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.

Somethin' Stupid
Marvin Gaye Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time
To spend an evening with me
And if you go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
You won't be leaving with me

And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
And have a drink or two
And then I go and spoil it all

By saying something stupid like "I love you"

I can see it in your eyes, that you despise the same old lies
You heard the night before
And though it's just a line to you, for me it's true
You never seemed so right before

I practice every day to find some clever lines to say
To make the meaning come through
But then I think I'll wait until the evening gets late
And I'm alone with you

The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red
And, oh, the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid like "I love you"

The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red
And, oh, the night's so blue
And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid like "I love you"

And then I go and spoil it all
By saying something stupid like "I love you"

I love you

I love you
I love you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Somethin' Stupid" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell are about a man who has fallen in love with a woman and is trying to express his feelings to her without sounding clichéd. He knows that he has to be patient and wait for the opportune moment to present itself. He stands in line and waits patiently for her to make time for him. He is aware that there is a chance that she might not leave the venue with him after they go out to dance somewhere. However, if she agrees to go somewhere quiet for a drink, he feels that he has finally gotten his chance to make a move and tell her how he really feels.

The man is clearly trying hard to make an impression and win the woman over. He observes that she despises the same old clichéd lines and tries to come up with something clever to say. He practices every day in the hopes of finding the right words to make her feel special. Despite his efforts, he realizes that he often ends up spoiling the moment by saying something stupid like "I love you." While it may be just a line to her, he means it sincerely and believes that his feelings for her are true. The song highlights the delicate balance between being patient and taking a risk, as well as the importance of sincerity and authenticity in expressing romantic feelings.

Line by Line Meaning

I know I stand in line, until you think you have the time
I am willing to wait for you until you are ready to spend time with me.

To spend an evening with me
To dedicate an evening for us to be together.

And if you go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance
If you decide to go dancing, there is a possibility

You won't be leaving with me
That you may not want to be with me anymore.

And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place
We will then retire to a peaceful place.

And have a drink or two
Sipping a beverage, just me and you.

And then I go and spoil it all
But I ruin it.

By saying something stupid like "I love you"
When I say something foolish like, 'I love you.'

I can see it in your eyes, that you despise the same old lies
I can perceive from your eyes that you detest hearing the same lies.

You heard the night before
That you heard from me last night.

And though it's just a line to you, for me it's true
Although it may sound cliché, to me it's my genuine emotion.

You never seemed so right before
I've never felt so certain about you before.

I practice every day to find some clever lines to say
I practice every day to come up with witty things to tell you.

To make the meaning come through
So that the depth of my feelings can be conveyed.

But then I think I'll wait until the evening gets late
But then again, I think it's best to wait until the night is quiet.

And I'm alone with you
When I'm alone with only you.

The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red
The atmosphere is perfect, with the scent of your perfume filling my senses and the sky darkening.

And, oh, the night's so blue
The night is deep and serene.

And then I go and spoil it all
And then I mess everything up.

By saying something stupid like "I love you"
By uttering a foolish statement like, 'I love you.'

And then I go and spoil it all
And then I ruin everything.

By saying something stupid like "I love you"
By saying something foolish such as, 'I love you.'

I love you
I hold sentiments of love for you.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Carson Parks

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS