Three years later, Motown artist Marvin Gaye recorded a cover version of "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" as a follow-up single to his 1968 hit "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", another Whitfield/Strong composition, which was a trans-atlantic top five hit. Whitfield produced Gaye's version as well, which featured background vocals by The Andantes. The song's lyrics feature the male narrator discussing how he has "no time to discuss weather" or "think about what money can buy", because when he thinks about his woman, "I ain't got time for nothing else".
In terms of chart success, "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" was Gaye's second biggest hit of the 1960s, after "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" peaked at No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and remained at the No.1 position on Billboard'sBlack Singles Chart for six consecutive weeks, from the weeks of, June 7 until July 12, 1969,[3] with sales close to two million records. The single was the top-selling R&B single of the year,[4] and also reached No.14 on Billboard’s year-end charts. The tune was the first release from Gaye's 1969 studio album M.P.G.. The single also reached No.5 in the UK Singles Chart.
Cash Box described it as a "medium paced rock effort" with a "solid vocal" and "a phenomenal production using tom-tom effectiveness to stoke up dance fan fires."[1]
"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" was also covered by the New York-based rock group Mardi Gras in the early 1970s, and released as a single on Map City Records. It climbed high up the charts across Europe in 1971–72.
In 1995, the Manhattan Transfer recorded the song for their album Tonin' with Phil Collins. This version No.27 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States. In Canada, the song reached No.58 on the pop singles chart[11] and No.6 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[12]
A version performed by Ted Hawkins was included on his 1995 album, Songs from Venice Beach.
