That Stubborn Kinda’ Fellow

This album marked a change in sound for Marvin Gaye who had yet to make his mark up until this point. His previous effort, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, failed to make an impact with its jazzy, bluesy tones. The limited attention it received also had to do with Motown’s small stature at the time but, regardless, Marvin’s management, namely Berry Gordy, were pushing him towards R&B.

Marvin was initially skeptical as he still harbored ambitions of becoming the black Frank Sinatra but after witnessing the success of fellow Motown acts Mary Wells and the Marvelettes, he got to work on making not only an R&B record but one he would do his way. Those around him saw this record as his way of showing off his competitive nature and his insistence on rebelling even when he seemed to conform which is lent credence by the album title.

“Stubborn Kind of Fellow”, “Pride and Joy”, and “Hitch Hike” all charted and helped launch Marvin’s career with the latter selling a million copies. The album was also a hit in the UK with various artists like Paul Young, the Rolling Stones, and the Who all performing covers of different songs from it.