Hitch Hike

"Hitch Hike" was a 1963 hit for American soul music legend Marvin Gaye. The song was co-written by William "Mickey" Stevenson and Gaye himself as a song about hitch-hiking to anywhere to find his girl "even if I have to hitch-hike all around the world". The song sparked a national dance craze that was popularized by American Bandstand as Gaye showed up to perform the song. Despite his reluctance to "shake his ass" as he said years later, Gaye took to the stage doing the dance move onstage. The song became his first Billboard Top 40 single peaking at #30 and hit the Billboard Top 20 on the R&B charts peaking at #12. Instrumentals were provided by the Funk Brothers (Gaye was an 'honorary' Funk Brother at the time - it's noted he play the drums and the piano on this song) and the background vocalists were none other than Martha & the Vandellas who were about to become a hit group months after this song and would rise out of just being Gaye's proteges. Gaye would later be one of the authors of the group's seminal 1964 single, "Dancing In The Street".

Related Topics:
1963 - American - Soul music - Marvin Gaye - William "Mickey" Stevenson - American Bandstand - Billboard - Top 40 - Martha & the Vandellas - Dancing In The Street

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~