Fifty years ago, Marvin Gaye released one of the best albums ever put on wax, that being the heralded What’s Going On. What made it so great, and why is it still very much relevant today?
- First, a little background: Inner City Blues
Motown’s premier singer was born in 1939. Growing up, Gaye’s father beat him constantly, while his mother encouraged him to sing. After a brief stint in the Air Force, Gaye joined a few singing groups, most notably Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows. Gaye followed Fuqua into Motown in 1960, where he drummed on and wrote some early Motown hits.
- His first charted record: Stubborn Kind Of Fellow
Gaye originally wanted to be a jazz-nightclub type crooner, but was encouraged to pursue the R and B and soul provided by Motown. Not long after recording “Stubborn,” “Hitch Hike” and “Pride and Joy” with Martha and the Vandellas, Gaye married Berry Gordy’s sister Anna, locking him into the Motown empire for the next 17 years until their divorce. And during this time, Gaye became Motown’s premiere pop male vocalist.
- But not without cost: How Sweet It Is
Between 1964 and 1968, Marvin was on a roll, belting out one top ten tune after another: “How Sweet It Is,” “I’ll Be Doggone,” and “Ain’t That Peculiar.” While making appearances on American Bandstand and The TAMI Show. Gaye also was singing duets with label colleagues like Mary Wells (“Once Upon A Time”), Kim Weston (“It Takes Two)”, and perhaps his favorite partner, Tammi Terrell, with whom he recorded nine singles between 1967 and 1970—most written and produced by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.
- With Tammi Terrell: You’re All I Need To Get By
Tammi Terrell was diagnosed with brain cancer in ’67, and despite several operations she continued her studio work until she died in 1970. All of which devastated Gaye, leading to depression and drug use and an all-around disillusionment with the music industry. This despite his success and first number one record, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” toward the end of 1968, which far outsold the version waxed by label-920kmate Gladys Knight a year earlier.
- Number one for seven weeks: I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Gaye began believing he was just a puppet of Berry Gordy and his wife Anna. He wanted to be more independent and have more say in what he recorded. If Stevie Wonder could do it, why couldn’t Marvin?
A secluded Gaye began to change in many ways: how he dressed and physically presented himself, and by his attitude. He even went so far as to try out for the Detroit Lions football team. The seeds of fruition for “What’s Going On” was presented by Obie Benson from the Four Tops, who wrote a song about people protesting and police brutality at People’s Park in Berkeley.
Gaye jumped at the prospect of writing about things he thought really mattered: war, poverty, racism, the environment.
- What really matters: What’s Going On
He took his songs and ideas to Berry Gordy, who hated protest songs because they were bad for business, despite having been involved with Martin Luther King and having releasing songs like “Cloud Nine” by the Temptations and “War” by Edwin Starr.
Gaye held his ground, the album “What’s Going On” was released in May 1971, and it went gold. The single was the fastest seller in Motown history.
- As relevant today as 50 years ago: Mercy Mercy Me
The sound and instrumentation of the tracks are phenomenal, as is the production and sparse musicianship offered by the Funk Brothers. The album, quite simply put, is a masterpiece.
Gaye continued seeking the truth in his music, despite a lengthy move overseas caused by drug problems and issues with the IRS. His major singles during this time were “Let’s Get It On” and “Sexual Healing” released on Columbia and not Motown.
In 1984, Gaye got into an argument with his father at his home in Los Angeles and was shot to death by his dad, who was given a suspended sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Marvin Gaye died one day short of his 45th birthday. It’s amazing to think what he accomplished in those few precious years.