The great Marvin Gaye album, What’s Going On, was released on this date 36 years ago. The title song is so sadly pertinent still.
This 1971 song begins with the friendly, bustling sounds of a Vietnam veteran’s homecoming party, but, all the while, an uneasy vibe lurks beneath the good times. The veteran was Marvin Gaye’s much-changed brother Frank and “What’s Going On” reflected a similar change in the singer’s career. His personal life and the nation’s struggle to come to grips with divisive social issues made Gaye realize that singing simplistic love songs for Motown Records was something he could no longer do. Music reviewer Tom Moon reveals how the song marked a resurrection of sorts for Gaye and influenced Motown to allow other artists in their stable to take creative liberties in their work.
Listen to the song and its story from the NPR 100. (You’ll need RealAudio.)
i’m confused– are the opening sounds dubbed from marvin’s brother’s homecoming party, or is there a broader metaphor happening?…i always assumed that intro was a studio recreation of live sounds, like the bar noises and background chatter in jimi’s ‘voodoo chile’
just askin
According to Wikipedia and other sources, “The partygoers are portrayed by Detroit Lions players Mel Farr and Lem Barney, whose acquaintances Gaye had made during his failed 1970 tryout with the team.”