How Belgium inspired Marvin Gaye to write the sexiest song ever

00:00 - 01:02 Intro: What's Going On with Marvin Gaye during the late 1970s?
01:03 - 01:50 An Unexpected Invitation to Belgium
01:51 - 03:26 How The Roland TR-808 Rejuvenated Marvin Gaye
03:27 - 04:45 Writing Those Sensual Lyrics
04:46 - 06:17 Releasing 'Sexual Healing' And Marvin Gaye's Demise

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Marvin Gaye in Belgium: The Secret European Chapter In The Great Soul Singer's Life

After redefining soul music with iconic albums like What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On, and I Want You, Marvin Gaye vanished from the spotlight in the late 1970s. Addicted, bankrupt, and pursued by the IRS, he fled America and resurfaced in an unlikely place: Ostend, Belgium.

This short music documentary explores how Marvin’s time in exile became a creative rebirth. With the help of Belgian promoter Freddy Cousaert, Gaye began healing — physically, emotionally, and musically. The result? The 1982 masterpiece "Sexual Healing" and Marvin's final studio album, Midnight Love, blending soul, funk, and the emerging sounds of 80s R&B with electronic production and the Roland TR-808.

Discover how the voice behind Mercy Mercy Me and Inner City Blues was almost lost — and how a small European town helped him reclaim his genius.

Ideal for fans of Motown, classic soul, funk, and R&B music history, as well as general pop music fans.

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Note: None of the footage in this video is mine, and I do not own the rights, nor to the songs. Any copyright infringement is not intended, and this video should be considered as falling under 'fair use' classification.