#1 Marvin Gaye, 'What's Going On' (1971)

Previously #6

“Mother, mother/There's too many of you crying/Brother, brother, brother/There's far too many of you dying.” “Ah, things ain't what they used to be (ain't what they used to be)/Where did all the blue skies go?/Poison is the wind that blows.” If I presented those lyrics to you in 2021, you might believe they were recently written. One about the deaths of African-American men at the hands of the police, the other about climate change. How can an album written and recorded 50 years ago, be as relevant today as it was back then? This new incarnation of the list was created in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement. With that in mind, it makes sense why an album dealing with that very subject matter would make it to the #1 spot. Because really, what’s going on? This album came at a tumultuous time in Gaye’s life. His musical partner, Tammi Terrell had been diagnosed with and subsequently died from a brain tumour, his marriage to Anna Gordy had fallen apart and his dependency on cocaine was getting worse. He had even attempted suicide in 1969, which was thwarted by his father-in-law. Inspired by an idea by Obie Benson, from the Four Tops, Gaye wrote the song, ‘What’s Going On.’ Motown label head, Berry Gordy, refused to release it as it was too political and feared he’d alienate his white audience. Gaye was so passionate about the song that he went on strike, refusing to release any more music until the label released this song. The song went to #1 on the R&B charts after a month and remained there for 5 weeks. Hit also hit #2 on the main charts and sold over 2 million copies, becoming Motown’s fastest-selling single at the time.

The album is a stream of consciousness. There’s literally no break from ‘What’s Going On’ until the end of ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),’ creating one major build. Gaye runs the gamut of themes on this record. The title track deals with police brutality, ‘What’s Happening Brother’ is about returned war veterans and their struggles to reintegrate into society, ‘Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky)’ deals with heroin addiction; “Well I know, I'm hooked, my friend (got to help me)/To the boy who makes slaves out of men (got to help me).” ‘Save The Children’ does what it says on the tin; a plea to save the children. A bleak song which culminates in the following lyrics; “Who's willing to try?/To save the world/That's destined to die/When I look at the world/It fills me with sorrow/Little children today/Are really going to suffer tomorrow.” ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ is a song about the destruction environment; oil spills, radioactive waste and overcrowding. It wasn’t something that was talked about much in the mainstream at the time. The song became the second million-selling track from the album. ‘Right On,’ the seven and a half minute jam follows the suite of songs with its Latin-inspired beats. Gaye sings “true love can conquer hate every time,” perhaps the lesson he wants us to learn from this record. ‘Wholy Holy’ has a similar theme, albeit more religious. “People, we all got to come together/Because we need the strength, power and all the feeling.” The album ends with third single, ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),’ a song dealing with urban poverty. That song’s been sampled in at least 99 songs, notably Janet Jackson’s ‘Can’t Be Stopped’ from ‘The Velvet Rope’ (#318). It’s a beautiful, cohesive record designed to be listened to as a continuous piece of work. Marvin Gaye’s magnum opus. His major statement to the world. Rolling Stone isn’t the only publication to rate it, NME named it Best Album Of All Time in 1985, and The Guardian ranked it as the Best Album Of The 20th Century in 1999. It also ranked it #1 in the 100 Best Albums ever in 1997. The record has been chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. It remains relevant and important to this day, and while we continue to see the deaths of innocent Black people such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the USA, and indeed, around the world, we’ll continue to question, what’s going on?

#rs500albums