Whats Going On Entry

Marvin Gaye was involved in a band called the Marquees. It was in this musical endeavor that Gaye began singing lead vocals on records. Gaye then quickly signed to Motown where he and the label would to continue to clash over records. When Marvin Gaye was ready to release "Whats Going On" he recieved heavy disapproval from the motown label. The song was written based on first hand accounts of the Vietnam War heard from his brother Frankie, and also based on recent events of police brutality. The song was instantly labelled a "protest song". These types of songs from artists like Marvin Gaye were somewhat touchy subjects in that most people tried not to write protest songs. When Berry Gordy, the president of motown heard the record, he claimed it was "The worste record I have ever heard". The song was not released initially but was eventually after Marvin tried a career change to a football player. The Whats Goin On album was different from other motown songs in several regards. First, the instruments used on the track were not the typical big band sounding instruments. The alto sax is about the only comparable feature. Also, the message in Whats Going On is completely different from other motown hits. The song Whats Going On does appeal to me as a listener. I do like the sonic quality of the track but more importantly I like the fact that Marvin Gaye did not back down as an artist to his label. This is something we see too much in todays music industry where artists are property of a label. It is inspiring to see that if you stick to your original motives, it is possible to win and make a change to society.