What's Gog On? 50 Years Ago, The Answer Was Bigger Than Marv Gaye : NPR

marvin gaye protest song

Marv Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonr, Diana Ross, and more are on this playlist of socially nsc R&B mic om the 1970s

Contents:

THE STORY OF... 'WHAT'S GOG ON' BY MARV GAYE

Marv Gaye's prott anthem 'What's Gog On' was a powerful and groundbreakg song at the time of s release 1971, but fast forward 50 years later and is sadly still jt as relevant for the world 2021." name="scriptn * marvin gaye protest song *

'What's Gog On' by Marv Gaye - Smooth. 'What's Gog On' by Marv Gaye. Marv Gaye's prott anthem 'What's Gog On' was a powerful and groundbreakg song at the time of s release 1971, but fast forward 50 years later and is sadly still jt as relevant for the world 2021.

Wh the huge spark of protts the US and around the world agast racism followg the ath of Gee Floyd a year ago, the subject of police btaly and racial jtice is beg discsed as much today as was back Gaye -wrote 'What's Gog On' about the issu of the time, but ltle did he know that over 30 years after his ath, tragilly still sounds as if uld have been wrten 's the history of one of the most important songs of the 20th century, 50 years on:.

The song was -wrten by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marv Gaye, and produced by Gaye song marked Gaye's parture om the Motown Sound of his prev output, towards more personal was the tle track of his album What's Gog On?, released May 1971. Marv Gaye 1970.

MARV GAYE'S SOULFUL PROTT LP `WHAT'S GOG ON' REMAS RELEVANT AS EVER ON S 50TH ANNIVERSARY

* marvin gaye protest song *

'"In 1970, Benson gave the untled song to Marv Gaye, who add a new melody and changed the song and add his own later said Gaye "add some thgs that were more ghetto, more natural, which ma seem like a story than a song...

"Gaye lled 'What's Gog On'. He ially thought the song's would be good for the group The Origals, Benson nvced Gaye to rerd was spired by social jtic mted the US, cludg the 1965 Watts rts.

EARTHGANG'S OLU COVERS MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

Marv Gaye’s inic soulful prott album “What’s Gog On” was released by the Motown label on May 21, 1971. Gaye’s fay tate paid tribute to the album’s 50th anniversary by releasg a visual album wh new animated versns of every track on... * marvin gaye protest song *

'"He was also fluenced by emotnal nversatns shared between him and his brother Frankie, who had returned om three years at the Vietnam War, and his Marv's ath while servg phone nversatns wh Motown boss Berry Gordy, who was on holiday the Bahamas at the time, Gaye told Gordy that he wanted to rerd a prott album, to which Gordy said: "Marv, don't be ridiculo. Marv Gaye - What's Gog On (Official Vio 2019). Marv Gaye was spired by recent succs of his productns for The Origals, and cid to produce the song brought origal Motown -hoe stud micians such as Jam Jamerson and Eddie Brown, wh micians he reced openg saxophone le, by mician Eli Fontae, was not origally tend for the song.

THE REAL MEANG BEHD MARV GAYE'S 'WHAT'S GOG ON'

Listen ee to Marv Gaye – Prott Songs. Disver more mic, ncerts, vios, and pictur wh the largt talogue onle at * marvin gaye protest song *

Once Gaye heard Fontae's riff, he told Fontae to go home.

When Fontae protted that he was jt "goofg around", Gaye replied: "you goof off exquisely, thank you. "The laid-back atmosphere the stud was helped by nstant marijuana smokg by Gaye and the micians. Jamerson was brought after Gaye saw him playg wh a band at a lol bar.

However, the night Jamerson me to rerd the bass l, he uld not s properly his seat and laid on the floor playg his bass Annie Jamerson later said that when he returned home that night, he clared that the song was a "masterpiece" also provid piano and keyboards, and also played a box dm to help alongsi Chet Fort's also ved the Detro Lns players Mel Farr and Lem Barney to the stud and, along wh Gaye and the Funk Brothers, add var vol chatter the background, a mock nversatn. However, when he heard , Gaye was imprsed wh the double-lead feel that he kept . When Gordy heard the song, he turned down Gaye's requt to release , tellg Gaye he felt was "the worst thg I ever heard my life" rpond to this rejectn by refg to rerd anythg else unls the song would be released, gog on strike until Gordy saw more: The 25 greatt Motown songs, rankedThe song was released whout Gordy's knowledge, and sold over 200, 000 pi wh a eventually beme a huge succs, reachg the top of the charts wh a month, stayg at number-one for five weeks on the Billboard R&B charts.

‘MORE LIKE A STORY THAN A SONG’: HOW MARV GAYE’S ‘WHAT’S GOG ON’ REMAS RELEVANT 50 YEARS LATER

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 protest song *

It forced Gordy to allow Gaye to produce his own mic, givg him an ultimatum to plete an album by the end of March, rultg What's Gog On.

Marv Gaye What's Gog On Live 1972. In the years surroundg Marv Gaye's 'What's Gog On, ' artists like Stevie Wonr, Curtis Mayfield, Diana Ross, and the O'Jays all joed a new wave of socially nsc R&B mic.

Marv Gaye's "What's Gog On" was performed for the first time 1972, and 2020, 's more relevant than ever. * marvin gaye protest song *

But the sight of Marv Gaye’s 1971 What’s Gog On atop Rollg Stone’s 500 Greatt Albums of All Time list is a formidable remr that socially-nsc pop was very much alive durg that perd — jt not rock & roll.

Gaye was hardly an outlier this way. Marv Gaye, “Cloud Ne” (1969). Two years before What’s Gog On, Gaye tted the social-nscns waters wh this versn of the Temptatns’ psychelic-soul h om the prev year.

Gaye didn’t pletely make the song his own, but he clearly nnected wh the imag of a large fay growg up a slum, wh ltle food and ltle the way of an pe plan.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* MARVIN GAYE PROTEST SONG

Marv Gaye's 1971 'What's Gog On?' remas unanswered today .

TOP