I Want You is the thirteenth studio album by the American soul singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye. It was released on March 16, 1976, by the Motown Records subsidiary label Tamla.

Gaye recorded the album during 1975 and 1976 at his studio Marvin's Room in Los Angeles and at Motown's Los Angeles–based Hitsville West studio. The album has often been noted by critics for producer Leon Ware's cinematic, downtempo sound, the erotic themes in his and Gaye's songwriting, and the singer's prominent use of the synthesizer. The album's cover artwork adapts neo-mannerist artist Ernie Barnes's famous painting The Sugar Shack (1971).

I Want You consisted of Gaye's first recorded studio material since his highly successful and well-received album Let's Get It On (1973). It continued a change in musical direction for Gaye, as he had departed from the trademark Motown-influenced sound towards a funky, light-disco soul, and the album maintained and expanded on his prior album's sexual themes. Following a mixed response from critics at the time of its release, I Want You has earned retrospective recognition from writers and music critics as one of Gaye's most controversial works and influential to such musical styles as disco, quiet storm, R&B, and neo soul.

Background By 1975, Marvin Gaye had come off of the commercial and critical success of his landmark studio album Let's Get It On (1973), its successful supporting tour following the album's release, and Diana & Marvin (1973), a duet project with Diana Ross. However, similar to the conception and recording of Let's Get It On, Gaye had struggled to come up with an album as an appropriate follow-up. And much like Let's Get It On Gaye reached for outside help, this time seeking the assistance of Leon Ware, a singer and songwriter who had found previous success writing hits for fellow Motown alum, including pop singer Michael Jackson and the rhythm and blues group The Miracles.Ritz (2003), pp. 2–3. Ware had been working on songs for his own album which he would later issue under the title Musical Massage, a collection of erotic singles Ware had composed with a variety of writers, including Jacqueline Hilliard and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, brother of Diana Ross. When Motown CEO Berry Gordy paid a visit to Ware, the songwriter was more than happy to play Gordy his selection of tracks. After hearing a preliminary mix of the songs however, Gordy figured that Ware should let Gaye handle his material.

While the majority of the album's songs were conceived by Ware, and he co-wrote every song, I Want You was transformed into a biographical centerpiece for Gaye, who was then in a volatile marriage with Anna Gordy, sister to Berry Gordy, and also in a long-standing affair with Janis Hunter, who would later become the mother of his two youngest children. Gaye and Hunter were introduced to each other by producer Ed Townsend in 1973 at Hitsville West, while Townsend and Gaye were recording Let's Get It On. Hunter was 17 years old while Gaye was 17 years her senior at the time Townsend introduced them. In his book Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves, and Demons of Marvin Gaye, the author and music writer Michael Eric Dyson elaborated on the relationship between I Want You and Gaye's affair with Hunter:

Though it was often hinted that Let's Get It On was the album Gaye had dedicated to her, Marvin has stated that this album was dedicated to Hunter, who is believed to have been in the studio when he recorded it. According to music critics, her presence may have increased the emotion in Ware's and Gaye's conception of I Want You. From Gaye's first recordings of I Want You to the album's release in 1976, Hunter and Gaye married and divorced in the span of three short years. Having gone mostly silent since the years of Gaye's death, Janis broke her silence in 2013 by releasing a book titled, After the Dance: My Life with Marvin Gaye where she recalls her turbulent and often violent relationship with Marvin.

Recording and production

Gaye and Ware recorded and mixed the album at Gaye's newly christened "Marvin's Room Studio", located on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, and at Motown Recording Studios. The recording sessions took place throughout 1975 and 1976.Ritz (2003) Much like Gaye's previous studio effort Let's Get It On, I Want You featured Gaye's contribution of background vocals and heavy multi-tracking. Gaye's vocalizing style was in classic doo-wop tradition accompanied by the low tempo of string arrangements and other instrumentation was provided by the Funk Brothers.Dyson (2005), p. 171.

Gaye's albums, and especially I Want You, have been influential on modern soul music and contemporary R&B.Ritz (2003), pp. 8–10. EMI Artists and Repertoire executive Gary Harris, who later assisted neo soul singer D'Angelo in recording his debut album Brown Sugar (1995), later commented on Gaye's significant artistry on I Want You and its opening title track. In an interview with writer Michael Eric Dyson, Harris comments on another popular track from the album "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again":

Another significant feature of the recording sessions for I Want You was Gaye's use of the synthesizer in his music. During the time of recording, the instrument had entered its modern period of use and had been included in the music of such popular acts as Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin. For the instrumental version of "After the Dance", Gaye implemented it for a more spacey sound than his previous recordings had featured. Other recordings from these sessions to feature Gaye's synthesizer were later featured on the deluxe edition re-release of I Want You.

