Marrvin Gaye - What's Going On?

In the early stages of Marvin Gaye’s career, he was a session drummer and singer for the Motown label in the early 1960’s for artists like Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. His marriage to Anna Gordy, sister of Berry Gordy, helped mold the chances of his career actually launching. Gaye had faced many adversities in his life, but his hardest one to face was finding the voice he needed to make an impact. Working with Gordy on projects and trying to release that “One great song” was difficult. The demand was high for commercial music and Gaye was not sure he could do it. Marvin was known to be a doo-wop singer in his early years, and the demand for something greater was upon him.

The 1960’s were an era of social tension, racial tension, war and hate. The ideals of What’s Going On explored the inner demons that Gaye faced and witnessed daily. The masterpiece he self-produced “explored issues ranging from poverty and discrimination to the environment, drug abuse, and political corruption; chief among the record's concerns was the conflict in Vietnam, as Gaye structured the songs around the point of view of his brother Frankie, himself a soldier recently returned from combat.” ( Ankeny, J 2012)

During the time that Marvin Gaye started creating What’s Going On, other personal problems in his life was affecting him. His marriage to Anna was crumbling, which hit him hard. His desire to have more free-reign over his work left him under so much pressure to create greatness. Since 1964, Gaye was revered as a crooner, based on the many duets he had performed with various artists. This style was not going to be what he wanted on What’s Going On. The introduction to a more percussion based band element, emotionally and politically motivated vocal creation and lyric content faced the issues that he felt were spiritually connected and driven. Drug abuse, political corruption, poverty and environmental discrimination were among the inspiration for the album, but it faced so much controversy and resistance. “The ambitions and complexity of What's Going On baffled Berry Gordy, who initially refused to release the LP; he finally relented, although he maintained that he never understood the record's full scope.” 

( Ankeny, J 2012)

The production of What’s Going On was the main element that was different from anything that Motown did before. For the most part, the music that Marvin Gaye sang in his early career established him as a “sex symbol” and his voice would melt hearts. This new music was harsh and soulful, utilizing more Jazz-style instrumentation, mixed with heavier, and more exotic, percussion sounds. The lyric content was sad and soulful, but a message was relayed that others did not feel was appropriate for the commercial market.

The other aspect that was ideal was the production quality. The earlier production quality was magnificent, even for the time. Gaye utilized his knowledge of the early recordings he had done and put that to work for him to make an even more rich sound that filled the minds, and not just the ears.

As an industry professional, singer and listener, I can appreciate every element of the What’s Going On album. Times were hard everywhere and the thought of losing family and loved one’s during the time of war was on everyone’s minds. Gaye expressed how sorrowful the events at that time were. This opened eyes and minds to try to ask the questions that nobody was brave enough to do. Remembering the lyrics and hanging on every word was common for most artists, but Gaye captivated countries with his songs. 

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