Spike Lee Says the ‘Mojo’ of Marv Gaye Is Timels CNN’s Doc ‘What’s Gog On’

Anchored by CNN’s Don Lemon on Sunday, May 9th at 8pm, ET Promo clip:    In 1971, while the Uned Stat was the midst of the Vietnam war and social unrt permeated the untry, Motown sger Marv Gaye took to the airwav wh a song of peace a... * marvin gaye special cnn *

As a child, mician Devon Gilfillian remembers his father, a profsnal weddg sger, harmonizg wh Marv Gaye’s inic “What’s Gog On” album their livg room. While the groove of the mic was palpable, the lyrics were lost on a young Gilfillian. * marvin gaye special cnn *

CNN will be airg a documentary on Marv Gaye tled ‘What’s Gog On’: Marv Gaye’s Anthem For The Ag on May 9 at 8 PM EST. * marvin gaye special cnn *

“You listen to Marv Gaye, this album right here, he’s sgg to you,” the acclaimed director tells Don Lemon Spike Lee was a key ponent makg CNN’s documentary “What’s Gog On: Marv Gaye’s Anthem for the Ag” a lorful and tailed retrospective on the late sger’s classic 1971 album, the show’s producer said. Lee, who is featured promently the special, told host Don Lemon — also a huge Marv Gaye fan — Gaye’s mic has impacted entire life, om disverg the rerd “What’s Gog On” as a young man to g Gaye’s mic his films. The acclaimed director told Lemon that Gaye’s mic has spired many of his movi and believ ntu to spire a new generatn of fans 50 years later. The 1970s was “the zenh of Black mic,” Lee said, potg to Don Corneli’ syndited TV show “Soul Tra” as an example. “The world we lived then, was Black Power. ‘Soul Tra,’ we jt were so betiful. The way we drsed, the way we were dancg… Black folks were gettg down,” he remembered. Lee told Lemon that he found Gaye’s “What’s Gog On” as a sophomore high school and would listen to at the Coney Island Library. “They had turntabl, so if you brought an album they had headphon, and you uld put the album on and listen to . So I would cut class and listen to this album,” Lee said. “This mojo right here is timels. You listen to Marv Gaye, this album right here, he’s sgg to you.” CNN documentary senr producer Elise Zeiger told TheWrap that Lee was a natural choice to clu the documentary. “Spike is not only a huge Marv Gaye fan, but also a passnate speaker on a range of topics so we knew he’d be an credible voice for this documentary,” she said. “We didn’t rely on him for directn but felt nfint he uld discs all the ground this inic album vered.” Zeiger add, “He’s also ed many of Marv Gaye’s songs other Spike Lee jots over the years.” Lee prevly got special permissn om the Gaye tate to e a lot of his mic his Osr-nomated film “Da 5 Bloods.” Gaye’s mic is almost s own character Lee’s Netflix film and featur a rare a pella versn of “What’s Gog On.” The “What’s Gog On” album, which turns 50 on May 21, was spired by Gaye’s upbrgg Detro and personal ti to the Vietnam War, where his brother served the ary, Lee said. “Marv was gettg a firsthand acunt of Vietnam om his brother,” Lee said. “But then, Marv was Detro, the Big D, and he’s seeg the bloods e back on hero, handipped or ffs. The song ‘What’s Happeng, Brother,’ that’s om someone who jt me back to the world — they lled the U.S. the world.” Other stars featured the special clu Smokey Robson and Stevie Wonr, who both were around Gaye when he was rerdg “What’s Gog On” Wt Hollywood and Motown stud Detro. Gaye’s tle track was origally wrten as a prott song agast the Vietnam War, but the last half-century has morphed to f other social jtice , like the Black Liv Matter movement. “‘What’s Gog On’ has been vered by so many performers over the s, and the last few years, ’s bee an anthem for the Black Liv Matter movement,” Zeiger said. “We wanted to know why this rerd still means so much to people after 50 years.” There’s been an explosn of mic documentari, doceri or specials recently, shg a spotlight on artists om The Bee Ge to Billie Eilish. There’s also a plethora of new bpic films and seri spired by the liv of micians of lor, cludg Billie Holiday (played by Andra Day, also a source CNN’s special), Aretha Frankl and Ta Turner. Zeiger attributed the rise mic-related projects to people’s growg sire to learn more about their hmakers, pecially pop mic. “Viewers seemed to be trigued by the method behd the madns, so to speak. Why do people want to unrstand the md of Phil Spector or Brian Wilson and the magic of the album ‘Pet Sounds?'” Zeiger asked. “In the se of Marv Gaye and this h album ‘What’s Gog On,’ when we observed how his mic is still gog strong today, we wonred what led Marv to wre the betiful lyrics? What was gog on the world, his life and his heart?” Marv Gaye was ducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1987 for his huge ntributn to soul mic general and the Motown sound. The “What’s Gog On” album remas No. 6 on Rollg Stone’s Top 500 albums of all-time list and ranked Gaye No. 18 on s list of the Top 100 artists of all time. He was honored wh a lifetime achievement award at the 1996 Grammy Awards. Gaye died 1984 one day before turng 45, after beg shot the cht by his father the fay’s Los Angel home. “What’s Gog On: Marv Gaye’s Anthem for the Ag” streamed live for CNN subscribers May 9 at 5 p.m. Pacific via ;s homepage. The special will also be available on mand to subscribers via ble/satelle systems, CNNgo platforms and CNN mobile apps. Read origal story Spike Lee Says the ‘Mojo’ of Marv Gaye Is Timels CNN’s Doc ‘What’s Gog On’ At TheWrap * marvin gaye special cnn *

Marv Gaye, Amerin soul sger-songwrer-producer who, to a large extent, hered the era of artist-ntrolled popular mic of the 1970s. Among his h songs were ‘I Heard It Through the Grapeve,’ ‘A’t Nothg Like the Real Thg,’ ‘What’s Gog On,’ ‘Let’s Get It On,’ and ‘Sexual Healg.’ * marvin gaye special cnn *

A New York jury has started liberatg the pyright gement se that will terme if Ed Sheeran’s h “Thkg Out Loud” pied Marv Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.” CNN’s Kim Bnhuber speaks to a legal expert about the se. * marvin gaye special cnn *

Jan Gaye, the former wife of Marv Gaye, jos Don Lemon to talk about her reactn to a jury awardg her fay $7.4M for pyright gement * marvin gaye special cnn *

Don Lemon explor the impact and geni of Marv Gaye, his unprecented What's Gog On album and the anatomy of several of the 1971 rerd's inic hs... * marvin gaye special cnn *