Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about Marvin Gaye and showcases his 1971 song "Save The Children".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, motivational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Marvin Gaye for his musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/songs-from-marvin-gayes-whats-going-on.html for a 2012 pancocojams post entitled "Five Songs From Marvin Gaye's 1971 "What's Going On" Album". A link to a 2017 pancocojams post showcasing two Marvin Gaye songs is also included in that post.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT MARVIN GAYE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye
"Marvin Gaye born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984)[2] was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits, including "Ain't That Peculiar", "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", and duet recordings with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Diana Ross and Tammi Terrell, later earning the titles "Prince of Motown" and "Prince of Soul".
During the 1970s, he recorded the albums What's Going On and Let's Get It On and became one of the first artists in Motown (joint with Stevie Wonder) to break away from the reins of a production company. His later recordings influenced several contemporary R&B subgenres, such as quiet storm and neo soul.[3] Following a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s, he released the 1982 Grammy Award-winning hit "Sexual Healing" and its parent album Midnight Love.
On April 1, 1984, Gaye's father, Marvin Gay Sr., fatally shot him at their house in the West Adams district of Los Angeles.[4][5] Since his death, many institutions have posthumously bestowed Gaye with awards and other honors—including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[6]
****
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_Going_On_(Marvin_Gaye_album)
"What's Going On is the eleventh studio album by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released May 21, 1971, on the Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records.[1] Recording sessions took place in June 1970 and March–May 1971 at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios in Detroit and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. What's Going On was the first Marvin Gaye album for which Gaye is credited as producer and Motown Records' main studio band, the session musicians known as the Funk Brothers, received a credit.
What's Going On is a concept album consisting of nine songs, most of which segue into the next. It has been categorized as a song cycle; the album ends with a reprise of the album's opening theme. The story is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye's introspective lyrics discuss themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. He has also been credited with promoting awareness of global warming before the public outcry against it had become prominent.
What's Going On was an immediate success, both commercially and critically. Having endured as a classic of 1970s soul, a deluxe edition set was released on February 27, 2001, and featured a recording of a May 1972 concert shot at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Worldwide surveys of critics, musicians, and the general public have shown that What's Going On is regarded as one of the landmark recordings in pop music history, and one of the greatest albums of the 20th century.[2] The album was ranked number six both on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", and in the magazine's update nine years later.[3]"
****
LYRICS: SAVE THE CHILDREN
(Marvin Gaye)
[Verse 1]
I just want to ask a question:
Who really cares, to save a world in despair?
Who really cares?
There'll come a time (There'll come a time)
When the world won't be singing (When the world won't be singing)
Flowers won't grow (flowers won't grow, no)
Bells won't be ringing (the bells won't be ringing)
Who really cares? (Who really cares?)
Who's willing to try? (Who is willing to try?)
To save the world, (to save the world)
That's destined to die (that is destined to die)
When I look at the world (when I look at the world)
It fills me with sorrow (it fills me with sorrow)
Little children today (children today)
Are really going to suffer tomorrow (really suffer tomorrow)
(Oh!) What a shame (what a shame)
Such a bad way to live (such a bad way to live)
Oh, who is to blame? (Who is to blame?)
We can't stop living, (when we can't stop living)
Live, (Live)
(Live for life) Live for life
(But let live everybody)
Live life for the children (live life for...the children. Oh, for the Children)
You see, let's...let's save the children
Let's...let's save all the children, (Save the babies, save the babies!)
(And if you want to love, you got to....save the babies)
(Oh you've got the feeling, you've got the feeling)
(You will save the babies, all of the Children)
Source: https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-save-the-children-lyrics
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Marvin Gaye - LIVE Save The Children 1972
Nicolas Bouhelier, Published on Sep 14, 2017
Marvin Gaye LIVE Save The Children
At The Kennedy Center
1972
****
Example #2: What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
ClassicSoulRadio, Published on Feb 1, 2012
From his Live in Amsterdam 1976 concert.
****
Example #3: Save The Children Marvin Gaye
showzono100, Published on Feb 22, 2011
****
Example #4: What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
ClassicSoulRadio, Published on Feb 1, 2012
From his Live in Amsterdam 1976 concert.
Showing posts with label Marvin Gaye. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvin Gaye. Show all posts
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Thursday, June 1, 2017
Marvin Gaye- "Mercy Mercy Me", "What's Going On" (And Three Other Songs From His 1971 "What's Going On" Album)
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.
-snip-
Additional videos have been added to this post which was originally published in 2012.
****
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"."
****
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
-snip-
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".
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
.
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.
-snip-
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
**
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
****
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.
-snip-
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
-snip-
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."
****
Example #4: Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
Abdul Jalil, Published on May 10, 2012
-snip-
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
-snip-
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."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams..
Visitor comments are welcome.
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.
-snip-
Additional videos have been added to this post which was originally published in 2012.
****
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"."
****
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
-snip-
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".
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
.
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.
-snip-
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
**
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
****
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.
-snip-
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
-snip-
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."
****
Example #4: Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
Abdul Jalil, Published on May 10, 2012
-snip-
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
-snip-
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."
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams..
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Grover Washington Jr. - "Inner City Blues" (along with an example of Marvin Gaye's performance of this song)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part III of a three part series on the last name (surname) "Washington" in the United States.
