Post by erik on Jan 15, 2023 0:51:39 GMT -5
Motown legend Marvin Gaye is in this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight with a message of great social importance from a very turbulent time in American history.
WHAT’S GOING ON (Marvin Gaye; Tamla; 1971)—When Berry Gordy conceived the Motown label in 1958, he wanted it to be a haven for Detroit’s predominantly African-American community, a place to achieve pop stardom by appealing to both Black and White audiences. And for much of the 1960’s, even those years when most of America got to fall in love with The Beatles, he managed to do this. But the one thing he seemed to want to stay away when it came to the songs his artists recorded were ones that touched upon social issues. This was true even as many Black ghettos went up in flames with race riots, including Detroit itself in 1967. But pretty soon, that stable of artists began to buck his wishes; and Marvin Gaye, who, up until 1969, had been known for hits like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t That Peculiar”, threw down the gauntlet. Early in 1971, Gaye released his landmark R&B/pop album masterpiece What’s Going On, an album that Gaye described himself as being something of a song cycle, not of protest songs but of consideration for our fellow human beings, regardless of their skin color, ethnic background, or appearance (long hair being very much top of mind). The title track, “What’s Going On”, expressed those feelings in a way that achieved a major breakthrough for Gaye among R&B, pop, and even FM rock audiences. The album itself peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart that spring and stayed in the chart for slightly over a year. Meanwhile, as a single, “What’s Going On” peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the R&B chart, in May 1971, showing Gaye’s decidedly humanitarian streak and becoming one of the seminal R&B/pop hits of all times. Two more Top Ten singles from the album, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”, became anthems for the youth of America frustrated over the lack of progress towards civil rights and ending the open sore that was Vietnam. Although Gaye would still also have success with the standard tried-and-true love songs and dance hits, “What’s Going On” showed that there was much more to him than just those elements.
WHAT’S GOING ON (Marvin Gaye; Tamla; 1971)—When Berry Gordy conceived the Motown label in 1958, he wanted it to be a haven for Detroit’s predominantly African-American community, a place to achieve pop stardom by appealing to both Black and White audiences. And for much of the 1960’s, even those years when most of America got to fall in love with The Beatles, he managed to do this. But the one thing he seemed to want to stay away when it came to the songs his artists recorded were ones that touched upon social issues. This was true even as many Black ghettos went up in flames with race riots, including Detroit itself in 1967. But pretty soon, that stable of artists began to buck his wishes; and Marvin Gaye, who, up until 1969, had been known for hits like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t That Peculiar”, threw down the gauntlet. Early in 1971, Gaye released his landmark R&B/pop album masterpiece What’s Going On, an album that Gaye described himself as being something of a song cycle, not of protest songs but of consideration for our fellow human beings, regardless of their skin color, ethnic background, or appearance (long hair being very much top of mind). The title track, “What’s Going On”, expressed those feelings in a way that achieved a major breakthrough for Gaye among R&B, pop, and even FM rock audiences. The album itself peaked at #6 on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart that spring and stayed in the chart for slightly over a year. Meanwhile, as a single, “What’s Going On” peaked at #2 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the R&B chart, in May 1971, showing Gaye’s decidedly humanitarian streak and becoming one of the seminal R&B/pop hits of all times. Two more Top Ten singles from the album, “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”, became anthems for the youth of America frustrated over the lack of progress towards civil rights and ending the open sore that was Vietnam. Although Gaye would still also have success with the standard tried-and-true love songs and dance hits, “What’s Going On” showed that there was much more to him than just those elements.