Marvin Gaye reached number one with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" in the 1960s. His version topped both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard R&B chart during its landmark run beginning in December 1968.
The song was written by Motown songwriters Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966. The Miracles recorded the first version, but Gladys Knight & the Pips released the first single in 1967. Their recording became an R&B number one before Gaye's version was issued.
Gaye recorded his version in 1967, but Motown founder Berry Gordy initially resisted releasing it as a single because the Pips had already succeeded with the song. It first appeared on Gaye's 1968 album In the Groove, which was later retitled I Heard It Through the Grapevine because of the single's success.
Gaye's recording topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, from December 14, 1968, to January 25, 1969. That chart run can cause confusion: although it continued into the 1970s decade's first year, the record first reached number one in 1968, making the 1960s the canonical answer.