Part III presents information about the African American musician Grover Washington, Jr and information about Marvin Gaye's 1971 song "Inner City Blues" (Inner City Blues). This post also showcases an example of Grover Washington, Jr's performance of that tune. The Addendum to this post features a sound file of that Marvin Gaye's performance of this song that he wrote.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/washington-blackest-last-name-in-united.html for Part I of this post. Part I presents excerpts from several online articles about the last name "Washington". Part I also includes excerpts from a 2002 research project that I commissioned on surnames in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Part I presents excerpts from several online articles about the last name "Washington". Part I also includes excerpts from a 2002 research project that I commissioned on surnames in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/dinah-washington-what-difference-day.html for Part II. Part II presents information about the African American vocalist Dinah Washington and showcases her singing "What A Difference A Day Makes". Information and comments about that song and about Dinah Washington and song lyrics are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Grover Washington, Jr. for his musical legacy. Thanks also to Marvin Gaye for his musical legacy and thanks to all the other artists who are featured on these examples. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of this sound file on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT GROVER WASHINGTON, JR.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Washington,_Jr.
"Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999)[1] was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Dave Grusin, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.[citation needed] He wrote some of his material and later became an arranger and producer.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mister Magic," "Reed Seed," "Black Frost," "Winelight," "Inner City Blues" and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us" (still in regular rotation on radio today), Patti LaBelle on "The Best Is Yet to Come" and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", and for his 1996 version of "Soulful Strut"."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT "INNER CITY BLUES" (MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER)
From
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: GROVER WASHINGTON,JR - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
gaposto74, Uploaded on Nov 7, 2011
COMPILATION: JAZZ SWINGS MOTOWN
-snip-
Here's information about Grover Washington, Jr's album "Inner City Blues" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_City_Blues_(Grover_Washington,_Jr._album)
"Inner City Blues is the debut album by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in September 1971 and released in 1972. The title track was a cover of the recent hit by Marvin Gaye released in June 1971. The album also includes a cover of Bill Withers' hit "Ain't No Sunshine", released shortly before recording this album. In 2008, it was reissued on CD by Verve Records."...
****
ADDENDUM: 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.
MarvinGayeVEVO
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye for information about Marvin Gaye
Click
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marvingaye/innercitybluesmakemewannaholler.html for lyrics to "Inner City Blues" (Make Me Wanna Holler).
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is Part III of a three part series on the last name (surname) "Washington" in the United States.
Part III presents information about the African American musician Grover Washington, Jr and information about Marvin Gaye's 1971 song "Inner City Blues" (Inner City Blues). This post also showcases an example of Grover Washington, Jr's performance of that tune. The Addendum to this post features a sound file of that Marvin Gaye's performance of this song that he wrote.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/washington-blackest-last-name-in-united.html for Part I of this post. Part I presents excerpts from several online articles about the last name "Washington". Part I also includes excerpts from a 2002 research project that I commissioned on surnames in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Part I presents excerpts from several online articles about the last name "Washington". Part I also includes excerpts from a 2002 research project that I commissioned on surnames in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/02/dinah-washington-what-difference-day.html for Part II. Part II presents information about the African American vocalist Dinah Washington and showcases her singing "What A Difference A Day Makes". Information and comments about that song and about Dinah Washington and song lyrics are also included in this post.
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Grover Washington, Jr. for his musical legacy. Thanks also to Marvin Gaye for his musical legacy and thanks to all the other artists who are featured on these examples. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of this sound file on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT GROVER WASHINGTON, JR.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Washington,_Jr.
"Grover Washington, Jr. (December 12, 1943 – December 17, 1999)[1] was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Dave Grusin, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.[citation needed] He wrote some of his material and later became an arranger and producer.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Washington made some of the genre's most memorable hits, including "Mister Magic," "Reed Seed," "Black Frost," "Winelight," "Inner City Blues" and "The Best is Yet to Come". In addition, he performed very frequently with other artists, including Bill Withers on "Just the Two of Us" (still in regular rotation on radio today), Patti LaBelle on "The Best Is Yet to Come" and Phyllis Hyman on "A Sacred Kind of Love". He is also remembered for his take on the Dave Brubeck classic "Take Five", and for his 1996 version of "Soulful Strut"."
****
INFORMATION ABOUT "INNER CITY BLUES" (MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER)
From
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: GROVER WASHINGTON,JR - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
gaposto74, Uploaded on Nov 7, 2011
COMPILATION: JAZZ SWINGS MOTOWN
-snip-
Here's information about Grover Washington, Jr's album "Inner City Blues" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_City_Blues_(Grover_Washington,_Jr._album)
"Inner City Blues is the debut album by saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr.. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in September 1971 and released in 1972. The title track was a cover of the recent hit by Marvin Gaye released in June 1971. The album also includes a cover of Bill Withers' hit "Ain't No Sunshine", released shortly before recording this album. In 2008, it was reissued on CD by Verve Records."...
****
ADDENDUM: 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.
MarvinGayeVEVO
-snip-
Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye for information about Marvin Gaye
Click
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/marvingaye/innercitybluesmakemewannaholler.html for lyrics to "Inner City Blues" (Make Me Wanna Holler).
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Four Motown Recordings Of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post provides information about the Rhythm & Blues song "I Heard It Though The Grapevine" and showcases four Motown examples of that song. The featured artists who are featured in this post are Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations.
Note: These four examples aren't the only recordings of "I Heard It Though The Grapevine" by Motown recording artists.
The content of this post is presented for entertainment, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, the composers of this song. Thanks also to all the featured singers and musicians. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
Hat tip to Mitchell McCann who sent me an email requesting a pancocojams post about "I Heard It Though The Grapevine".
