What's (Still) Going On ?

The sign of a truly great album is if it stands the test of time and Marvin Gaye’s, "What’s Going On" certainly does that. It’s still as meaningful in 2013 as it was in 1971 it also seems to be even more relevant today.

It’s a truly brilliant album, my problem is, it’s over 40 years old and the same problems the album raises still exist throughout the world today and in most cases, are now even worse.

How It Was

The late '60s and early '70s in America were marked by great unrest: the race riots, the Vietnam War, economic slowdown, social deprivation in the cities: all hitting communities in America hard. Sound familiar ???

Inspired by his brother's return from Vietnam, Gaye ignored the love songs that all the other Motown artists were recording, and wrote about the things in life that he cared about at the time.

From the joyous but hugely political opener, gradually the concept of the album takes shape. What follows is a velvet soul voice in the same league as Sam Cooke and a concept album of songs which don't just hang together they are vice like in their tightness and solidity. The wonders of songs such as ‘Flying High in a Friendly sky’, ‘Mercy Mercy Me’ and ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’; the street talk and the overt social concerns make this Gaye's immortal testament to the tragedy which ultimately engulfed his own life.

Some have described the album as a 'black American' album. Listen again, you will not hear the word 'black' once! This is not one of the 70's 'Blaxploitation albums like those of Curtis Mayfield. What's Going On speaks to all of humanity, like great art should. The concept is timeless.

Those Tracks

The title track is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. ‘What's Going On’ details the futility of war (especially with the famous line "You see, war is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate"). It is as relevant today as it was when it was written, the difference is Vietnam now equates to Iraq or Afghanistan.

‘Flyin' High’ covers the perils of drug addiction. Even more prevalent today !

‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ is about the worsening environmental situation back in the Seventies. With the current, continued growing concerns about pollution and global warming, 'Mercy Mercy Me ' could easily have been written today.

The devastatingly poignant 'Save The Children' is deeply profound, reflecting on our rapidly deteriorating climate and desperate, abandoned children in the world.

‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’ could be seen as a low on the album. It deals with the miserable life lead by many within the cities. The subject matter is certainly very bleak, with seemingly little hope of salvation, represented by the howls of genuine anguish within ‘Inner City Blues’. Yet for Gaye, all is not lost: for love offers us some hope for the future in addressing these problems.

That theme is particularly strong in not only the title track, but also in ‘God Is Love’ and ‘Right On’. To quote the latter, "Love can conquer hate every time, give out some love and you'll find peace sublime": a powerful, universal message to societies all over the world, all still facing the same problems, all with a chance of redemption.

Moods 

The album operates on two levels, you can listen to it and it’ll lift you up to a better place, it can also have the opposite effect. The music can be sad and mournful too, the lyrics seemingly looking up into the sky, pleading for some kind of redemption for mankind. And given what happened some 13 years later, it is almost painful to hear him sing lines like “Love your father” and “Father father, we don't need to escalate.”

What's the Relevance Today

The old social problems have not gone away, and are unlikely to; what is more, we now have to deal with Afghanistan, Iraq and maybe Syria, in the same way Gaye's America had to deal with Vietnam. Deep down, we all know that if we could replace hate with love, the world would be a much better place. Therefore, one can consider this album not just as a product of the early seventies, but as a product for all time.

Some of the religious imagery conjured up by songs such as ‘Save The Children’, ‘God Is Love’ and ‘Wholy Holy’ may, of course, appear today as somewhat dated, not to say hopelessly optimistic, particularly in the context of the general direction of today's equivalent urban R&B music, but on the other hand, it could also be argued that their message is now even more relevant (though probably no less unattainable).

Certainly, the radical content of the album's masterpieces, the title song, with its anti-Vietnam and oppression sentiment (“Picket lines and picket signs, don't punish me with brutality”); ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’, with its self-explanatory view on world pollution and the crime/police vicious circle expounded upon in ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’ all still resonate with many people today.

Truly a Landmark Album

What’s Going On is a landmark album not only of its generation but one of current and future generations. It’s up there with the best of all time. It should be mentioned in the same breath as Pet Sounds, Innervisions, London Calling, Revolver, Dark Side of the Moon etc. as a landmark production.

The feel of the album is mind-blowing, the first time I listened to the album on my own I was transported to another place. From the first note to the last I was gripped, its beauty is undeniable; it’s more than an album, it’s a feeling. It should be preached to the masses as a tool to prevent war and hatred, No one after listening to this could harm another human being.

Simply, this isn't just music and it's certainly no ordinary album. It's a template for how we should all live our lives and no music collection whatever your tastes, should be without it!

So Prophetic

Don’t forget what a scarily prophetic album What's Going On really is. It just get better and more relevant with age, the youth of today should listen to it, learn from it, violence and hate is not the answer.

To think that it is over 40 years old, to me it sounds fresher and more vital than most of the bland R&B that is being offered up today, it's overtly political messages still blow me away.

What’s really sad about What’s Going On though is the fact that it IS so relevant today, yes technology has advanced and created a new world since 1971, but the fundamental wrongs in this world are all, sadly still there.