Mercy Mercy Me (The Elogy) by Marv Gaye - Songfacts

Contents:

• WHEN MARV GAYE TURNED ENVIRONMENTALIST WH ‘MERCY MERCY ME’COREY IRWCOREY IRWUPDATED: JUNE 11, 2020MOTOWNSHARETWEETWHEN MARV GAYE ADDRSED POLLUTN HIS 1971 SGLE "MERCY MERCY ME," HE BEME ONE OF THE FIRST R&B SGERS TO EVER ADDRS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSU A SONG.THE SGER HAD MA A NAME FOR HIMSELF WH ROMANTIC TUN LIKE "IT TAK TWO," "A'T NO MOUNTA HIGH ENOUGH" AND "A'T NOTHG LIKE THE REAL THG." BUT WH THE 1971 LP WHAT’S GOG ON, HE LVED TO MUCH BROAR TOPICS.PART OF THIS CHANGE N BE ATTRIBUTED TO A TRMATIC EVENT. ON MARCH 16, 1970, JT MONTHS AFTER LLAPSG GAYE’S ARMS, TAMMI TERRELL, THE SGER’S LONGTIME LLABORATOR, DIED AS THE RULT OF A BRA TUMOR. HER ATH SENT SHOCK WAV THROUGH THE EPLY SPIRUAL GAYE, WHO REFED TO TOUR FOR SEVERAL YEARS AFTERWARD.THE SGER IALLY RETREATED OM THE LIMELIGHT TO FOC ON HIS OWN TROSPECTN. WHEN HE EMERGED, HE DID SO WH SOME OF THE EPT SONGS OF HIS VNTED REER. WHAT’S GOG ON SAW THE GAYE TACKLG RACE RELATNS, THE VIETNAM WAR, DG ABE AND, THE SE OF “MERCY MERCY ME,” ENVIRONMENTAL JTICE.LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'MERCY MERCY ME'“I BEGAN TO REEVALUATE MY WHOLE NCEPT OF WHAT I WANTED MY MIC TO SAY," GAYE EXPLAED TO ROLLG STONE. “I REALIZED THAT I HAD TO PUT MY OWN FANTASI BEHD ME IF I WANTED TO WRE SONGS THAT WOULD REACH THE SOULS OF PEOPLE. I WANTED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WAS HAPPENG THE WORLD."GLOBAL WARMG AND POLLUTN, TOPICS MONPLACE TODAY, WERE NOT BEG DISCSED 1971. SUCH ISSU WERE OCSNALLY BROUGHT UP ROCK OR FOLK SONGS - SUCH AS JONI MCHELL’S “BIG YELLOW TAXI” (1970) OR THE BEACH BOYS “DON’T GO NEAR THE WATER” - BUT WERE EXTREMELY RARE R&B MIC. STILL, SOCIETY WAS SLOWLY BEG MORE AWARE OF THE DAMAGE WAS DOG TO NATURE, AS EVINCED BY THE CREATN OF EARTH DAY 1970.GAYE LOOKED AT THE WORLD, SPECIFILLY THE PREVALENCE OF DTRIALIZATN AND RPORATE GREED, AND SAW A POPULATN THAT HAD LOST S WAY. FROM THE SGER’S PERSPECTIVE, THE QUT FOR THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR HAD TORN FOLLOWERS AWAY OM J. “HIS HOPE IS A BEAN OF LIGHT, AND WH HIM THERE IS NO FEAR, NO ATH,” THE SGER IS QUOTED AS SAYG THE BOOK DIVID SOUL: THE LIFE OF MARV GAYE. “WHEN WE DON’T FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE AND TURN TO EXPLOATN AND GREED, WE STROY OURSELV. THAT’S WHAT ‘MERCY MERCY ME’ IS ABOUT.”THE SONG'S LYRICS TALKED OF POISON WD, RADIATN, DYG ANIMALS AND "OIL WASTED ON THE OCEANS AND UPON OUR SEAS." THE WORDS WERE A FAR CRY OM THE STANDARD MOTOWN TUNE. LABEL HEAD BERRY GORDY WAS OPPOSED TO WHAT’S GOG ON, EMG A POLIL ALBUM “GOG TOO FAR.” HE WAS FORCED TO EAT HIS WORDS WHEN THE TLED TRACK H NO. 2 ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART, ON S WAY TO SELLG MORE THAN 2 LN PI.THE LP’S SEND SGLE, OFFICIALLY TLED “MERCY MERCY ME (THE ELOGY),” WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 10, 1971. IT PEAKED AT NO. 4 ON THE CHART, WHILE ALSO SELLG MORE THAN A LN PI. THE TRACK WENT ON TO BEE ONE OF THE MOST REGNIZABLE GAYE’S TALOG, LATER EARNG DUCTN TO THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME. THE SONG HAS SCE BEEN VERED BY MYRIAD ARTISTS, CLUDG ROBERT PALMER, THE STROK AND BOYZ II MEN. 1971'S BT ROCK ALBUMS
• REMEMBERG MARV GAYE'S INIC 'WHAT'S GOG ON'
• EVERY GREAT MOTOWN H OF MARV GAYE
• GAY HISTORY: MERV GRIFF’S BODYGUARD OF LI
• MARV GAYE B: 'MERCY, MERCY ME'