Click https://play.google.com/music/preview/T6sajmrpnxg2jcq4zawy2lvdbk4?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics for lyrics to this song.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_It_Through_the_Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966, and made famous by Marvin Gaye in a single released in October 1968 on Motown's Tamla label.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles released a cover in their 1968 album, Special Occasion. Whitfield produced a version with Gladys Knight & the Pips, which Gordy releases as a single in September 1967, and which went to number two in the Billboard chart. The Marvin Gaye version was placed on his 1968 album In the Groove, where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys, and Gordy finally agreed to its release as a single in October 1968, when it went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks from December 1968 to January 1969 and became for a time the biggest hit single on the Motown label (Tamla).
The Gaye recording has since become an acclaimed soul classic, and in 2004, it was placed on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. On the commemorative 50th Anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine in June 2008, Marvin Gaye's "Grapevine" was ranked 65th. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.
In addition to being released several times by Motown artists, the song has been covered by a range of musicians including Creedence Clearwater Revival, who made an eleven-minute interpretation for their 1970 album, Cosmo's Factory; and has been used twice in television commercials – each time using session musicians recreating the style of the Marvin Gaye version: the 1985 Levi's commercial, "Launderette", featuring male model Nick Kamen, and the 1986 California raisins promotion with Buddy Miles as the singer for the clay animation group The California Raisins.
Composition
By 1966, Barrett Strong, the singer on Motown Records' breakthrough hit, "Money (That's What I Want)", had the basics of a song he had started to write in Chicago, where the idea had come to him while walking down Michigan Avenue that people were always saying "I heard it through the grapevine".[1] The phrase is associated with black slaves during the Civil War, who had their form of telegraph: the human grapevine.[2][3] Producer Norman Whitfield worked with Strong on the song, adding lyrics to Strong's basic Ray Charles influenced gospel tune and the single chorus line of "I heard it through the grapevine".[4] This was to be the first of a number of successful collaborations between Strong and Whitfield.[5]
Motown recordings
Producer Norman Whitfield recorded "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" with various Motown artists. The first known recording is with the Miracles on August 6, 1966, though there may also have been a recording with the Isley Brothers, or at least Whitfield intended to record it with them; however a track has not turned up – some Motown historians believe that a session may have been scheduled but cancelled.[4][7][8][9] The Miracles' version was not released as a single due to Berry Gordy's veto during Motown's weekly quality control meetings; Gordy advised Whitfield and Strong to create a stronger single.[7] The Miracles version later appeared on their 1968 Special Occasion album, and a slightly different take, possibly from the same session but unreleased, appeared on the 1998 compilation album, Motown Sings Motown Treasures.[10]
Marvin Gaye's version was recorded in spring 1967, and is the second known recording, though was also rejected by Gordy as a single, and would also later go onto an album, In the Groove. The third recording was in 1967 with Gladys Knight and the Pips in a new, faster arrangement. Gordy accepted the new arrangement and the Gladys Knight version was released as a single in September 1967, reaching number 2 in the charts. When Gaye's album with his version of Grapevine was released in August 1968 radio disc jockeys were playing the song, so Gordy had it released as a single in October, and it went to number one in December.
In 1968, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers recorded a version for their debut album based on Gladys' recent hit; however, after hearing the Marvin Gaye version, they felt they'd made the wrong choice.[11] In 1969, Whitfield produced a version for the Temptations "psychedelic soul" album, Cloud Nine, in which he "brought compelling percussion to the fore, and relegated the piano well into the wings".[12] In 1971, the Undisputed Truth became the final Motown act to record the song in its Marvin-styled version. The song was also covered by the Chi-Lites on their 1969 debut album Give It Away.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order by their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest video given first.
Example #1: I Heard It Through The Grapevine-Gladys Knight and the Pips [1971]
wingtipvortex Uploaded on May 14, 2008
Love this tune to bits! Creedence version is brilliant, this one is double brilliant!!
-snip-
Here's a link to the Creedence Clearwater Revival version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93S_l0qZrXA
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Okon “Herbsman” Umoh, 2014
"No disrespect to Marvin, but this version takes the biscuit. There is just so much funk, soul, personality and attitude in this one."
-snip-
The idiom “takes the biscuit” is usually given as “takes the cake” (meaning, “wins the prize”).
**
Lou Hutson, 2014
"Motown had the genius idea of having more than one of their artists record the same song. Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight hit heard it through the grapevine out of the park!"
**
iluvmusicals21, 2014
"Love Gladys' version, though Marvin's has more airplay."
**
kelamo, 2014
"This is from the very first episode of Soul Train!"
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1968)
Rene Zwaap, Uploaded on Feb 25, 2009
Favorietje
****
Example #3: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
KingRizlaa, Uploaded on Jan 27, 2010
Original version
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
Matt S, 2014
"This was the first recorded version, in 1966. It wasn't released until much later. Marvin Gaye's version was the second one RECORDED (1967) but was initially rejected as a single and put on Gaye's "In The Groove" album (1968). DJs played the song on the radio and forced Motown to make it a single. Gladys Knight and the Pips' version was the first one RELEASED but the third RECORDED..."
**
shomzlezilebovic, 2014
"what about temptations version?"
