What's Going On Alabama

What's Going On

Marvin Gaye

Motown, 1971

REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/02/2006

What's Going On is the finest record to come out of Motown and perhaps one of the best protest records of all time.

Originally written in a time where there was something to rebel against, a time of radical changes so deep that most of the participants didn't even know what they were causing, Gaye's masterpiece immediately spoke for an entire generation, the first record by a black artist that spoke for the entire country.

It works so well because the protests are human and intensely personal. Dylan could write a protest album, sure, but he did not suffer nearly the kind of injustice Gaye went though during this time in his life. Sick of the Motown hit factory that robbed artists of their integrity and creativity, fueled by sadness from his own disintegrating marriage and the death of Tammi Terrell, his duet partner, Gaye isolated himself and created this record.

Its genius is in its air of hope, the underlying optimism that undercuts Gaye's soaring voice, one that is equal parts sadness, hope and romance. The title track is the most recognized masterpiece, as it should be; Gaye's brother Frankie had just returned from the war, and in a way this record uses him as the narrator to address a country torn apart by war and social strife. Starting with some happy studio banter, the song uses a sensual sax beat and sparse production, putting the emphasis strongly on Gaye's lyrics, which are simple but direct: "Picket lines and picket signs / Don't punish me with brutality / Come on talk to me / So you can see what's going on." The background vocals (courtesy of two Detroit Lions) and the occasional handclaps and scat singing just bring the point home, as does the soul underpinning.