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.

Night Life
Marvin Gaye Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the evening when the sun goes down
Oh, you'll find me hangin' 'round
'Cause the night life ain't no good life
But it's my life, oh yes it is

Many people just like you and me
Are dreamin' about how things used to be
But the nightlife ain't no good life

But it's my life

Listen to the blues they're playin'
Listen to the blues, to what's saying
Hey, yeah

Home, it's just another place
Oh, from that world of broken dreams
Yes, the nightlife ain't no good life
But it's my life, oh yes it is

Sometimes it's sad

Then again it's happy
Oh, mmm, sometimes

Overall Meaning

it's cold
Then again it's hot, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
You see it's never the same, no it never is
That's why I love the night life, oh yeah

Marvin Gaye's song "Night Life" is about finding solace and routine in the nightlife of the city. The singer spends his evenings hanging around in the city, listening to the blues and enjoying his life. He acknowledges that many people, like him, may be dreaming of how things used to be, but he finds comfort in the rhythm and vibe of the nightlife. The lyrics mention that home is just another place compared to the world of broken dreams, which suggests that the nightlife might be where the singer feels more at home.

The line "Listen to the blues they're playin'/ Listen to the blues, to what's saying" is significant. The blues is believed to have originated in the African American communities of the Deep South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The genre is characterized by its melancholic themes of lost love, poverty, and oppression. The singer finds solace in listening to the blues because the genre speaks to his own experiences of hardship and struggle.

Line by Line Meaning

In the evening when the sun goes down
When the sun sets, I become active

Oh, you'll find me hangin' 'round
I linger around in my surroundings

'Cause the night life ain't no good life
The evening scene is bleak

But it's my life, oh yes it is
This is what I prefer

Many people just like you and me
Others share our situation

Are dreamin' about how things used to be
Thinking of the past

But the nightlife ain't no good life
The evening scene is unfulfilling

But it's my life
This is what I prefer

Listen to the blues they're playin'
I hear the sadness in the music

Listen to the blues, to what's saying
Interpreting the message of the music

Home, it's just another place
The concept of home is empty