**
Frank Janssen, 2014
"+shomzlezilebovic According to The Originals.be this is the sequence of recording (not release!!) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1966), Isley Brothers (1967) [unreleased], Gladys Knight & The Pips (1967) [n°1 R&B], Willie Bobo (1967) , Marvin Gaye (1968) [n°1 R&B, US & UK], King Curtis (1968) , Temptations (1969), Chi-Lites (1969) , Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970) , Undisputed Truth (1971) , Maggie MacNeal (1971) , Average White Band (1977) , Joe Cocker (1978) , Slits (1979) , Bettye LaVette (1980) , Roger (1981) [n°1 R&B], Flying Pickets (1984) , Tuxedomoon (1987) , Marisa Monte (1989) , F.M. (1991) [hardrock-version], B.J. Scott & Doug Duffy (1994) , Soultans (1996) , The King (1998) , Michael McDonald (2003) , Amy Winehouse & Paul Weller (2008)
NB: these are the well-known versions, not every version nor the best .... The Slits did a good job butchering this song! ;-P"
****
Example #4: The Temptations - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Will Common Published on Sep 15, 2013
Copyrights owned by Motown Records (1969). Lead by Eddie Kendricks & Dennis Edwards, Narrating of a man hearing of his own relationships deception through the grapevine. This is their cover version. Originally done by Glady Knight & The Pips in 1967 and was made famous by Marvin Gaye a year later.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post provides information about the Rhythm & Blues song "I Heard It Though The Grapevine" and showcases four Motown examples of that song. The featured artists who are featured in this post are Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations.
Note: These four examples aren't the only recordings of "I Heard It Though The Grapevine" by Motown recording artists.
The content of this post is presented for entertainment, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, the composers of this song. Thanks also to all the featured singers and musicians. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and the publishers of these examples on YouTube.
Hat tip to Mitchell McCann who sent me an email requesting a pancocojams post about "I Heard It Though The Grapevine".
Click https://play.google.com/music/preview/T6sajmrpnxg2jcq4zawy2lvdbk4?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics for lyrics to this song.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Heard_It_Through_the_Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966, and made famous by Marvin Gaye in a single released in October 1968 on Motown's Tamla label.
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles released a cover in their 1968 album, Special Occasion. Whitfield produced a version with Gladys Knight & the Pips, which Gordy releases as a single in September 1967, and which went to number two in the Billboard chart. The Marvin Gaye version was placed on his 1968 album In the Groove, where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys, and Gordy finally agreed to its release as a single in October 1968, when it went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks from December 1968 to January 1969 and became for a time the biggest hit single on the Motown label (Tamla).
The Gaye recording has since become an acclaimed soul classic, and in 2004, it was placed on the Rolling Stone list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. On the commemorative 50th Anniversary of the Billboard Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine in June 2008, Marvin Gaye's "Grapevine" was ranked 65th. It was also inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame for "historical, artistic and significant" value.
In addition to being released several times by Motown artists, the song has been covered by a range of musicians including Creedence Clearwater Revival, who made an eleven-minute interpretation for their 1970 album, Cosmo's Factory; and has been used twice in television commercials – each time using session musicians recreating the style of the Marvin Gaye version: the 1985 Levi's commercial, "Launderette", featuring male model Nick Kamen, and the 1986 California raisins promotion with Buddy Miles as the singer for the clay animation group The California Raisins.
Composition
By 1966, Barrett Strong, the singer on Motown Records' breakthrough hit, "Money (That's What I Want)", had the basics of a song he had started to write in Chicago, where the idea had come to him while walking down Michigan Avenue that people were always saying "I heard it through the grapevine".[1] The phrase is associated with black slaves during the Civil War, who had their form of telegraph: the human grapevine.[2][3] Producer Norman Whitfield worked with Strong on the song, adding lyrics to Strong's basic Ray Charles influenced gospel tune and the single chorus line of "I heard it through the grapevine".[4] This was to be the first of a number of successful collaborations between Strong and Whitfield.[5]
Motown recordings
Producer Norman Whitfield recorded "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" with various Motown artists. The first known recording is with the Miracles on August 6, 1966, though there may also have been a recording with the Isley Brothers, or at least Whitfield intended to record it with them; however a track has not turned up – some Motown historians believe that a session may have been scheduled but cancelled.[4][7][8][9] The Miracles' version was not released as a single due to Berry Gordy's veto during Motown's weekly quality control meetings; Gordy advised Whitfield and Strong to create a stronger single.[7] The Miracles version later appeared on their 1968 Special Occasion album, and a slightly different take, possibly from the same session but unreleased, appeared on the 1998 compilation album, Motown Sings Motown Treasures.[10]
Marvin Gaye's version was recorded in spring 1967, and is the second known recording, though was also rejected by Gordy as a single, and would also later go onto an album, In the Groove. The third recording was in 1967 with Gladys Knight and the Pips in a new, faster arrangement. Gordy accepted the new arrangement and the Gladys Knight version was released as a single in September 1967, reaching number 2 in the charts. When Gaye's album with his version of Grapevine was released in August 1968 radio disc jockeys were playing the song, so Gordy had it released as a single in October, and it went to number one in December.
In 1968, Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers recorded a version for their debut album based on Gladys' recent hit; however, after hearing the Marvin Gaye version, they felt they'd made the wrong choice.[11] In 1969, Whitfield produced a version for the Temptations "psychedelic soul" album, Cloud Nine, in which he "brought compelling percussion to the fore, and relegated the piano well into the wings".[12] In 1971, the Undisputed Truth became the final Motown act to record the song in its Marvin-styled version. The song was also covered by the Chi-Lites on their 1969 debut album Give It Away.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
These videos are presented in chronological order by their publishing dates on YouTube with the oldest video given first.
Example #1: I Heard It Through The Grapevine-Gladys Knight and the Pips [1971]
wingtipvortex Uploaded on May 14, 2008
Love this tune to bits! Creedence version is brilliant, this one is double brilliant!!
-snip-
Here's a link to the Creedence Clearwater Revival version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93S_l0qZrXA
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread:
Okon “Herbsman” Umoh, 2014
"No disrespect to Marvin, but this version takes the biscuit. There is just so much funk, soul, personality and attitude in this one."
