What's Going On

"What's Going On" is the eleventh studio album by artist Marvin Gaye. It was released by Tamla Records on May 21st, 1971. The album is famous for it's lyrics focused on drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War. "What's Going On" was both an immediate success commercial and critically upon release. The album has been recognized as a revolutionary and landmark recording in the history of pop music. 

Marvin Gaye's early career was as a studio session drummer for Motown Records before being able to showcase his singing ability. Upon being given the chance by Motown to be a recording artist, he and the label immediately clashed over the type of music he wanted to record. Despite having many hits and finding recognition on the national level, he really hoped to release more of a traditional jazz sound as an artist, much to the opposition of Motown. He also didn't want to just be seen as a "smooth song and dance ladies man."

Before entering the studio to record "What's Going On," Gaye was in a very emotional state and even wanted to quit the recording industry all together. This was mostly from the death of his good friend Tammi Terrell, who died from a brain tumor. He even attempted a tryout for the Detroit Lions in hopes to become an NFL player and leave the music industry. This time in his life led him to decide on how he wanted his music to sound, and the content of the lyrics he wanted to record. Stories from his brother's account of the Vietnam War was a large inspiration for the title track, "What's Going On." The overall theme of the album was based around these type of social problems, including police brutality and drug abuse. Despite Marvin Gaye's interest and faith in the album, his producer Berry Gordy was hesitant and resistant to releasing the album. Gordy eventually let the album be released, even though he was confident the album would flop. His opinion was quickly proven wrong as the single, "What's Going On" sold 100,000 copies on it's first day. 

"What's Going On" is an album that has and will stand the test of time. The instrumentation and the feeling of the album were both revolutionary for the time and did things that were far from common in popular music. One interesting thing is about this album was the timing of it's release, and how ready the world was for it's message. Great albums usually come from a culmination of emotion and talent, and Marvin Gaye's talent was alway there, but when it was paired with a true message was when he truly made something that would stand the test of time. From an engineering point of view, this album is a real innovator in it's composition of pop music, showing that classical and jazz foundations can still find a place for the average listener. That is something I wish modern pop musicians would try to emulate again, since in recent years musician's abilities have take a back seat to record sales.