strutted his way to the mic in shades and a suit and someone, somewhere flipped the switch on a drum machine.

Yes, a drum machine.

Piped through the P.A. of the Great Western Forum, Gaye ooh-ed and ahh-ed his way through the former English drinking song as the fans' clapping kept time with both sex machines.

No doubt, Magic Johnson was paying close attention.

And thanks to the immediate beauty of our age, any Google-fearin' American can trace the difficult history of this most difficult tune.

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