-snip-
The idiom “takes the biscuit” is usually given as “takes the cake” (meaning, “wins the prize”).
**
Lou Hutson, 2014
"Motown had the genius idea of having more than one of their artists record the same song. Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight hit heard it through the grapevine out of the park!"
**
iluvmusicals21, 2014
"Love Gladys' version, though Marvin's has more airplay."
**
kelamo, 2014
"This is from the very first episode of Soul Train!"
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1968)
Rene Zwaap, Uploaded on Feb 25, 2009
Favorietje
****
Example #3: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
KingRizlaa, Uploaded on Jan 27, 2010
Original version
-snip-
Selected comments from this sound file's discussion thread:
Matt S, 2014
"This was the first recorded version, in 1966. It wasn't released until much later. Marvin Gaye's version was the second one RECORDED (1967) but was initially rejected as a single and put on Gaye's "In The Groove" album (1968). DJs played the song on the radio and forced Motown to make it a single. Gladys Knight and the Pips' version was the first one RELEASED but the third RECORDED..."
**
shomzlezilebovic, 2014
"what about temptations version?"
**
Frank Janssen, 2014
"+shomzlezilebovic According to The Originals.be this is the sequence of recording (not release!!) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1966), Isley Brothers (1967) [unreleased], Gladys Knight & The Pips (1967) [n°1 R&B], Willie Bobo (1967) , Marvin Gaye (1968) [n°1 R&B, US & UK], King Curtis (1968) , Temptations (1969), Chi-Lites (1969) , Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970) , Undisputed Truth (1971) , Maggie MacNeal (1971) , Average White Band (1977) , Joe Cocker (1978) , Slits (1979) , Bettye LaVette (1980) , Roger (1981) [n°1 R&B], Flying Pickets (1984) , Tuxedomoon (1987) , Marisa Monte (1989) , F.M. (1991) [hardrock-version], B.J. Scott & Doug Duffy (1994) , Soultans (1996) , The King (1998) , Michael McDonald (2003) , Amy Winehouse & Paul Weller (2008)
NB: these are the well-known versions, not every version nor the best .... The Slits did a good job butchering this song! ;-P"
****
Example #4: The Temptations - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Will Common Published on Sep 15, 2013
Copyrights owned by Motown Records (1969). Lead by Eddie Kendricks & Dennis Edwards, Narrating of a man hearing of his own relationships deception through the grapevine. This is their cover version. Originally done by Glady Knight & The Pips in 1967 and was made famous by Marvin Gaye a year later.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, February 9, 2015
What Pharrel Williams' Performance Of "Happy" 2015 Grammy Awards REALLY Means
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a video of Pharrell Williams's performance of his hit song "Happy" at the Grammy Awards 2015 and provides various- sometimes conflicting- comments about what the staging of that performance means.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/pharrell-williams-happy-song-from.html for the pancocojams post "Pharrell Williams - "Happy", from Despicable Me 2 (video, lyrics, and comments)"
This post was revised on Feb. 10, 2015.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pharrell Williams - Happy (Live GRAMMYs 2015)
PharrellWilliamsVEVO Published on Feb 9, 2015
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DESCRIPTIONS OF AND COMMENTS ABOUT PHARRELL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMY AWARDS
Excerpt From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pharrell-williams-ferguson-tribute-happy-771514
Grammys: Pharrell Williams Slips Ferguson Tribute Into "Happy" Performance (Video) by Hilary Lewis
2/8/2015
"Think you've heard every rendition of Pharrell Williams' ubiquitous "Happy"?
The mega-producer brought something new to the Grammys stage this year, teaming up with piano superstar Lang Lang and composer Hans Zimmer for a dramatic rendition of the hit song, which won best pop solo performance and best music video...
Williams, wearing what looked like a bellhop's costume, began his performance by speaking the opening lines of the song before a dramatic orchestral opening and a return to the familiar beat and lyrics. People in white gospel-singer-like robes then filled the aisles. Williams was backed by dancers wearing black hooded sweatshirts, some holding yellow tambourines, which the robed audience members also carried. Williams, whose outfit featured shorts instead of pants, just like his Grammys arrival suit, also sported yellow shoes.
Williams also included a subtle tribute to Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown, as he and his dancers made a "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture during the performance."
****
Excerpt From http://mic.com/articles/110140/the-powerful-statement-almost-everyone-missed-from-pharrell-s-grammy-performance The Powerful Statement Almost Everyone Missed from Pharrell's Grammy Performance by Derrick Clifton February 08, 2015
"Happy" became a movement unto itself last year. But during his Grammy moment, Pharrell Williams aligned the song's message with what's undoubtedly the biggest movement of the moment. While audiences at home fixated on his bellhop costume, many missed the artist's powerful message.
During the middle of his performance, Williams and his backup dancers on stage — many outfitted in black hoodies — paused. Instead of singing, they allowed their hands to speak for themselves in a tribute to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that emerged last year to protest the killings of unarmed black Americans.
The significance of the black hoodies and the "hands up" motion cannot be understated. Both images have been unmistakably synonymous with the broader movement against the killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers and vigilantes. The hoodies originally emerged as a form of protest following the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the eventual acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman. The "hands up" came immediately following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer.
Williams chose one of the biggest moments of his career, on what's perhaps music's biggest stage, to make a pointed gesture of solidarity with the broader #BlackLivesMatter efforts. Aligning his iconic song "Happy" with a call to value black lives sends a strong signal that the movement's message has been heard — and isn't going away anytime soon."...