Artwork The original The Sugar Shack painting, which was later used for the front album cover of I Want You, was painted and released by neo-mannerist artist Ernie Barnes in 1971.Ernie Barnes Interview ( 英語 ) . Soul Museum: Ernie Barnes. Retrieved on 2008-08-29. In 1976, Barnes redesigned the painting for use by television producer Norman Lear for the opening credits of Good Times, his hit CBS sitcom that ran from 1974 to 1979.The Collection Shop - Ernie Barnes Sugar Shack. The Collection Shop Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-29. The Sugar Shack portrays a cultural image of a shack full of black people dancing. The Sugar Shack was painted by Barnes in his signature post-mannerist style, using serpentine lines, elongation of the human figure, clarity of line, unusual spatial relationships, painted frames, and distinctive color palettes. This style of technique and composition is similar to the mannerist style of 16th-century artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael, which has led Barnes to be credited as the founder of the Neo-Mannerism movement.Ernie Barnes Limited Edition Prints . The Collection Shop Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-29. Art critic Frank Getlein later called The Sugar Shack a "stunning demonstration of the fusion of Neo-Mannerism and Genre painting that Barnes alone has perfected and practices", and went on to say:

The Sugar Shack has been known to art critics for embodying the style of art composition known as "Black Romantic", which, according to Natalie Hopkinson of The Washington Post, is the "visual-art equivalent of the Chitlin' Circuit."Neal, Mark Anthony. Review: I Want You. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2009-08-01. According to Barnes, he created the original version after reflecting upon his childhood, during which he was not "able to go to a dance."Oakland Tribune - Top Black Painter Exhibits in Oakland - August 14, 2002 . oaklandtribune.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-29. In an interview with SoulMuseum.net, Barnes was asked whether there were any messages he was attempting to express through the painting. He stated "'Sugar Shack' is a recall of a childhood experience. It was the first time my innocence met with the sins of dance. The painting transmits rhythm so the experience is re-created in the person viewing it. To show that African-Americans utilize rhythm as a way of resolving physical tension"

Gaye was introduced to Barnes by colleague Barbara Hunter, which led to him buying eight Barnes originals, including The Sugar Shack. After Gaye asked him for permission to use the painting as an album cover, Barnes then augmented the painting by adding references to Gaye's album, including banners hanging from the ceiling of the shack promoting the album's singles. Since the initial wide acclaim for The Sugar Shack, Barnes has gained further recognition from art critics as one of the best black painters of his time and was cited by the Oakland Tribune as the "Picasso of the black art world." The original piece was later purchased by actor and comedian Eddie Murphy.

Release and reception

I Want You was released March 16, 1976, in the United States on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records.[ I Want You > Overview ]. All Media Guide, LLC. Retrieved on 2008-08-29. While not as successful sales-wise as Gaye's previous landmark albums What's Going On and Let's Get It On, I Want You sold in excess of one million copies in the United States with help mostly coming from its first single "I Want You". The single topped the Billboard Soul Singles chart, quickly becoming Marvin Gaye's eleventh number-one hit on that chart, while peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.

The album's second single, the quiet storm track "After the Dance (Vocal)", charted modestly, peaking at No. 14 on the Soul Singles chart and No. 74 on the Pop Singles chart, while another single release version of the song, a double A-sided vinyl record for dance clubs and discothèques, hit the top ten of the Billboard Disco Singles chart. The song became a staple of dance clubs and discothèques during the late 1970s. "After the Dance" was hailed as one of Gaye's signature songs during the late 1970s and was later described by Gaye-biographer David Ritz as "emblematic for the final chapter of his career." I Want You became his fourth album to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart and his fifth number-one album on the Soul Albums chart.

Despite its chart success, I Want You received mixed reviews from music critics at the time of its release. It has been noted by music writers that the critical reception of disco music in general had been poor and ill-considered, which may have caused the slightly disco-styled I Want You to suffer critically, in comparison to Gaye's previous albums. Los Angeles Times writer Dennis Hunt called the album "disappointing" and "only partially commendable".Hunt, Dennis. "Review: I Want You". Los Angeles Times: E22. April 9, 1976. Rolling Stones Vince Aletti criticized Leon Ware's production for being too low-key, and perceived that Gaye lacks the certain passion in his lyricism and singing from his previous records.Aletti, Vince. Review: I Want You. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-08-01. Aletti compared the album to Gaye's previous work, writing that "Gaye seems determined to take over as soul's master philosopher in the bedroom, a position that requires little but an affectation of constant, rather jaded horniness. The pose has already been established in Let's Get It On, on which Gaye was hot, tender, aggressive, soothing and casually raunchy—the modern lover with all his contradictions. I Want You continues in the same vein but with only the faintest traces of the robust passion that shot through and sustained the earlier album ... one expects something with a little more substance and spirit. But there's no fire here, only a well-concealed pilot light."