Marvin gaye whats going on meaning
Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ Is as Relevant Today as It Was in 1971
Fifty years ago, the artist released Motown’s best-selling album ever and changed the course of his musical career
Motown wasn’t really known for its politically conscious music. Then came “What’s Going On.”
Released on May 21, 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Marvin Gaye’s album became a monster, spawning three hit singles on its way to becoming Motown’s best-selling album to date. The album also marked a turning point for Motown and for Marvin Gaye as an artist.
As a scholar of race and tradition in the U.S. and the host of the weekly radio show “Soul Stories,” I am struck by how many of the themes Gaye explores remain as relevant today as they were when he first wrote about them 50 years ago.
Gaye’s evolution
Some of the songs on the album talk directly to the articulate of the world in the early 1970s.
The title track, with its timeless lyric “war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate,” condemned the nation’s involvement in Vietnam. But the song provides an perception into the evolution of Gaye’s music to encompass overtly political themes.
Marvin Gaye &
The Story of... 'What's Going On' by Marvin Gaye
24 May 2021, 16:45
Marvin Gaye's protest anthem 'What's Going On' was a strong and groundbreaking song at the time of its release in 1971, but fast forward 50 years later and it is sadly still just as relevant for the planet in 2021.
With the enormous spark of protests in the US and around the world against racism following the death of George Floyd a year ago, the subject of police brutality and racial injustice is being discussed as much today as it was back then.
Marvin Gaye co-wrote 'What's Going On' about the issues of the time, but little did he comprehend that over 30 years after his death, tragically it still sounds as if it could contain been written yesterday.
Here's the history of one of the most important songs of the 20th century, 50 years on:
Who wrote 'What's Going On'?
The anthem was co-written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye, and produced by Gaye himself.
The song marked Gaye's departure from the Motown Sound of his previous output, towards more personal material.
It was the title road of his album What
50 Years Later, Why Marvin Gaye's Seminal Album 'What's Going On' Endures
Editor's note: This story was rebroadcast on May 31, 2021. Find that audio here.
When Marvin Gaye's record "What's Going On" came out in 1971, unemployment was at a high of 6%, people were protesting police brutality, and Americans were angry over the Vietnam War.
"What's Going On" reflected those times with laser-sharp precision, and it's gone on to change into Motown's biggest commercial triumph. And 50 years later, the themes of the album still reflect some of the most significant challenges and divisions we face as a society.
But many people may be surprised to learn that this pivotal album almost never existed. Motown founder Berry Gordy was terrified it would ruin Gaye’s career.
“Motown was not a company that was built on any kind of personal statements,” says Nelson George, a music correspondent, author and cultural critic who interviewed Gaye during the singer-songwriter’s lifetime.
By the 1970s, Motown Records was known for its “superb production line,” which included the studio band, The Funk Brothers, George says. The record company aimed to make pop melody that captured “the sou
Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”
Lydia Hutchinson | March 31, 2017
The spring of 1970 was a shadowy time for Marvin Gaye. His beloved duet spouse Tammi Terrell had died after a three-year effort with a brain tumor. His brother Frankie had returned from Vietnam with horror stories that moved Marvin to tears. And at Motown, Marvin was stymied in his quest to address social issues in his music.
While he was pondering his next move, a song fell in his lap that would provide a channel for all his sorrow and frustration.
The initial notion for “What’s Going On” came to Four Tops member Obie Benson when he was in San Francisco in 1969.
“They had the Haight-Ashbury then, all the kids up there with the long hair and everything,” he told MOJO. “The police was beating on the kids, but they wasn’t bothering anybody. I saw this, and started wondering what was going on. ‘What is happening here?’ One question leads to another. ‘Why are they sending kids so far away from their families overseas?’ And so on.”
Benson shaped his tune with fellow Motown writer Al Cleveland, then pitched it to the Four Tops. But they weren’t interested in a protest song. Obie pl
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