What’s Going On Entry

Marvin Gaye was an African-American soul singer who has had many hits and has been listed in Rolling Stone magazine as #6 on the list of greatest singers of all time. One of Marvin Gaye's most memorable albums is Whats Going On which was released in 1971. Prior to this album, Gaye had already had 10 studio albums under his belt as well as 13 top ten singles on the U.S. and U.K. charts. Marvin Gaye started out in a couple of different bands such as The Marquees and The New Moonglows. Berry Gordy played a big part in Gaye's career by signing to Motown records on which he released many albums. Marvin Gaye collaborated with many different artists but eventually became his own solo act. The primary focus of this post is Gaye's eleventh studio album called Whats Going On. There were social and national concerns that influenced the music and lyrical content on this album. These social and national concerns included drug abuse, political corruption, environmentalism and the Vietnam War. Marvin Gaye faced some obstacles when trying to get What's Going On released. Originally, Berry Gordy refused to let this album be released because he was baffled by the complexity and ambitions of the album. Marvin Gaye said that he would not record any more music for Motown Records unless What's Going On was released. Eventually Berry Gordy gave in and released the album even though he never fully understood the album's concept. A characteristic I would give to this album would be that its a socially-minded concept album fueled by Gaye's outlook on what was going on during that time. What were current events at that helped him write the lyrics and music for the album. Another characteristic i would give to this album would be that it was a successful album. The album was critically acclaimed and remained on several charts for many weeks. It also sold over two million copies within the first year. This album left me with a lasting impression.
I liked how soulful and politically conscious this album was. Before i heard the original song called Whats Going On, i heard a cover by A Perfect Circle. I really enjoyed this cover by them but now that I have heard the original, nothing compares to it.