What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye

In May 1971 when this album debuted, Marvin Gaye was at an incredible crossroads of grief, sadness, and questioning in his life. His marriage to the sister of the founder of his record label was crumbling. His brother returned from the Vietnam war with a changed outlook. His duet partner passed away from to a brain tumor. He wanted to change his sound and subject matter and put out new music on his own terms but met resistance from his label, Motown Records. Thankfully for us all, Berry Gordy, said brother-in-law and label head, ate his words and admitted how powerful this new sound was once “What’s Going On,” the lead single and title track, was an undeniable hit.

Fifty years later and I’m discovering Gaye’s iconic album for the first time after hearing about it on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast. In 2020 they rereleased their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and this was #1.

I love that this is a concept album with the songs seamlessly transitioning from one to the next. But it makes me think that hearing a song on its own as a one-off wouldn’t quite make sense. However, I recently heard “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” at the grocery store and thought how light and fun it was to hear in the wild. I don’t think that would be true of every song, but there are singles on every album.

What’s Going On is a perplexing album to me for one reason: the vibes and sounds are fabulous, but the themes and lyrics highlight some pretty serious issues. If you ever want to listen to music about civil rights, climate change, and morality while bopping along to warm, exuberant party sounds this is absolutely the album for you. The ambient, rhythmic sounds of the party linger on the whole album, creating a vibe that I want to stay for. It’s the attitude of good music that makes you want to dance and relish the moment. But the lyrics – their meanings and implications – linger too.

Listening to this album and then listening to literally anything else makes the other stuff feel so frivolous because of how poignant and relevant and hurtful and realistic this is. Everything else just feels so airy and out of touch. The issues Gaye croons about still ring so violently true that I feel discouraged when I listen. I wish in my core that there was some kind of change or positivity that I could point to that society has improved upon as a whole, but temperatures are rising and racial inequity is as terrible as it was when this album was brand new.

I’ve now listened to What’s Going On so many times that the Music app on my phone better pick up on it and include these songs when I press shuffle. I can’t wait to see where my relationship to this album goes and how it encourages me think about how I uphold justice and equality.

This album is quick, clocking in at a mere 36 minutes with only nine songs. But it packs a punch with every listen. It’s important to remember the influence of musicians and artists in pushing society to highlight issues and fight for real change. The lyrics are dense and really demand the listener’s attention. However, if resistance needs a soundtrack in 2021, these songs that sound the way a party feels are the perfect marching music.