I Heard It Through the Grapevine — Marvin Gaye vs. Gladys Knight & the Pips vs. Creedence Clearwater Revival

Welcome back to Chillers – Cover Up, where we usually pit two versions of the same song against each other to see which one reigns supreme. But today? A rare triple-threat showdown. The originals are cold, the covers are warm — so make sure you Cover Up and throw on an extra layer.

The Song: I Heard It Through the Grapevine tells the story of a breakup in real time — one partner confronting the other after catching them in a lie. The hurt isn’t just from the affair itself, but from the way the truth came out: not from the partner, but secondhand, through the grapevine. The song is both desperate and wounded, a plea for clarity at the end of a relationship: stay or leave, but just tell me.

The Original: The first release came in 1967 from Gladys Knight & the Pips, giving the Motown machine another hit. It’s a lively, upbeat arrangement with a busy instrumental backdrop and Gladys delivering piercing, soulful vocals. There’s plenty of energy, but at times the crowded instrumentation drowns out her voice, blunting the impact of the lyrics.

The First Cover: Enter Marvin Gaye. In 1968, he slowed things down, stripped back the instrumentation, and let his vocals take the spotlight. The funky groove is there, but the arrangement gives space for each line to breathe. The isolated drumbeat, the sliding vocals, the deep, driving bassline — it’s the version that defines the song for most listeners. Gaye took the template and elevated it, crafting one of the most iconic soul performances ever recorded.

The Second Cover: Just a couple of years later, in 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival stretched Grapevine into an 11-minute epic on Cosmo’s Factory. John Fogerty’s growling delivery paired with loose, thwacking guitar chords gave the track a swamp-rock makeover. It’s sprawling, hypnotic, and a staple of CCR’s powerhouse run of late-’60s hits. Where Gaye’s was taut and soulful, CCR’s was a jam session that turned the song into something entirely different.

The Verdict: All three versions have their merits, but on relistening, it really comes down to Marvin Gaye and CCR. Fogerty’s 11-minute monster has grit, groove, and staying power, but there are moments where it drifts so far it almost loses the thread. Gaye’s version, by contrast, is short, sharp, and devastatingly polished. The buttery smoothness of his vocals paired with that stripped-back arrangement makes his rendition the definitive Grapevine.

Three legends. One song. And one cover that stands head and shoulders above the rest.