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Selected Comments From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xB4l8_frc [video above]
Wetesk53, 2015
1. ..."it was a performance bringing light to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that's been going on for a while now protesting. You can see the Hands Up, Don't Shoot at 2:00. As far as I know, Beyonce brought light to it in her performance and Prince during his speech before presenting the best album award."...
**
2. Samson Tuiolosega, 2015
"...i can understand what he attempted to do. (Trying to turn Happy into a inspirational piece due to all the hate crimes lately) but his execution wasnt THAT great. I liked Lang Lang, and Hanz Zimmer and the choir did great. But the story was too sudden and brash for people to comprehend that it was to be more than another interpretation of Happy
**
3. Dawn Slater1, 2015
"I dislike it. Only because I love the original version of the song. The intro was weird in a creepy way. I just don't like this version. But I do respect him for the "hands up"
**
4. Kendra Ann, 2015
"Oh Gosh. The intro is "creepy" or "haunting" sounding because it represents the dark times that are happening today with the violence. Notice the hoodies (Trayvon Martin) and the "hands up don't shoot" (Mike Brown)? The uniform he has on represents the jobs African Americans got back then. The music sounds "all over the place" for a reason. The message is that even through dark times, you can still find happiness and shed light (see the yellow and white they have on?) By the way, it is Black History Month to those who want to say "why bring up the past". I hope this has made it easier for you to understand."
**
5. Ayden Casey, 2016
"He had his backup dancers wear hoods like Trayvon Martin, the back up dancers and Pharell Williams raised their hands as in "Hands Up Don't Shoot" Mike Brown at 2:04, and the Gospel singers symbolize the black churches that marchers met at and leaders spoke, and he sang happy meaning that although all of these things happened, the black community still was happy.
-snip-
I wonder if this is a facetious comment. Read my comment below which presents the opposite opinion about the meaning of Pharrell's 2015 Grammy Awards performance of "Happy".
****
MORE COMMENTS ABOUT PHARRELL WEARING A BELLHOP-LIKE UNIFORM
For what it's worth, I agree with the interpretations given as #1, #3, and #4 below, and disagree with the interpretation given as #2.
1. From [video account deleted]
Earth Spirit1, 2015
"He has a bell boy outfit on.a Stereotypical depiction where they want oppress people to remain. Don't feel don't think, don't react continue in the madness and be happy!"
-snip-
**
2. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xB4l8_frc
Queenceba29, 2015
"The bellhop uniform represents his servitude to God. You see at the end when he speaks to God and is like " I am your servant".. yeah..it's all symbolism. That's amazing. It really is."
**
3. From https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/posts/883326845023440 Pharrell Williams' performance was about much more than being happy.
-MIC.com
Gerri Seay
"Black Hoodies, Hands up don't Shoot and his bellman servant uniform... Metaphors all. Deep really. Almost Dunbar's "We wear the Mask" deep. We "happy" though!"
**
4. Gerri Seay
"... The jobs our talented fore parents had to take so their children could be "happy." And he's from VA [Virginia], so he Knows"
-snip-
Gerri Seay's comments above refer to the way that Black people had (have) to pretend to be happy and content in order to survive in a racist society. Here's late 19th century, early 20th century African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's composition "We Wear The Mask"
"We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
pSource http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html
****
Editor's comment
Pharrell Williams' staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards show elevated that composition from just a lighthearted feel-good "Don't worry. Be happy"* song to one that sends a serious message. In my opinion, one of those messages is that people can't really be happy as long as police violence and other injustices occur.
Williams added a serious element to this performance of "Happy" in the beginning of this performance by changing his song into a spoken word piece. His words were echoed in other languages. The inclusion of those different languages and featuring a Chinese pianist may have been meant to convey the point that this message isn't just about or for Black Americans.
The inclusion of a few chords from Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" song** also raised the level of this song from a puff piece to something much more serious.
The inclusion of the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" gesture -a reference to Michael Brown, Jr, the Black teen that was killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a White police officer)- and the cast wearing hoodies- a reference to Trayvon Martin- promoted the "Black Lives Matter" movement and sent the message that people might smile outwardly, but they won't really be happy until injustices such as police violence are eradicated.
Pharrell's folding his hand in prayer and saying "...as you can see Lord, I'm at your service...." reinforced the serious intent of this rendition of "Happy" and may even be considered an apology for his previous statements about Michael Brown Jr.
In a November 2014 article in Ebony Magazine, Pharrell said that Michael Brown, Jr looked "very bully-ish" in a video of him pushing a storeowner, and then later asking for trouble when he didn't listen to a police officer demanding that he get out of the street. Those comments were part of a November 2014 Ebony Magazine interview:
..."Ebony: Did you see the video allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing from a convenience store minutes before his death? What do you think?
PW: It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with. Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?...
I believe that Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to ‘get the f–k on the sidewalk.’ If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a storeowner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished."
-http://www.racialicious.com/2015/02/09/the-grammys-have-an-awkward-brush-with-social-justice/#more-33701 The Grammys Have An Awkward Brush With Social Justice, Arturo, February 9, 2015
*"Don't Worry. Be Happy" is a referent to Bobby McFerrin's widely known song which was released in 1988. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU for a video of that song.
**Here's an excerpt of the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children":
"I just want to ask a question:
Who really cares, to save a world in despair?
Who really cares?
Flowers won't grow (flowers won't grow, no)
Bells won't be ringing (the bells won't be ringing)
Who really cares? (Who really cares?)
Who's willing to try? (Who is willing to try?)
To save the world, (to save the world)
That's destined to die (that is destined to die)"...
