Marvin Gaye, “The Prince of Soul”, is without a doubt, one of the most influential artists of our time. He is truly an R&B and Soul legend, and his impact on music and on the world is very apparent. Marvin married Anna Gordy, the sister of Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records. Being the Brother-In-Law of the president of the record company, he was entitled a seat at the Motown family table. Being a rebellious young musician, he strived to carve out his own musical identity. He wanted to be a part of Motown, but not sing it. He began at Motown singing Jazzy Frank Sinatra styled music; but unfortunately, it wasn’t what people were buying at that time. At that point, he realized that all of the other artists at Motown were releasing hits. Marvin was very competitive, and after realizing everyone else’s success, he decided that he needed a hit of his own. His first hit was “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” which became a hallmark of his career. Marvin quickly became a star and a sex symbol after releasing several huge hits. Motown exploited his sex appeal by having him do several romantic duets with artists such as Mary Wells, Kim Weston, and Tammi Terrell. Marvin and Tammi were a perfect duo, and would be considered one of the most popular duos of the time. Sadly, Tammi died in 1970 at the age of 24 from a brain tumor. Marvin fell into a deep depression largely due to the loss of Tammi, but also because of family troubles and drugs. Although Marvin was depressed, his career still prospered. His next hit was “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” which became the best selling single in Motown history. His music was his outlet for his emotions, and it was certainly selling.
The late 60’s and early 70’s were full of unrest in the U.S. From Martin Luther King and the Vietnam War to campus rioting and police brutality, the country’s unrest was apparent to everyone. Marvin’s own brother had come back from Vietnam and told him several horrifying stories of his experiences there. Marvin clearly saw what was happening around him and felt that he should write music and lyrics that would “touch the souls of men.” His next album would be a protest album that would face many obstacles before being recorded and released. Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Al Cleveland had presented Marvin with a song, “What’s Going On”, a few years prior to the recording and release of the album. In that time, Marvin had developed a vision for what this protest album would be. With the influence of politics, war, national unrest, and his own personal losses, Marvin created the masterpiece of What’s Going On. After struggling with personal and drug problems, Gaye finally got around to recording the album. For the album, Marvin brought in a variety of several veteran Jazz studio musicians, many whom he had worked with in his early years as a recording artist. Several of these studio musicians had worked with Jazz greats like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt and Yusef Lateef. Normally these musicians didn’t like what Motown hired them to play, but for this album, they couldn’t help but like it. Marvin played piano and led the rhythm section himself, something he was never able to do before. This was his first self-produced album and, what he felt to be, his best work yet. Unfortunately, Berry Gordy and the quality control people at Motown didn’t see it fit for release. Berry even went as far as to call it “The worst thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” He refused to release it, fearing it would ruin Gaye’s image as a sex symbol and possibly his career. Marvin told Berry Gordy that he wouldn’t record anything more for the company until they came to their senses and released the album. Marvin stuck to his word, even when he became completely broke, and fell into a major depression. Eventually, the album was released, immediately becoming a huge it. It sold 100,000 copies in just the first day and shot up to number 2 on the pop charts and number 3 on the R&B charts. Contrary to Motown’s initial judgment, What’s Going On was probably the greatest piece of work Motown has ever put out.
This album was much different than other albums released around the same time, especially from Motown. What’s Going On was the first Motown protest album and was the first protest album of its kind, with powerful jazz like melodies and beautiful harmonies. This album revolutionized Soul music by proving that you can have a poignant album with sweet yet expressive lyrics and in that jazzy style. Many recordings that were being released from Motown at the time had lyrics that were happy, and songs that were upbeat. The lyrics in Marvin’s album, however, were more about reality, and emphasized serious global issues. To say the least, the lyrics in this album were unconventional for a contemporary soul album. In addition, What’s Going On was one of the first albums to be themed, employing an album arrangement style known as a song-cycle, where each song leads into one another.
Marvin Gaye has inspired the world with his music, especially with this album. What’s Going On is one of the greatest, most inspiring and touching albums I have listened to. It has impacted me in many ways, both as a listener and an industry professional. The music is soothing and sweet while the lyrics are powerful and full of emotion. Marvin was able to convey his emotions through this album extremely well, giving it a certain feel of reality and truth, something most artists can never accomplish in even a single song. In times where he was struggling with love, drug addictions, depression, and financial turmoil, I must recognize and respect his incredible ability to persevere and share his musical brilliance with the world during those rough times. Marvin may be gone, but his legacy will live on through this album forever.
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