Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (2 April 1939 - 1 April 1984) was an American soul an… Read Full Bio ↴Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (2 April 1939 - 1 April 1984) was an American soul and rnb singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, known as "The Prince of Soul", or "The Prince of Motown." Originally a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows, he pursued a solo career after the group disbanded and released many successful solo hits including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", "Let's Get It On" and "What's Going On". His best albums are still held in extremely high regard, and he is often cited as one of the finest singers of his era.

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. was born in 1939 to Marvin Gay, Sr. and Alberta Gay in Washington, D.C.. Gaye began his career in Motown in 1958, and soon became Motown's top solo male artist. He scored numerous hits during the 1960s, among them "Ain't That Peculiar", "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", and "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)", as well as several hit duets with Tammi Terrell, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"" and "You're All I Need to Get By", before moving on to his own form of musical self-expression.

Along with Stevie Wonder, Gaye is notable for fighting the hit-making—but creatively restrictive—Motown record-making process, in which performers, songwriters and record producers were generally kept in separate camps. Gaye forced Motown to release his 1971 album What's Going On, which is today hailed as one of the best albums of all time. Subsequent releases proved that Gaye, who had been a part-time songwriter for Motown artists during his early years with the label, could write and produce his own singles without having to rely on the Motown system. This achievement would pave the way for the successes of later self-sufficient singer-songwriter-producers in African American music, such as Luther Vandross and Babyface.

During the 1970s, Gaye would release several other notable albums, including Let's Get It On and I Want You, and released several successful singles such as "Come Get to This", "Got to Give It Up" and "Sexual Healing". By the time of his shooting death in 1984, at the hands of his clergyman father, Gaye had become one of the most influential artists of the soul music era.

Hitch Hike
Marvin Gaye Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm goin' to Chicago
That's the last place my baby strayed
Yeah, hitch hike
I'm packin' up my bags
Gonna leave this old town right away
Hitch hike
I've got to find that girl
If I have to hitch hike 'round the world

Hitch hike

Chicago City Limits
That's what the sign on the highway read
Hitch hike
I'm gonna keep movin' till I get to that
Street corner 6th and 3rd
Hitch hike, yeah
I've got to find that girl
If I have to hitch hike 'round the world
Hitch hike, baby

Hitch hike, now hitch a hike
It's all right hitch hike Jenny
Hitch hike, hitch hike
Yeah, hitch hike, hitch hike Jenny

(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan)
(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan)
(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike baby)

I'm goin' to St. Louis
But my next stop just might be L.A.
Now what'd I say
Got no money in my pocket
So I'm gonna have to hitch hike all the way
Yeah
I've got to find that girl
If I have to hitch hike 'round the world
And what'd I say

Come on, hitch hike
Come hitch hike Jenny
Hitch hike now hitch hike baby
Hitch hike hitch hike baby

Now hitch hike
To the hitch hike

Overall Meaning

The song "Hitch Hike" by Marvin Gaye tells the story of a man who is trying to find his lost love. He is determined to travel and search for her no matter how far he has to go or what kind of transportation he has to use. The lyrics emphasize his desperation to find her as he repeats the phrase "I've got to find that girl" throughout the song. His only option is to hitch hike, as he has no money to travel. The song mentions different cities that he travels through on his journey in search of his love, including Chicago and St. Louis.

The song's chorus, "Hitch hike, hitch hike, baby" is catchy and upbeat, yet the lyrics tell a story of a man who is going through a difficult time. The upbeat nature of the song is typical of Marvin Gaye's style of music, which was a blend of soul and R&B. The use of the guitar and drums in the song add to the overall energy of the song.

One possible interpretation of the song is that it represents Marvin Gaye's own personal struggles with relationships. Throughout his career, he experienced many ups and downs in his love life, including a tumultuous marriage with Anna Gordy. In this sense, the song may have been a way for him to express his own personal experiences with love and heartbreak.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm goin' to Chicago
I am traveling to Chicago

That's the last place my baby strayed
Chicago is where I last saw my girlfriend

Yeah, hitch hike
I am going to hitchhike to get there

I'm packin' up my bags
I am getting ready to leave

Gonna leave this old town right away
I am leaving this town immediately

I've got to find that girl
I need to locate my girlfriend

If I have to hitch hike 'round the world
I am willing to hitchhike all over the world to find her

Chicago City Limits
The sign on the highway that indicates entering Chicago

That's what the sign on the highway read
The sign on the highway showed Chicago city limits

I'm gonna keep movin' till I get to that
I am going to keep traveling until I reach the street corner- 6th and 3rd

Street corner 6th and 3rd
A specific location in Chicago that I must reach

Hitch hike, yeah
I am still hitchhiking to reach my destination

Hitch hike, now hitch a hike
Now I am prompting someone else to hitchhike with me

It's all right hitch hike Jenny
It is okay, come along and hitchhike with me, Jenny

Hitch hike, hitch hike
Keep on hitchhiking

Hitch hike, Jenny
Again, prompting Jenny to come along and hitchhike with me

(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan)
(Promoting other people- baby and Susan- to also come and hitchhike with us)

(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike Susan)
(Again, prompting baby and Susan to come along)

(Hitch hike baby, hitch hike baby)
(Encouraging people to keep hitchhiking)

I'm goin' to St. Louis
I am traveling to St. Louis

But my next stop just might be L.A.
After St. Louis, my next stop may be Los Angeles

Now what'd I say
I am reminding myself what I already stated

Got no money in my pocket
I am broke and do not have money

So I'm gonna have to hitch hike all the way
Therefore, I am going to have to hitchhike the whole way

And what'd I say
Once again, reminding myself of what I already stated

Come on, hitch hike
Encouraging someone to hitchhike with me again

Come hitch hike Jenny
Asking Jenny to come hitchhike with me again

Hitch hike now hitch hike baby
Prompting someone else to start hitchhiking

Hitch hike hitch hike baby
Keep hitchhiking

Now hitch hike
Starting to hitchhike again

To the hitch hike
Referring to the act of hitchhiking

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE O. PAUL, MARVIN GAYE, MARVIN P GAYE, WILLIAM STEVENSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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