- http://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-save-the-children-lyrics
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/songs-from-marvin-gayes-whats-going-on.html for a pancocojams post about Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" and other songs from his 1971 "What's Going On" album.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases a video of Pharrell Williams's performance of his hit song "Happy" at the Grammy Awards 2015 and provides various- sometimes conflicting- comments about what the staging of that performance means.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/01/pharrell-williams-happy-song-from.html for the pancocojams post "Pharrell Williams - "Happy", from Despicable Me 2 (video, lyrics, and comments)"
This post was revised on Feb. 10, 2015.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pharrell Williams - Happy (Live GRAMMYs 2015)
PharrellWilliamsVEVO Published on Feb 9, 2015
****
DESCRIPTIONS OF AND COMMENTS ABOUT PHARRELL'S STAGING OF "HAPPY" AT THE 2015 GRAMMY AWARDS
Excerpt From http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pharrell-williams-ferguson-tribute-happy-771514
Grammys: Pharrell Williams Slips Ferguson Tribute Into "Happy" Performance (Video) by Hilary Lewis
2/8/2015
"Think you've heard every rendition of Pharrell Williams' ubiquitous "Happy"?
The mega-producer brought something new to the Grammys stage this year, teaming up with piano superstar Lang Lang and composer Hans Zimmer for a dramatic rendition of the hit song, which won best pop solo performance and best music video...
Williams, wearing what looked like a bellhop's costume, began his performance by speaking the opening lines of the song before a dramatic orchestral opening and a return to the familiar beat and lyrics. People in white gospel-singer-like robes then filled the aisles. Williams was backed by dancers wearing black hooded sweatshirts, some holding yellow tambourines, which the robed audience members also carried. Williams, whose outfit featured shorts instead of pants, just like his Grammys arrival suit, also sported yellow shoes.
Williams also included a subtle tribute to Ferguson shooting victim Michael Brown, as he and his dancers made a "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture during the performance."
****
Excerpt From http://mic.com/articles/110140/the-powerful-statement-almost-everyone-missed-from-pharrell-s-grammy-performance The Powerful Statement Almost Everyone Missed from Pharrell's Grammy Performance by Derrick Clifton February 08, 2015
"Happy" became a movement unto itself last year. But during his Grammy moment, Pharrell Williams aligned the song's message with what's undoubtedly the biggest movement of the moment. While audiences at home fixated on his bellhop costume, many missed the artist's powerful message.
During the middle of his performance, Williams and his backup dancers on stage — many outfitted in black hoodies — paused. Instead of singing, they allowed their hands to speak for themselves in a tribute to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that emerged last year to protest the killings of unarmed black Americans.
The significance of the black hoodies and the "hands up" motion cannot be understated. Both images have been unmistakably synonymous with the broader movement against the killings of unarmed black people at the hands of police officers and vigilantes. The hoodies originally emerged as a form of protest following the death of Trayvon Martin in 2012 and the eventual acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman. The "hands up" came immediately following the death of Michael Brown in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, by a police officer.
Williams chose one of the biggest moments of his career, on what's perhaps music's biggest stage, to make a pointed gesture of solidarity with the broader #BlackLivesMatter efforts. Aligning his iconic song "Happy" with a call to value black lives sends a strong signal that the movement's message has been heard — and isn't going away anytime soon."...
****
Selected Comments From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xB4l8_frc [video above]
Wetesk53, 2015
1. ..."it was a performance bringing light to the #BlackLivesMatter movement that's been going on for a while now protesting. You can see the Hands Up, Don't Shoot at 2:00. As far as I know, Beyonce brought light to it in her performance and Prince during his speech before presenting the best album award."...
**
2. Samson Tuiolosega, 2015
"...i can understand what he attempted to do. (Trying to turn Happy into a inspirational piece due to all the hate crimes lately) but his execution wasnt THAT great. I liked Lang Lang, and Hanz Zimmer and the choir did great. But the story was too sudden and brash for people to comprehend that it was to be more than another interpretation of Happy
**
3. Dawn Slater1, 2015
"I dislike it. Only because I love the original version of the song. The intro was weird in a creepy way. I just don't like this version. But I do respect him for the "hands up"
**
4. Kendra Ann, 2015
"Oh Gosh. The intro is "creepy" or "haunting" sounding because it represents the dark times that are happening today with the violence. Notice the hoodies (Trayvon Martin) and the "hands up don't shoot" (Mike Brown)? The uniform he has on represents the jobs African Americans got back then. The music sounds "all over the place" for a reason. The message is that even through dark times, you can still find happiness and shed light (see the yellow and white they have on?) By the way, it is Black History Month to those who want to say "why bring up the past". I hope this has made it easier for you to understand."
**
5. Ayden Casey, 2016
"He had his backup dancers wear hoods like Trayvon Martin, the back up dancers and Pharell Williams raised their hands as in "Hands Up Don't Shoot" Mike Brown at 2:04, and the Gospel singers symbolize the black churches that marchers met at and leaders spoke, and he sang happy meaning that although all of these things happened, the black community still was happy.
-snip-
I wonder if this is a facetious comment. Read my comment below which presents the opposite opinion about the meaning of Pharrell's 2015 Grammy Awards performance of "Happy".
****
MORE COMMENTS ABOUT PHARRELL WEARING A BELLHOP-LIKE UNIFORM
For what it's worth, I agree with the interpretations given as #1, #3, and #4 below, and disagree with the interpretation given as #2.
1. From [video account deleted]
Earth Spirit1, 2015
"He has a bell boy outfit on.a Stereotypical depiction where they want oppress people to remain. Don't feel don't think, don't react continue in the madness and be happy!"
