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Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Every song has a story and some are truly fascinating. Marvin Gaye began his career at Motown in the early 60's and had success as a singer, song writer and producer. Gaye was also married to Anna Gordy, Motown founder Berry Gordy's sister.

Gaye was going through some troubled times in the late 60's. Gaye had felt increasingly frustrated by the lack of artistic freedom afforded him by his boss Berry Gordy and the formulated hit making of the Motown hit machine. He was also suffering from serious depression brought on by the death of friend and collaborator Tammi Terrell who died in March 1970 of a brain tumor.

The song What's Going On was started by Renaldo "Obie" Benson of the Four Tops after he witnessed an act of police brutality at an anti-war rally in Berkeley. The Four Tops though weren't interested in a protest song. The lyrics were further fleshed out by Motown in‑house composer Al Cleveland. That version was presented to Gaye. He made changes to the melody and the lyrics and on June 10th, 1970, Marvin Gaye entered Studio A at Motown's Hitsville USA to record the song himself.

Gaye wanted something different than the typical R&B/soul of Motown. One change made was not to use Richard 'Pistol' Allen on drums. Looking for a different sound, Gaye assigned that role to Chet Forest, described by bass player Bob Babbitt as "more of a swing big‑band drummer. That contributed to the more jazzy, laidback feel of the track. But one Funk Brother Gaye insisted on having was James Jamerson. That was a bit of a problem as Jamerson had been absent for a while from the studio. The bass player was a notorious drinker (a habit that would eventually contribute to his death). Finally Gaye found him one night at a local bar playing with a blues band. He convinced him to come to the studio after the set. Jamerson, drunk and tired was unable to sit properly in his chair and play. So as the story goes, one of the worlds' premier session bass players played that wonderful syncopated, constantly‑changing bass line on this iconic song while laying on his back on the studio floor.

Berry Gordys' reaction to the song was less than positive. He didn't like it saying it was "too jazzy” and that it sounded "old” and that he hated its "Dizzy Gillespie‑styled scats”. He refused to release it.

Marvins' response was to go on strike. He refused to do any further work. There was a stalemate for several months but eventually 100,000 copies were released. Gordy was some what placated when they sold out within 24 hours, leading to the pressing of a further 100,000 discs to meet demand. The rest is history. The song would eventually sell over two‑and‑a‑half million units, making it the fastest‑selling release in Motown's history up until that time. It hit the top spot on the R&B chart that March and reached the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

It is #4 on Rolling Stones' 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.