MARVIN
GAYE
What's
Going On is an album by
American soul singer Marvin Gaye. Released on May 21, 1971 (see 1971 in
music), What's Going On reflected the beginning of a new trend in soul music.
With introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War,
the album was an immediate sensation and has endured as a classic of
early-1970s soul. In worldwide critics/artists and public surveys it is
constantly voted as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history
and is considered to be one of the greatest albums ever made.
The first Marvin Gaye album produced solely by the artist himself, What's
Going On is a unified album, possibly even a concept album, consisting
of nine songs, most of which lead into the next. It has also been
categorized as a song cycle, since the album ends on a reprise to the
album's opening theme. The album is told from the point of view of a
Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and
seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred. Gaye's brother,
Frankie, had returned from three years of service in the Army in 1970. In
addition, What's Going On is the first album which Motown Records
main studio band, The Funk Brothers, got an official credit.
Marvin Gaye had sunk into a deep depression
after the death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell in March, 1970. Gaye
refused to record and perform, and attempted a career in football with the
Detroit Lions, but failed his tryouts. After the failed change in careers,
Gaye came in contact with Al Clevland and the Four Tops' Renaldo "Obie"
Benson, who were working on a politically conscious song called
"What's Going On". Gaye helped Clevland and Benson complete the
composition, and planned to produce it as a recording for Motown act The
Originals. Clevland and Benson persuaded Gaye to record the song himself,
and in June 1970 Gaye recorded "What's Going On" and his own
composition, "God is Love".
When Gaye delivered the songs as the sides for his next 45 single, Motown
head Berry Gordy refused to release them. He considered the record far too
political and unfamiliar in sound to be commercially successful. Gaye
stood his ground; he wanted to be able to express himself, and not Gordy's
or Motown's version of himself, on record. Gordy eventually gave in,
certain that the record would flop. "What's Going On" became
Motown´s fastest selling single at that point, going to the No. 1 spot
on the R&B charts for 5 straight weeks and No. 2 (three weeks) on the
Pop listings behind only to the year's biggest-selling record "Joy To
The World" by Three Dog Night. After this startling success Berry
Gordy requested an entire accompaning album.
Gaye began recording the tracks that would eventually comprise his
best-known work, the What's Going On album, handling all of his own
production and some of his own songwriting. What's Going On was a
politically-charged and deeply personal Motown album, notable for
including elements of jazz and classical music. The record was among the
first soul records to place emphasis on political and social concerns such
as environmentalism, political corruption, drug abuse, and the Vietnam
War.
The critical and
commercial success of the album was immediate and significant. What's
Going On stayed on the Billboard Pop Album Charts for over a year and
sold over two million copies until the end of 1972, making it Marvin
Gaye's best-selling album to that date, until Gaye broke his own record
with the release of Let's Get It On in the fall of 1973.
In addition, What's Going On received the highest ratings from
several leading magazines and newspapers, including Time, Rolling
Stone (who named it "Album of the Year"), The New York
Times, and Billboard, who gave it the Billboard Trendsetter
Award of 1971. It was ranked number six on Rolling Stone's list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2003, while its title song was
ranked fourth on the magazine's 500
greatest singles of all time. A 1999 critics poll conducted by British
newspaper Guardian/Observer named it the "Greatest Album Of
the 20th Century".
In 1997, What's Going On was named the 17th greatest album of all
time in a Music of the Millennium poll conducted by HMV, Channel 4, The
Guardian and Classic FM. In 1998 Q magazine readers placed it
at number 97, while in 2003 the TV network VH1 placed it at number 4. In
2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of
Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
In the forthcoming years, many artists from different musical genres
covered songs from the album, most notably live recordings by Aretha
Franklin ("Wholly Holy" on Amazing Grace) and Donny
Hathaway ("What's Going On" on Donny Hathaway Live) in
1972, among others.
