Sexual Healing: Marvin Gaye's Ostend Exile, a TR-808 and a $15M Lawsuit

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In January 1981 Marvin Gaye arrived in Ostend, Belgium from London, owing back taxes to the IRS, paying alimony to Anna Gordy, separating from Jan, and addicted to cocaine. He had just split from Motown after 20 years, angry that In Our Lifetime was released without his final approval. Belgian promoter Freddy Cousaert brought him to the fishing town, where Gaye cut back on drugs, attended a local church, walked the promenades and boxed at a gym. A short UK run, the Heavy Love Affair tour, raised money, and musicians Gordon Banks and Odell Brown came back to Belgium with him.

Influenced by reggae he heard in England, Gaye built the track in his apartment on the Albert I promenade around a Roland TR-808 drum machine, which the episode links to his wish for total control after Motown's interference. The lyric's origin is disputed. Rolling Stone writer David Ritz said he saw sadomasochistic drawings and told Gaye he needed sexual healing; Banks said the talk was about Amsterdam's red light district and that Ritz wrote no lyrics; Frankie Gaye and Cousaert gave other versions. Ritz sued for $15 million, ending the friendship, and in 1988 settled with the estate for a songwriting credit.

The final recording was made in Ohain, Belgium, with Harvey Fuqua adding the whispered chants.
Released in October 1982, it was Gaye's first single for CBS Records after leaving Motown.
It held No. 1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks, longer than I Heard It Through the Grapevine.
It reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, sold over four million copies and won two Grammys.
It was his last hit released in his lifetime; he was killed in April 1984, and the song ranks No. 198 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs.

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