“What’s Going On” - 40 Years Since Marvin Gaye’s Death, We Reflect On The Seminal Album

Image Credit: Marvin Gaye by Jim Britt via Wikimedia Commons

OTwo Co-Editor Joshua McCormack takes a reflective look towards Marvin Gaye and one of his most impactful albums...

Released in 1971, 'What's Going On' is Marvin Gaye's eleventh studio album and is arguably his most politically charged collection of music. The lyrics are deeply reflective of the socio-political climate that the album was released in - touching on issues as diverse as the Vietnam War, environmentalism, racism, and poverty.

However, despite the breadth of issues Gaye interrogates, the Vietnam War is the nucleus around which the album is centred. The opening track, ' 'What's Going On' is steeped in an atmosphere of horrified bewilderment at the problems festering in the world. The lyrics express an unapologetic appeal for peace and a better way; the soft, almost mournful blues threaded through with lines that cut to the heart of the tragedies unfolding in Vietnam. 'Brother, brother, brother. There's far too many of you dying … 'You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate.' Gaye also manages to weave references to police violence against conscientious objectors and war protestors into the song; 'Picket lines and picket signs. Don't punish me with brutality. Talk to me.'

Examining the rest of the album, we have 'What's Happening Brother;' a song framed as a conversation between a Vietnam War veteran just returned home and his brother. It delves into the alienation returned soldiers experienced upon returning to their once familiar homes, and how it can often feel like the country they were fighting for has now discarded them - 'Can't find no work, can't find no job, my friend. Money is tighter than it's ever been.'

This song, along with the album as a whole, was inspired by the experience of Gaye's own brother, Frankie, a Vietnam Veteran who returned home radically changed by the horrors he'd witnessed in what he considered to be a senseless and unjust war. Wanting to understand the experience Frankie had endured, Gaye listened to his brother's memories and channelled his feelings of horror and desire for peace into the album.

Delving into the rest of the album, it's clear that the singer is trying to explore the horrors of war from as many angles as possible. 'Save the Children,' is another soft-spoken plea to reason and a better way, pulling at the heartstrings by appealing to the innocence of a child. Then we have 'Right On' which serves an ode to ordinary people, drinking in the joys of life in whatever peaceful way they choose, 'For those of us who live a life, hey, hey, hey, enjoying ourselves … ah, true love can conquer hate every time. Give out some love and you'll find peace sublime.’ 

Finally, there is Gaye's exploration of the socio-economic problem which plague many impoverished black communities across America, 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)'. This final track tackles the recalcitrant government policies which disproportionately dragged members of poorer communities off to war during the sixties and seventies; 'Bills pile up sky high. Send that boy off to die.'

Despite the bleak subject matter which forms the bedrock of the album, the direction Gaye takes the lyrics isn't insistent or demanding. There is no resounding call to arms, or frenetic beat that belies the urgency of the issues discussed. The music is lilting and soft, quiet blues delivered in a voice that warbles somewhere between purr and murmur. There is a fragile aspiration to the lyrics, a delicacy to the jazz which stands in stark contrast to much of his earlier work – which were mostly upbeat love songs.

In many ways 'What's Going On,' marked an inflection point in Gaye's life and career; as the months and years leading up the albums release saw Gaye grapple with the breakdown of his marriage and the death of his long-time duet partner, Tami Terrell. When studio bosses at Motown called to see how development was progressing on the album, Gaye would instead reply with his thoughts on the latest tragedy to plague America - "Have you read about those kids who were killed at Kent State?" What emerged from this period of introspection was the mother of all protest albums; one which might not have been released were it not for Gaye striking against Motown Boss Berry Gordy – who considered the music far too political.

The album was an acclaimed success; it dominated the charts for over fifty-eight weeks, became Gaye's first top ten LP, and sold over two million copies within a year. And while the decades since have seen many albums shatter these numbers, the fraught political climate we live in – racked with constant wars and divisive politics – make 'What's Going On' less a time capsule of a bygone era, and more a prescient vision of an unfortunate reality.