I'll Be Doggone

"I'll Be Doggone" represents three firsts for Marvin Gaye: It was his first million-selling record, his first chart-topping R&B single and his first song to be co-written by Smokey Robinson and his fellow Miracles bandmates, Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Along with the Andantes, the Miracles provided backing vocals to the song. Robinson also penned Gaye's second R&B hit, "Ain't That Peculiar."

Gaye is known for his smoldering love songs, but this one takes a different approach, as it finds him warning his girl that if he ever finds out she is cheating, he will leave her. The clever wordplay - "I wouldn't be doggone, I'd be long gone" - is typical of Smokey Robinson's songwriting.

On the Motown roster, Marvin Gaye was far more than a singer - he was also a songwriter and drummer. Early on, Gaye wrote his own songs, including "Pride and Joy" and "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow," and had an interest in recording standards (he wanted to become "the black Frank Sinatra"). Mickey Stevenson, who was head of A&R at Motown, convinced Gaye to go in another direction as a singer, recording more R&B material. Robinson wrote this song specifically for Gaye, but Marvin put his own spin on it. Said Smokey, "When I showed him the song, he began to sing it like I had never imagined it being sung."