Talk:I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Isley Brothers recording
I've cleaned up the section on the Isley Brothers rumored recording. The only source that actually explains the issue in depth (instead of just stating that the Isley Brothers did or didn't record the song) is a post on Joel Francis's blog The Daily Record. Although Verifiability generally prohibits the use of self-published sources, it states that such sources may be "acceptable when produced by an established expert on the topic of the article whose work in the relevant field has previously been published by reliable third-party publications". Since Joel Francis was previously a music writer for the Kansas City Star, it seems he would qualify for this exemption. I would suggest we use his blog as a source for the issue until a more reliable account emerges. Kaldari (talk) 17:30, 1 February 2010 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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Instrumentation
According to his article, Joe Messina played guitar for most of the Motown artists of late-1960s (including Marvin Gaye) so I've edited the personnel list to include Messina on guitar. Of course, I know that other Wikipedia articles can't be used as sources, per WP:CIRCULAR and WP:WINARS, and so if my edit is reverted, I understand.--2601:153:800:8308:3813:9EF8:FA5A:C703 (talk) 22:22, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

Marvin Gaye version
Can we classify Gaye's version as psychedelic soul? The Mo-Ja&#39;al (talk) 19:32, 9 August 2020 (UTC)
 * According to what source? DonIago (talk) 22:31, 9 August 2020 (UTC)

Who recorded furst
According to Berry Gordy speaking on Hitsville: the making of Motown" the song was first recorded by Marvin Gaye but Gordy refused to allow the single to be released until after the Gladys Knight version had reached no 1 31.185.168.21 (talk) 19:56, 31 December 2021 (UTC)

"Grapevine" (Tiësto track)
It strikes me as strange that a relatively unrelated track like "Grapevine" by Tiësto has its own paragraph, complete with infobox and categories?

As far as I can see, it uses some samples and that's it. I would suggest that it either just has a short mention in "Other versions" or that it is split out to its own article. Seeking input from User:Aspects and User:Unistra. Regards KnudW (talk) 08:07, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I was wondering about that as well. Maybe a mention that the track uses samples (with appropriate sourcing), but an infobox and categories? DonIago (talk) 17:15, 12 January 2022 (UTC)
 * While the article states that the track uses a sample of the song, the sample is all that is used throughout the song over and over, plus with the lyrics being a line from the song used over and over, makes this a version of the song and not an entirely new song using a sample as part with other new parts added to the song. Therefore, with it being a notable cover version of the original that would pass WP:NSONGS, it should have its own section like it currently does. Aspects (talk) 21:29, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

"heard it through the grapevine" expression not limited to use by enslaved people (and no evidence it originated with this particular group; in broad use in 19th century)
The Wikipedia editor who handled the section on the expression "heard it through the grapevine" implies that the expression is only associated with enslaved people (and most likely originated with this particular group). I obtained a copy of the source that this editor cited for the relevant sentences -- a book titled _America in So Many Words: Words That Have Shaped America_. Following is the section on that book on the expression "heard it from the grapevine":

"But it was the likeness—and unlikeness—of grapevines to telegraph wires that inspired the modern use of grapevine to refer to the means by which unofficial news and rumors are spread. In contrast to the straight copper wire of the telegraph, a grapevine is gnarled and twisted. So the grapevine telegraph, as it was originally called, was also gnarled. Like Morse's telegraph, it was speedy and carried news, but unlike the Morse telegraph, it operated privately and by word of mouth. Public and official news zipped

"Like Morse's telegraph, it was speedy and carried news, but unlike the Morse telegraph, it operated privately and by word of mouth. Public and official news zipped along the telegraph wires; nearly as quickly went the person ­to ­person reports of the grapevine.

Since the grapevine was clandestine, we do not know when it was first used, but the late 1840s is a safe guess. There is a printed report in 1852 declaring, "By the Grape Vine Telegraph Line... we have received the following."

In Up from Slavery (1901), Booker T. Washington marvels at how rapidly slaves in the South got news about the abolition movement, Lincoln's campaign for the presidency, and the Civil War through the "grape­vine telegraph."

Coming from unofficial and often unknown sources, news on the grapevine was properly viewed with skepticism. Soldiers in the Civil War used grapevine to mean "gossip" and rumor," news that was not to be trusted.

Around the same time, out in California, grapevine telegraph meant "a BOGUS (1797) or tardy source of information." A newspaper that suspected a rival publication of inventing fictitious reports would accuse it of using the grapevine telegraph instead of the real thing.

The telegraph now is in disuse, but in this era of instant electronic communication, the grapevine is stronger than ever, efficiently circulating news, gossip, and rumor in an organization or community outside of official channels."

The Booker T. Washington reference is undoubtedly what the Wikipedia editor was thinking of when (s)he made her/his edits, and I have no objection to that reference being included in this article. However, the verbiage needs to be improved to not lead to a false impression that this phrase was used only by enslaved people. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 100.15.238.176 (talk) 19:53, 26 February 2024 (UTC)


 * WP:SOFIXIT? DonIago (talk) 04:33, 27 February 2024 (UTC)