I Heard It Through the Grapevine — Marvin Gaye (1968)

Recorded first by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and then by Gladys Knight before Marvin Gaye's version was finally released in 1968, this song became Motown's best-selling single to that date, spending 7 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and 8 weeks on the R&B chart. The Rolling Stones used it on their 1969 tour and Creedence Clearwater Revival's 1970 eleven-minute cover version brought it to rock audiences, making it one of the most covered songs of the era.