-snip-
**
2. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xB4l8_frc
Queenceba29, 2015
"The bellhop uniform represents his servitude to God. You see at the end when he speaks to God and is like " I am your servant".. yeah..it's all symbolism. That's amazing. It really is."
**
3. From https://www.facebook.com/MicMedia/posts/883326845023440 Pharrell Williams' performance was about much more than being happy.
-MIC.com
Gerri Seay
"Black Hoodies, Hands up don't Shoot and his bellman servant uniform... Metaphors all. Deep really. Almost Dunbar's "We wear the Mask" deep. We "happy" though!"
**
4. Gerri Seay
"... The jobs our talented fore parents had to take so their children could be "happy." And he's from VA [Virginia], so he Knows"
-snip-
Gerri Seay's comments above refer to the way that Black people had (have) to pretend to be happy and content in order to survive in a racist society. Here's late 19th century, early 20th century African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's composition "We Wear The Mask"
"We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
pSource http://www.potw.org/archive/potw8.html
****
Editor's comment
Pharrell Williams' staging of his song "Happy" at the 2015 Grammy Awards show elevated that composition from just a lighthearted feel-good "Don't worry. Be happy"* song to one that sends a serious message. In my opinion, one of those messages is that people can't really be happy as long as police violence and other injustices occur.
Williams added a serious element to this performance of "Happy" in the beginning of this performance by changing his song into a spoken word piece. His words were echoed in other languages. The inclusion of those different languages and featuring a Chinese pianist may have been meant to convey the point that this message isn't just about or for Black Americans.
The inclusion of a few chords from Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" song** also raised the level of this song from a puff piece to something much more serious.
The inclusion of the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" gesture -a reference to Michael Brown, Jr, the Black teen that was killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a White police officer)- and the cast wearing hoodies- a reference to Trayvon Martin- promoted the "Black Lives Matter" movement and sent the message that people might smile outwardly, but they won't really be happy until injustices such as police violence are eradicated.
Pharrell's folding his hand in prayer and saying "...as you can see Lord, I'm at your service...." reinforced the serious intent of this rendition of "Happy" and may even be considered an apology for his previous statements about Michael Brown Jr.
In a November 2014 article in Ebony Magazine, Pharrell said that Michael Brown, Jr looked "very bully-ish" in a video of him pushing a storeowner, and then later asking for trouble when he didn't listen to a police officer demanding that he get out of the street. Those comments were part of a November 2014 Ebony Magazine interview:
..."Ebony: Did you see the video allegedly showing Michael Brown stealing from a convenience store minutes before his death? What do you think?
PW: It looked very bully-ish; that in itself I had a problem with. Not with the kid, but with whatever happened in his life for him to arrive at a place where that behavior is OK. Why aren’t we talking about that?...
I believe that Ferguson officer should be punished and serve time. He used excessive force on a human being who was merely a child. He was a baby, man. The boy was walking in the middle of the street when the police supposedly told him to ‘get the f–k on the sidewalk.’ If you don’t listen to that, after just having pushed a storeowner, you’re asking for trouble. But you’re not asking to be killed. Some of these youth feel hunted and preyed upon, and that’s why that officer needs to be punished."
-http://www.racialicious.com/2015/02/09/the-grammys-have-an-awkward-brush-with-social-justice/#more-33701 The Grammys Have An Awkward Brush With Social Justice, Arturo, February 9, 2015
*"Don't Worry. Be Happy" is a referent to Bobby McFerrin's widely known song which was released in 1988. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU for a video of that song.
**Here's an excerpt of the lyrics to Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children":
"I just want to ask a question:
Who really cares, to save a world in despair?
Who really cares?
Flowers won't grow (flowers won't grow, no)
Bells won't be ringing (the bells won't be ringing)
Who really cares? (Who really cares?)
Who's willing to try? (Who is willing to try?)
To save the world, (to save the world)
That's destined to die (that is destined to die)"...
- http://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-save-the-children-lyrics
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/songs-from-marvin-gayes-whats-going-on.html for a pancocojams post about Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children" and other songs from his 1971 "What's Going On" album.
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Five Songs From Marvin Gaye's 1971 "What's Going On" Album
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 Goin On".
This post is presented for its historical, sociological, and aesthetic values. All copyrights remain with the copyright holders.
My thanks to Marvin Gaye for focusing attention on important social & political subjects through his creativity, artistry, and advocacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.
-snip-
Additional videos have been added to this post which was originally published in 2012.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/marvin-gaye-mercy-mercy-me-whats-going.html for lyrics and notes about these songs.
****
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"."
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me
DeTudo, Uploaded on Sep 6, 2007
lyrics
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
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
.
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.
****
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.
****
Example #4: Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
Abdul Jalil, Published on May 10, 2012
Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams..
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post features information about and videos/sound file examples of Marvin Gaye's now classic 1971 song cycle album "What's Goin On".
This post is presented for its historical, sociological, and aesthetic values. All copyrights remain with the copyright holders.
My thanks to Marvin Gaye for focusing attention on important social & political subjects through his creativity, artistry, and advocacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these YouTube examples.
-snip-
Additional videos have been added to this post which was originally published in 2012.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/06/marvin-gaye-mercy-mercy-me-whats-going.html for lyrics and notes about these songs.
****
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"."
****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Marvin Gaye - Mercy Mercy Me
DeTudo, Uploaded on Sep 6, 2007
lyrics
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
****
Example #2: Marvin Gaye - What's Going On + Save the Children LIVE
.
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.
****
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.
****
Example #4: Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
Abdul Jalil, Published on May 10, 2012
Marvin Gaye "What's Going On - What's Happening Brother"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams..
Visitor comments are welcome.
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