About the Song

Written and recorded by the legendary Marvin Gaye, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” is a timeless classic that has been enjoyed by generations of music lovers. Originally released in 1964, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became Gaye’s first number-one single. It has since been covered by countless artists, including Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, and James Taylor.

The song is a beautiful expression of love and gratitude. Gaye’s soulful vocals and the upbeat Motown sound make it a joy to listen to. The lyrics are simple but powerful, and they speak to the universal experience of being in love.

The song begins with Gaye singing about how he had been searching for love for a long time. He had been through many disappointments, but he had never given up hope. Finally, he found the love of his life, and he is overjoyed.

The chorus of the song is a simple but powerful declaration of love. Gaye sings, “How sweet it is (to be loved by you)/How sweet it is (to be loved by you)/I needed the shelter of someone’s arms/And you came along.” These words express the pure joy and happiness that comes from being loved by someone special.

The rest of the song is filled with Gaye’s expressions of gratitude for his lover. He sings about how she has made his life better and how he can’t imagine his life without her. He also sings about how he will always love her.

“How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” is a beautiful and moving song that celebrates the power of love. It is a song that will continue to be enjoyed by generations to come.

Some other interesting facts about the song:

  • The song was written by the Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
  • It was produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier.
  • The song was featured in the 1965 film “The T.A.M.I. Show.”
  • It was also featured in the 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.”
  • In 2004, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

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Lyrics: How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by youI needed the shelter of someone’s arms and there you were
I needed someone to understand my ups and downs
and there you were
With sweet love and devotion
deeply touching my emotion
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you babyHow sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

I close my eyes at night,
wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore,
everywhere I went it seems I’d been there before
But you brightened up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baby
I want to stop and thank you baby

How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You were better to me than I’ve been to myself
For me, there’s you and there ain’t nobody else
I want to stop and thank you baby
I just want to stop and thank you baby

[Repeat and fade:]
How sweet it is to be loved by you
How sweet it is to be loved by you

You Missed

MINNIE PEARL WALKED ONSTAGE AT THE GRAND OLE OPRY FOR 50 YEARS WITH A $1.98 PRICE TAG ON HER HAT — AND THEN ONE NIGHT, SHE JUST COULDN’T ANYMORE. Here’s something most people don’t think about with Minnie Pearl. That price tag hanging off her straw hat? It wasn’t random. Sarah Cannon — that was her real name — created it as a joke about a country girl too proud of her new hat to take the tag off. And audiences loved it so much that it became the most recognizable prop in country music history. For over fifty years, that tag meant Minnie was here, and everything was going to be fun. So imagine what it felt like when she couldn’t put the hat on anymore. In June 1991, Sarah had a massive stroke. She was 79. And just like that, the woman who hadn’t missed an Opry show in decades was gone from the stage. But here’s what gets me. She didn’t die in 1991. She lived another five years after that stroke, mostly out of the public eye, unable to perform, unable to be “Minnie” the way she’d always been. Her husband Henry Cannon took care of her at their Nashville home. Friends visited, but they said it was hard. The woman who made millions of people laugh couldn’t get through a full conversation some days. Roy Acuff, her old friend from the Opry, kept her dressing room exactly the way she left it. Nobody used it. The hat sat there. She passed on March 4, 1996. And what most people remember is the comedy. The “HOW-DEEE” catchphrase. The big goofy grin. What they don’t remember is that Sarah Cannon was also a serious fundraiser for cancer research. Centennial Medical Center in Nashville named their cancer center after her — not after Minnie, after Sarah. She raised millions and rarely talked about it publicly. There’s a story about the very last time Sarah tried to put on the hat at home, months after the stroke, and what her husband said to her in that moment — it’s the kind of detail that makes you see fifty years of comedy completely differently. Roy Acuff kept Minnie Pearl’s dressing room untouched for years after she left — was that loyalty to a friend, or was he holding a door open for someone he knew was never coming back?