Stubborn Kind of Fellow

Gaye had wanted to avoid R&B for a crooner style after early failures — some at Motown called him “the least likely hit maker” — but after his songwriting success on “Beechwood 4-5789” he tried a commercial R&B record. In a 1982 interview he described his “first power encounter” with Gordy: Gordy heard him play the melody and suggested chord changes; they argued briefly before Gaye conceded. The backing vocalists became Martha and the Vandellas (nearly credited as “The Dominettes”). No lyrics reproduced.