Masochistic Beauty

“Masochistic Beauty” is a song by American soul singer Marvin Gaye, released posthumously in 1985 by Columbia Records.

Background

Unlike the majority of Gaye’s music, the song is a dedication to S&M, which was something that Gaye was known to have an interest in. The lyrics find Gaye playing the role of a Dom in a faux-English Received Pronunciation accent where he raps throughout the track. The song shares some similarities to “Sanctified Lady”, receiving vocoder work from Gordon Banks, and having an electro-funk flavor. Both controversial tracks were also unfinished outtakes from the Midnight Love sessions, which received later work from Gordon Banks, and were released on the posthumous Dream of a Lifetime album.

Credits

Lead vocals by Marvin Gaye and Gordon Banks (vocoder)

Instrumentation by Marvin Gaye and Gordon Banks

Produced by Gordon Banks

== References ==