Marvin Gaye's What's Going On

Prior to the recording of What’s Going On Marvin Gaye’s image was one of an R&B sex symbol. He put out smooth records fun loving records, never rustling too many feathers. He was molded by Motown records and followed the directions of the producers and managers around him. That all changed mid career for Marvin Gaye.

Coming home and hearing the stories from his brothers’ stint in Vietnam and witnessing the police brutality around him, Gaye was inspired and influenced to write What’s Going On, a song with truly moving lyrics and message, bringing up heavy content that most artists hadn’t touched on yet.

When Marvin Gaye tried to get What’s Going on recorded and released he was told by the CEO of Motown, Berry Gordy, that It  “was the worst record I ever heard” and though it took some convincing he eventually was able to get the album released and ultimately sold over two million copies of the single. And has one of the best-known albums of all time.

Typically Motown released good feeling R&B records that promoted love and life and never really focused on the true controversial issues that were surrounding them on a daily basis. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On was a clear contradiction to what Motown had been produced and inevitably molded the future of a lot of future artists and songs. Each song of the album leaded to the next, which ended up being something that Berry Gordy again, did not like, but that is one of the reasons why it is known as R&B’s first concept album.

What’s Going On is a staple song of my generation. With multiple covers and compilations available, there is probably a different version for every different person. It is a song that opens eyes and minds and I hope that the next generation will listen with the same open mind that my generation and the one before it listened with.