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What’s Going On

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

What’s Going On · In the late 1960s Marvin Gaye was deeply depressed. His singing partner Tammi Terrell died in 1970, his marriage had collapsed and he was struggling with cocaine and with Motown. He withdrew and grew a beard. When Renaldo Benson of the Four Tops offered him a song written after police violence against demonstrators in Berkeley, Gaye saw a message in it. Recording ran from 1970 to 1971, including at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit. For the first time he was his own producer, with the regular Motown session musicians, the Funk Brothers.

The songs flow into one another, like a song cycle from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran returning home to a country full of hatred and injustice. It deals with drugs, poverty and war, and in Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) already with the environment. The album was an immediate success and is regarded as a classic of soul.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to the title track and notice how soft and warm the singing sounds, while the question in the lyrics grows ever more urgent.

Track list

  1. 1What's Going On3:53Apple Music ↗
  2. 2What's Happening Brother2:44Apple Music ↗
  3. 3Flyin' High (In the Friendly Sky)3:49Apple Music ↗
  4. 4Save the Children4:03Apple Music ↗
  5. 5God Is Love1:42Apple Music ↗
  6. 6Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)3:16Apple Music ↗
  7. 7Right On7:31Apple Music ↗
  8. 8Wholy Holy3:08Apple Music ↗
  9. 9Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)5:30Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗

Categories: Albums and songs