WHEN MARV GAYE TURNED ENVIRONMENTALIST WH ‘MERCY MERCY ME’COREY IRWCOREY IRWUPDATED: JUNE 11, 2020MOTOWNSHARETWEETWHEN MARV GAYE ADDRSED POLLUTN HIS 1971 SGLE "MERCY MERCY ME," HE BEME ONE OF THE FIRST R&B SGERS TO EVER ADDRS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSU A SONG.THE SGER HAD MA A NAME FOR HIMSELF WH ROMANTIC TUN LIKE "IT TAK TWO," "A'T NO MOUNTA HIGH ENOUGH" AND "A'T NOTHG LIKE THE REAL THG." BUT WH THE 1971 LP WHAT’S GOG ON, HE LVED TO MUCH BROAR TOPICS.PART OF THIS CHANGE N BE ATTRIBUTED TO A TRMATIC EVENT. ON MARCH 16, 1970, JT MONTHS AFTER LLAPSG GAYE’S ARMS, TAMMI TERRELL, THE SGER’S LONGTIME LLABORATOR, DIED AS THE RULT OF A BRA TUMOR. HER ATH SENT SHOCK WAV THROUGH THE EPLY SPIRUAL GAYE, WHO REFED TO TOUR FOR SEVERAL YEARS AFTERWARD.THE SGER IALLY RETREATED OM THE LIMELIGHT TO FOC ON HIS OWN TROSPECTN. WHEN HE EMERGED, HE DID SO WH SOME OF THE EPT SONGS OF HIS VNTED REER. WHAT’S GOG ON SAW THE GAYE TACKLG RACE RELATNS, THE VIETNAM WAR, DG ABE AND, THE SE OF “MERCY MERCY ME,” ENVIRONMENTAL JTICE.LISTEN TO MARV GAYE'S 'MERCY MERCY ME'“I BEGAN TO REEVALUATE MY WHOLE NCEPT OF WHAT I WANTED MY MIC TO SAY," GAYE EXPLAED TO ROLLG STONE. “I REALIZED THAT I HAD TO PUT MY OWN FANTASI BEHD ME IF I WANTED TO WRE SONGS THAT WOULD REACH THE SOULS OF PEOPLE. I WANTED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WAS HAPPENG THE WORLD."GLOBAL WARMG AND POLLUTN, TOPICS MONPLACE TODAY, WERE NOT BEG DISCSED 1971. SUCH ISSU WERE OCSNALLY BROUGHT UP ROCK OR FOLK SONGS - SUCH AS JONI MCHELL’S “BIG YELLOW TAXI” (1970) OR THE BEACH BOYS “DON’T GO NEAR THE WATER” - BUT WERE EXTREMELY RARE R&B MIC. STILL, SOCIETY WAS SLOWLY BEG MORE AWARE OF THE DAMAGE WAS DOG TO NATURE, AS EVINCED BY THE CREATN OF EARTH DAY 1970.GAYE LOOKED AT THE WORLD, SPECIFILLY THE PREVALENCE OF DTRIALIZATN AND RPORATE GREED, AND SAW A POPULATN THAT HAD LOST S WAY. FROM THE SGER’S PERSPECTIVE, THE QUT FOR THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR HAD TORN FOLLOWERS AWAY OM J. “HIS HOPE IS A BEAN OF LIGHT, AND WH HIM THERE IS NO FEAR, NO ATH,” THE SGER IS QUOTED AS SAYG THE BOOK DIVID SOUL: THE LIFE OF MARV GAYE. “WHEN WE DON’T FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE AND TURN TO EXPLOATN AND GREED, WE STROY OURSELV. THAT’S WHAT ‘MERCY MERCY ME’ IS ABOUT.”THE SONG'S LYRICS TALKED OF POISON WD, RADIATN, DYG ANIMALS AND "OIL WASTED ON THE OCEANS AND UPON OUR SEAS." THE WORDS WERE A FAR CRY OM THE STANDARD MOTOWN TUNE. LABEL HEAD BERRY GORDY WAS OPPOSED TO WHAT’S GOG ON, EMG A POLIL ALBUM “GOG TOO FAR.” HE WAS FORCED TO EAT HIS WORDS WHEN THE TLED TRACK H NO. 2 ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHART, ON S WAY TO SELLG MORE THAN 2 LN PI.THE LP’S SEND SGLE, OFFICIALLY TLED “MERCY MERCY ME (THE ELOGY),” WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 10, 1971. IT PEAKED AT NO. 4 ON THE CHART, WHILE ALSO SELLG MORE THAN A LN PI. THE TRACK WENT ON TO BEE ONE OF THE MOST REGNIZABLE GAYE’S TALOG, LATER EARNG DUCTN TO THE GRAMMY HALL OF FAME. THE SONG HAS SCE BEEN VERED BY MYRIAD ARTISTS, CLUDG ROBERT PALMER, THE STROK AND BOYZ II MEN. 1971'S BT ROCK ALBUMS

