"You Sure Love to Ball" is a song by Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

, released in 1974. While it was initially a modest pop success peaking at #50, it rode to #13 on the R&B chart. The song was one of Gaye's most sexually overt and controversial singles.

In the beginning, the track showcased moaning sounds by a male and female engaged in sex

Sex

In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...

. It paved the way for artists such as Donna Summer

Donna Summer

LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...

 and Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

, who moaned in their own sexually explicit songs.

The song was covered by female soul singer Sylvia

Sylvia Robinson

Sylvia Robinson was an American singer, musician, record producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre...

 in 1976 and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 superstar Will Downing in 1999 for the Gaye tribute album, Marvin Is 60, and was re-released as a single. R&B artist Keith Washington

Keith Washington

Keith Washington is an American R&B vocalist from Detroit, Michigan who scored a hit single in the United States in 1991 with "Kissing You," which was also used as background music for a General Hospital on ABC...

 covers the song from KW album which was in 1998.

The song was also heavily sampled by Usher

Usher (entertainer)

Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...

 in the song "Twork It Out" from his 8701

8701 (album)

8701 is the third studio album by American R&B singer Usher, released by Arista Records on August 7, 2001, in North America. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2000 to 2001, and was handled by several producers including The Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere"...

album.

Personnel

• All vocals by Marvin Gaye
  Marvin Gaye
  Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
  
  
• Additional background vocals (moans) by Fred and Madeline Ross
• Instrumentation by Los Angeles
  Los Ángeles
  Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
  
  session musicians