May 1971, Marvin Gaye, the songwriter and performer of hits such as I Heard It Though the Grapevine and Too Busy Thinki’ ‘Bout My Baby, is depressed after the death of his singing partner Tammi Terrell, the failure of his marriage and struggling with a cocaine dependency, brings the world arguably the greatest album ever recorded.
What’s Going On is a concept album, effectively a story from the point of view of a Vietnam vet, recounting the problems of the world and the need for spirituality to solve these issues. What’s Going On is also a cycle in which refrains and ideas melt into each other, with motifs regarding children, love and confusion at the state of the world repeatedly interweave.
Fifty years later, let’s listen.
Side 1
Track 1) What’s Going On
Mother, there’s too many of you crying,
Brother, there’s far too many of you dying
And that’s just the first two lines. Has ever a song so simply summed up the world … and sadly the current world not just the one it was written in.
In three minutes and fifty-seconds, we meet mothers, brothers, fathers, strikers on picket lines, hippies with long hair, and we you get to dance to a beautiful R’N’B shimmy. Masterpiece.
Track 2) What’s Happening Brother?
More a bit of hip poetry than a song – a compliment! – Marvin is on conversation with a brother back from the Vietnam war. He wants to know the truth: is the war getting better? But for the veteran life is confusing, can’t get a job, things look different.
Obviously we no longer have wars …
Track 3) Flying High (In a Friendly Sky)
A trippy hit, a song of escape from the problems we’ve encountered thanks to mind-altering substances.
Drugs is another problem that Marvin mentions that society has successfully dealt with in the meantime.
Track 4) Save the Children
On the one level a bit of an obvious track, we need to save the world for the children, and we need to look after our children. Nonetheless, lines such as ‘who’s going to save this world that is destined to die?’ seems like he may know something!
Track 5) God Is Love
A gospel based song in which Marvin points out that God gave us this world, he gives us love: we should love each other.
Perhaps a simple solution, but the feelings seem genuine.
Track 6) Mercy Mercy Me
Imagine that a mere pop star could talk about the death of the planet, the damage we do to the world in 1971, and yet today there are still some who want to argue that’s all’s fine with the world?
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Side 2
Track 7) Right On
A musical wonder. The opening jazz piano leads to a whole range of sounds, instruments I can’t identify, funky rhythms, spiritual moments and a big mess of a lyric that celebrates everyone and everything from those who look after the ill to sex.
For those of us who simply like to socialize
For those of us who tend the sick …
And my darling, one more thing
If you let me, I will take you to live where love is king
Ah, baby
Well, thank you Marvin.
Track 8) Wholy Holy
Another return to gospel, another insistence that we love each other to make the world a better place.
Some can argue this is corny, but it’s hard to argue with.
Track 9) Inner City Blues
The third of the timeless acts of genius on this record. A jazz and gospel sway through the troubles of life, from poverty, inflation, taxes and trigger happy policeman.