When Marv Gaye addrsed pollutn his 1971 sgle "Mercy Mercy Me, " he beme one of the first R&B sgers to ever addrs environmental issu a sger had ma a name for himself wh romantic tun like "It Tak Two, " "A't No Mounta High Enough" and "A't Nothg Like the Real Thg. On March 16, 1970, jt months after llapsg Gaye’s arms, Tammi Terrell, the sger’s longtime llaborator, died as the rult of a bra tumor.

Her ath sent shock wav through the eply spirual Gaye, who refed to tour for several years sger ially retreated om the limelight to foc on his own trospectn.

REMEMBERG MARV GAYE'S INIC 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

What’s Gog On saw the Gaye tacklg race relatns, the Vietnam War, dg abe and, the se of “Mercy Mercy Me, ” environmental to Marv Gaye's 'Mercy Mercy Me'“I began to reevaluate my whole ncept of what I wanted my mic to say, " Gaye explaed to Rollg Stone.

EVERY GREAT MOTOWN H OF MARV GAYE

“His hope is a bean of light, and wh him there is no fear, no ath, ” the sger is quoted as sayg the book Divid Soul: The Life of Marv Gaye.

GAY HISTORY: MERV GRIFF’S BODYGUARD OF LI

The track went on to bee one of the most regnizable Gaye’s talog, later earng ductn to the Grammy Hall of Fame.

MARV GAYE B: 'MERCY, MERCY ME'

Image how mortified Gaye would have been if he had seen what was gog to happen to the environment durg the next 40 years …. Marv Gaye.