Edited by Azizi Powell
This post features information about and videos/sound file examples of Marvin Gaye's now classic 1971 song cycle album "What's Going On".
This post is presented for its historical, sociological, and aesthetic values.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
My thanks to Marvin Gaye for focusing attention on social & political subjects that were important then and even more important now. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.
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Additional videos have been added to this post which was originally published in 2012.
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BACKGROUND FOR THE "WHAT'S GOING ON" ALBUM
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye
"Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye (he added the 'e' as a young man), was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range...
In 1971, Marvin issued his landmark album, What's Going On. The album and its tracks were responsible in the changing landscape of rhythm and blues music as the album presented a full view of social ills in America, including war, police brutality, racism, drug addiction, environmentalism, and urban decay. Beforehand, recordings of social unrest had been recorded by the likes of (Curtis Mayfield &) The Impressions, The Temptations, Sam Cooke, Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown, but this was the first album fully devoted to those issues. The album was produced under what is called a song cycle and because of its theme of "what's going on" was considered one of the first concept albums to be released in soul music...
After helping to collaborate what became "What's Going On", [Marvin Gaye] returned to Hitsville on June 1, 1970 to record the song, which was inspired by Gaye's brother's accounts of his experience at the Vietnam War and co-writer Renaldo "Obie" Benson of the Four Tops' disgust of police brutality after seeing anti-war protesters attacked in San Francisco...
Released on May 21, 1971, the What's Going On album instantly became a million-seller crossing him over to young white rock audiences while also maintaining his strong R&B fan base. Because of its lyrical content and its mixture of funk, jazz, classical and Latin soul arrangements which departed from the then renowned "Motown Sound", it became one of Motown's first autonomous works, without help of Motown's staff producers. Based upon its themes and a segue flow into each of the songs sans the title track, the concept album became the new template for soul music.
Other hit singles that came out of the album included "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", making Gaye the first male solo artist to have three top ten singles off one album on the Billboard Hot 100. All three singles sold over a million copies and were all number-one on the R&B chart. International recognition of the album was slow to come at first though eventually the album would be revered overseas as a "landmark pop record". It has been called "the most important and passionate record to come out of soul music, delivered by one of its finest voices"."
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FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me
DeTudo, Uploaded on Sep 6, 2007
lyrics
[written by Marvin Gaye]
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
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Here's a note about this song that was written by Jonez, 2013 and posted on https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-mercy-mercy-me-the-ecology-lyrics
"This song mourns the destruction of the environment in a modernized society. Oil catastrophies, radioactive waste, and overpopulation… we even Almost Lost Detroit.
It was recorded in 1971, when the public’s awareness of environmentalism was at an all-time high. Imagine how mortified Gaye would have been if he had seen what was going to happen to the environment during the next 40 years".
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Example #2: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
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rareformulamusic, Uploaded on Sep 28, 2009
Not owned by me, I just wanted to share Marvin's greatness with everybody.
From his Live in Amsterdam in '76 concert.
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Lyrics for "What's Going On"
(Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson & Al Cleveland)
[Intro]
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today - Ya
[Verse 1]
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today
[Chorus]
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on
[Bridge]
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
[Verse 2]
Mother, Mother everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
[Chorus]
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
Source: https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-whats-going-on-lyrics
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Lyrics for "Save The Children"
(Renaldo Benton, Marvin Gaye & Al Cleveland)
"Save The Children"
I just want to ask a question
Who really cares?
To save a world in despair
There'll come a time, when the world won't be singin'
Flowers won't grow, bells won't be ringin'
Who really cares?
Who's willing to try to save a world
That's destined to die
When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
All who is to blame, we can't stop livin'
Live, live for life
But let live everybody
Live life for the children
Oh, for the children
You see, let's save the children
Let's save all the children
Save the babies, save the babies
If you wanna love, you got to save the babies
All of the children
But who really cares
Who's willing to try
Yes, to save a world
Yea, save our sweet world
Save a world that is destined to die
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, oh dig it everybody
Source: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marvingaye/savethechildren.html
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Example #3: Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
MarvinGayeVEVO, Published on Jul 5, 2011
Music video by Marvin Gaye performing Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler). (C) 1971 Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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Lyrics for "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
(Written by Marvin Gaye & James Nyx)
[Verse 1]
Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have-not's
Money, we make it
Before we see it, you take it
[Chorus]
Oh, make you want to holler
The way they do my life
Make me want to holler
The way they do my life
This ain't living, this ain't living
No, no baby, this ain't living
No, no, no
[Chorus]
Make me want to holler
The way they do my life
Make me want to holler
The way they do my life
[Verse 3]
Hang ups, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes
[Chorus]
Make me want to holler
And throw up both my hands
Yeah, it makes me want to holler
And throw up both my hands
[Verse 4]
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God knows where we're heading
[Outro]
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Who are they to judge us
Simply because we wear our hair long
Source: https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-inner-city-blues-make-me-wanna-holler-lyrics
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Here's a note from that website about this song:
-posted by Damian v B, 2013
" "Inner City Blues” is a chart-topping single from the landmark album What’s Going On. The song depicts the ghettos of inner-city America as it discusses how the bleak economic situation would have lead to someone wanting to holler and throw ones hands up."
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Example #4: Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
Abdul Jalil, Published on May 10, 2012
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Lyrics for "What's Happening Brother"
(Marvin Gaye & James Nyx Jr.)
[Verse 1]
Hey baby, what you know good
I'm just getting back, but you knew I would
War is hell, when will it end?
When will people start getting together again?
Are things really getting better, like the newspaper said
What else is new my friend, besides what I read
[Verse 2]
Can't find no work, can't find no job, my friend
Money is tighter than, it's ever been
Say man, I just don't understand
What's going on across this land
Ah, what's happening brother?
Yeah, what's happening? What's happening my man?
[Verse 3]
Are they still getting down
Where we used to go and dance
Will our ball club win the pennant
Do you think, they have a chance?
And tell me friend, how in the world have you been?
Tell me, what's out and I want to know what's in
[Verse 4]
What's the deal man
What's happening? Tell me brother
What's happening brother?
Ah, what's happening brother?
What's happening my man?
Whoo, ah, ah, what's happening brother?
Say man, whoo, what's happening brother?
[Outro]
What's been shaking up and down the line?
I want to know because, I'm slightly behind the times
Source: https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-whats-happening-brother-lyrics
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Here's a note about this song from that website:
(posted by morza, 2013
"The second song off of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On tells a story of a soldier coming back to the United States after a tour in Vietnam and the adjustments to culture that he has to make. The track was inspired by Gaye’s brother Frankie who spent 3 years serving in Vietnam."
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