Author: James and Jordan
Published: December 31, 1969
Tool: [ email ]
By: Jordan Kellogg
When Marvin Gaye brought “What’s Going On” to Motown
in 1971, the country had just started to emerge from a
tumultuous decade. The preceding 10 years saw the
assassination of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King. Students were protesting the Vietnam
War, while the draft was pulling young men into a
conflict far from their homes. It had been a decade
of uncertainty for Americans of all races, both male
and female.
At the time, Gaye was flexing his creative muscles.
He recorded “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” in
1968, which quickly became the label’s biggest selling
record. He followed with another #1, “Too Busy
Thinking ‘Bout My Baby”, but was sidetracked when his
collaborator and close friend Tammi Terrell died from
an illness associated with a brain tumor.
When Gaye presented the album “What’s Going On” to
Motown, executives refused to accept it. The album
dealt with poverty and war; touchy subjects for any
artist, much less a sex symbol as Gaye was considered.
The title track urged “father” to consider peace over
war and non-violent protest over violence. “What’s
Going On” became a #1 hit when it was released in
1971, defying many people’s expectations.
“What’s Going On” remains as relevant today as it
ever was. The lyrics echo concerns we deal with, from
gang violence, to discrimination, to terrorism. Where
Marvin Gaye examined the Vietnam War, we have the War
on Terror, and while the similarities between the two
are slim, both are a cause for uncertainty and fear.
It is sad that we can’t look back on this song as a
relic from another time. It is unfortunate that it
has been remade, and that it sounds as important now
as when it was first released. When we can no longer
relate to the song, when we listen to it in amazement,
wondering what the world was like back in 1971 and
2001, that’s when we’ll know we have accomplished
something worth singing about.
--- Silentthug wrote:
The remaking on the Marvin Gaye classic
track, "What's Going On", was a wonderful idea. It's
definitely a great way for today's hottest artists
to express their feelings on the world they live in,
as well as lift the spirits of those who were a
victim in any way to the tragedies that occured on
September 11, 2001. Although this song has a great
deal to do with those tragic events, there is yet
another focus at hand. Aids has spread through
Africa like wildfire through a forest, and this song
also serves as a call for stopping the wide spread
of the deadly disease. In the song, you will hear
many of today's chart-toppers like Destiny's Child,
Nelly, Alicia Keys, Fred Durst, Mary J. Blige,
Christina Aguilara, Britney Spears, Eve, Jermain
Dupri, Nas, and those are only a few. Many other
artists have also come out to be a part of this
patriotic compilation. The focus of the rendition
does not stray to far at all from the Marvin Gaye
classic, originally introduced to the world over
thirty years ago.
Today's hip-hop community is greatly criticized
for
many different things, and often accused of not
caring anything about the society they live within.
"What's Going On" will prove all of the critics and
nay-sayers wrong. It shows that we are all open to
what's going on in the world, and we are doing our
part to help clean things up.
"What's Going On" has been released as a single,
which includes nine different remixes of the remake.
It's available in all stores NOW!
What's Going On OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
http://www.whats-going-on.org
American Red Cross:
http://www.redcross.org
