Mavin Gaye's music and image prior to recording the What's Going On album was what could be described as the typical Motown sound: soulful and very passionate. In his early days he was heavily influenced by the jazz greats and would cover Nat King Cole's Unforgettable while on tour.
What's Going On's lyrical content was fueled by several things happening at that time. The Vietnam War was going on at that time, so anti-war rallies were taking place all of the country. One particular incident that prompted the writing of the title track, What's Going On. Two member of the Four Tops, Al Cleveland and Renaldo "Oble" Benson witnessed the beating of some anti-war activists by the police for no apparent reason. The 2 Four Tops members along with Marvin proceeded to write the iconic song. When Marvin approached Berry Gordy and the Quality Control department at Motown about recording and releasing the album he was denied. They did not like the overall feel of the music because it was completely different from what he had been releasing on his previous albums.
There were a few things that set this album apart from other soulful albums being released at that time. Marvin's lyrical content for What's Going On, was filled with topics such as drug abuse, political corruption and the Vietnam War. Musically the album was backed by the Funk Brothers, who incorporated classical and jazz elements to the album. The instrumentation on the album was a good mix of pianos, basses flutes, saxophones and other various stringed instruments.
Ever since I was young I have always been a huge Marvin Gaye fan. I have owned this particular album for years. Being a fan of this album I never took the time to sit down and truly study the reasons this album was created. Learning how the effects of the world around him inspired him to create such a remarkable album is amazing. The thing that shocked me the most was how Berry Gordy and the Quality Control department did not want to release the album because they felt it would not sale. Marvin knew the impact the album would have on the country and the record sales proved his vision to be right. From an engineering standpoint how the album was blended so beautifully together gave it the feeling as if it was one long track and I think that was awesome. I love how the album was a good mixture of lyrics and instrumentals. He did not try to pound the message into people's heads. He said just enough to grab your attention from a lyrical perspective and he also let the music standout as well. This album was truly a masterpiece.
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