What’s Going On (1971): Marvin Gaye’s Soulful Slap to a Broken World

Whats Going On (1971): When a Soul Singer Snapped and Gave the World a Hug and a Lecture

You know you’ve created a truly remarkable album when it gets you nearly fired, redefines a genre, and makes the label boss so nervous he briefly considers replacing you with a tap-dancing chimp.

Released in 1971, What’s Going On isn’t just Marvin Gaye’s magnum opus, it’s the sound of a man who stared deep into the American soul and went, “You lot are completely f***ed,” but said it with falsetto and flugelhorns.

This is not the same Marvin who once crooned about sexual healing and sandpapered your soul with romantic ballads. No. This is post-Vietnam, post-assassinations, post-nervous-breakdown Marvin – angry, grieving, confused. Basically, the Marvin who walked into a studio and decided to make Motown music cry.

Context: From Motown Darling to Political Prophet

Before this album, Marvin was Motown’s golden boy, smooth, stylish, and generally kept his opinions tucked behind a velvet smile. But then 1970 happened. His singing partner Tammi Terrell died. His brother came back from Vietnam with a thousand-yard stare. Cities were burning. Nixon was sweating. And Marvin? Marvin was done playing nice.

So he wrote a concept album about poverty, war, police brutality, ecological collapse, and spiritual despair. You know, a real toe-tapper.

Berry Gordy, Motown’s CEO, was reportedly horrified. “Political music doesn’t sell,” he said. Which is hilarious, considering the album sold millions and is now regarded as one of the greatest recordings in human history.

Sound and Style: The Apocalypse, but Make It Smooth

What’s Going On is a paradox: an album full of pain and protest, dressed in lush orchestration and silk-soft vocals. It’s like someone reading you climate disaster statistics while stroking your hair and playing the harp.

Gaye constructed the album as a continuous suite, songs flowing into each other like smoke through a keyhole. It’s a concept album, sure, but it’s more like a sermon disguised as a lullaby. He layered his vocals, harmonised with himself, and built a soundscape that was equal parts jazz, soul, gospel, and whispered existential dread.

It’s Marvin Gaye as choirboy and prophet. One hand raised to the heavens, the other flipping the bird at authority.

Track-by-Track Breakdown: Soulful Despair with Brass Sections

What’s Going On

The titular opener. A deceptively gentle question delivered over shimmering strings. You’d think it was a love song until you realise he’s actually begging society to stop imploding.

What’s Happening Brother

Marvin’s war-veteran brother comes home to a country that doesn’t give a damn. It’s cheerful in tone, but lyrically about as hopeful as a soggy ration pack.

Flyin’ High (In the Friendly Sky)

A heroin anthem, but make it poetry. Marvin floats through addiction with such eerie grace you almost forget it’s about despair.

Save the Children

It’s either a heartfelt plea or the world’s most melodious guilt trip. Marvin asks what we’re doing to the next generation. Spoiler: Still not much.

God Is Love

Gospel interlude or Marvin’s way of reminding us that even in chaos, someone upstairs might be listening, though probably with AirPods in.

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)

Eco-apocalypse anthem disguised as a slow jam. Marvin was worried about the environment in 1971. It’s now 2025 and we’ve managed to make the ozone layer a punchline. Nice one, humanity.

Right On

A nearly eight-minute groove where Marvin jams, philosophises, and tries to channel the entire civil rights movement through a conga solo. Spoiler: he succeeds.

Wholy Holy

Church, but make it psychedelic. Marvin’s quietly begging for peace while the world burns. This is the song you want playing while hugging strangers during an alien invasion.

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

A perfect closer. Funky, furious, and fatalistic. This is Marvin at his most enraged, calling out poverty, policing and economic injustice. Still depressingly relevant. Almost suspiciously so.

Reception: Critics Were Floored, Berry Gordy Had a Migraine

Initially, Berry Gordy thought releasing What’s Going On would be commercial suicide. To be fair, this was the man who thought songs about love sold better than songs about lead poisoning.

But the public? The public got it. The album went gold within weeks. Critics hailed it as a revelation. Rolling Stone now lists it as the #1 Greatest Album of All Time – dethroning Sgt. Pepper and sending boomers everywhere into quiet sobs.

What’s Going On was politically charged, artistically bold, and commercially successful. Marvin Gaye proved you could be woke and still get played at weddings.

Legacy: Everyone Is Still Copying Marvin

Without What’s Going On, there’s no To Pimp a Butterfly, no D’Angelo, no Alicia Keys trying to channel world peace through piano ballads. It inspired decades of protest music, all of it in debt to Marvin’s willingness to turn vulnerability into revolution.

Even Beyoncé sampled him. That’s how you know you’ve made it.

My Final Thoughts: A Whispered Scream from 1971 That Still Echoes Today

If You Like Whats Going On, I Recommend These Albums:

There’s a Riot Goin’ On – Sly & The Family Stone (1971) – If What’s Going On is the question, this is the muttered, funk-drenched breakdown of an answer.
Innervisions – Stevie Wonder (1973) – Social commentary wrapped in synths, soul, and the occasional uppercut.
Curtis – Curtis Mayfield (1970) – Smooth falsetto meets street-level sermons — Marvin’s message with a funkier strut.