Marvin gaye whats going on analysis

24 May 2021, 16:45

Marvin Gaye's protest anthem 'What's Going On' was a forceful and groundbreaking song at the time of its release in 1971, but fast forward 50 years later and it is sadly still just as relevant for the nature in 2021.

With the enormous spark of protests in the US and around the world against racism following the death of George Floyd a year ago, the subject of police brutality and racial injustice is being discussed as much today as it was back then.

Marvin Gaye co-wrote 'What's Going On' about the issues of the time, but little did he recognize that over 30 years after his death, tragically it still sounds as if it could contain been written yesterday.

Here's the history of one of the most important songs of the 20th century, 50 years on:

1. Who wrote 'What's Going On'?

   The anthem was co-written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye, and produced by Gaye himself.

   The song marked Gaye's departure from the Motown Sound of his previous output, towards more personal material.

   It was the title footpath of his album What
   

   Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’ Is as Relevant Today as It Was in 1971

   Fifty years ago, the artist released Motown’s best-selling album ever and changed the course of his musical career

   Motown wasn’t really known for its politically conscious music. Then came “What’s Going On.”

   Released on May 21, 1971, at the height of the Vietnam War, Marvin Gaye’s album became a monster, spawning three hit singles on its way to becoming Motown’s best-selling album to date. The album also marked a turning point for Motown and for Marvin Gaye as an artist.

   As a scholar of race and society in the U.S. and the host of the weekly radio show “Soul Stories,” I am struck by how many of the themes Gaye explores remain as relevant today as they were when he first wrote about them 50 years ago.

   Gaye’s evolution

   Some of the songs on the album say directly to the express of the world in the early 1970s.

   The title track, with its timeless lyric “war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate,” condemned the nation’s involvement in Vietnam. But the song provides an intuition into the evolution of Gaye’s music to encompass overtly political themes.

   Marvin Gaye &

   
   

   Marvin Gaye's characterization of his seminal album What's Going On (1971) as a "me against the Man" noncommercial rebellion is a clear example of the fascinating way hype and hermeneutics clash at the site of a pop culture text. Today, we are accustomed to the sights of strife between performers and management; think of Pearl Jam's quixotic TicketMaster boycott, Prince's facial "slave" tattoo protesting contract negotiations, or Warren Beatty sneaking "Bulworth" by studio executives on the strength of his bankable blockbuster reputation. Popular art does not, cannot, achieve us unmediated--it is labeled, packaged, marketed and sold. Although this may look obvious, what is less so is the significance (and sadness) of a consumer culture learning to appropriate even (and especially) such anti-establishment virtues as humor, self-reference, or rebellion. Desperate to find something to rely on, we root for the underdog, search for signs of non-compliance, ask that our artists "keep it real" and show us that they are "original," "independent," and "alternative." One way to read the story of What's Going On (its artist, producer, and the text itself) i

   Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and the Civil Rights Movement: A History and Analysis

   Abstract

   Marvin Gaye’s first self-produced album, What’s Going On is a timeless operate in American popular song. This thesis illuminates many of the intricacies that went in to the creation of the album and discusses its relevance during the Civil Rights Movement. Chapter 1 provides a background in well-liked music analysis and the genre of Soul harmony. Chapter 2 includes a biography of Gaye and a brief history of the Detroit record label known as Motown. The collaboration of musicians and engineers at Motown, along with Gaye’s influences from his personal life and music career, had profound effects on the outcome of What’s Going On. Chapters 3 and 4 provide analyses of individual songs from the album, discussing lyrics, form, unity, and melody. Chapter 5 discusses the album as a whole by comparing it to a anthem cycle.

   Repository Citation

   Barnhill, Jacob, "Marvin Gaye's What's Going On and the Civil Rights Movement: A History and Analysis" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 234.
   https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/234

   
   
   

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