Ego Tripping Out

"Ego Tripping Out"
Single by Marvin Gaye
from the album Love Man (cancelled)/In Our Lifetime1
B-side 'Ego Tripping Out" (Instrumental)
Released September 17, 1979
Format 7" single
12" single
Recorded 1979, Marvin's Room, Los Angeles, California
Genre Disco
Length 5:13
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s) Marvin Gaye
Producer(s) Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye singles chronology
"Anger"
(1979)		 "Ego Tripping Out"
(1979)		 "Praise"
(1981)

"Ego Tripping Out" is a 1979 funk-styled dance record released by American soul singer Marvin Gaye, released as a single on the Tamla (Motown) label.

The song, written, composed, arranged and produced by Gaye himself, was a self-mockery of the singer's image and lifestyle. Providing a semi-rap at the beginning of the song where he sang "I got the baddest cool/could never be the fool/the ladies wait to get down with me", he later talks about the downside of being in the spotlight as he sang about his crippling drug abuse: "cause the toot and the smoke won't fulfill the need". This song was to be the lead the single of his next album Love Man; the album was withdrawn as Marvin felt it needed more work. The song was remixed twice with alternate lyrics (once by Marvin, next as an anonymous bonus track): the single version says "walking in my shoes/walking to the beat" while the remakes say "like a soldier/dancing to god's beat". This was part of the religious approach that Marvin wanted to take with In Our Lifetime. However, neither of the two remakes made it directly to the album but only appeared on the "Expanded Love Man Edition"; the song was ultimtely replaced with Far Cry.

The song, while not making it to the Billboard Hot 100, still made the R&B charts, peaking at #17. It would be Marvin's last Top 40 Billboard single at least on the R&B singles chart until 1981's "Praise".

Music video

Marvin danced to the song on the talkshow 'The Real Thing' where he was interviewed about how far he had come on what he called 'unpleasantries' of 1978.

Samples

According to Genius, Bleu Collar sampled the song in "We Ain't Got Time".

Personnel

  • All vocals by Marvin Gaye
  • Instrumentation by assorted musicians:
    • Guitars by Gordon Banks
    • Drums, piano, keyboard and synthesizers by Marvin Gaye
    • Saxophones by assorted musicians
    • Bass by Frank Blair
  • 1 Single was later included in a 1994 re-release of In Our Lifetime and a 2007 re-release deluxe edition featured different alternate mixes for the sessions of In Our Lifetime as well as the original Love Man single of it.

Sources

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