What's Going On Massachusetts

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 e ...

Local Companies

Equinox Fitness Clubs-Franklin Street
(617) 426-2140
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA
Bank of America Championship: PGA TOUR/Champions Tour
(978) 266-0266
20 Main Street, Entrance D
Acton, MA
Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women
(617)4974454
36 White Street
Cambridge, MA
Brockton Rox Professional Baseball
(508) 559-7000
1 Feinberg Way
Brockton, MA
Rec Room Central Poker Leagues Inc.
(781) 989-2059
56 Brookline St
Abington, MA
TD Banknorth Garden
(617) 624-1000
100 Legends Way
Boston, MA
The Boston Celtics
(617) 854-8000
226 Causeway Street, 4th Flr.
Boston, MA
Fitness Together - Arlington & Back Bay
(781)3168500
37 Broadway
Arlington, MA
Boston Red Sox
(617)2679440
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA
New England Conservatory
(617) 585-1100
290 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA

Provided by: 

Provided By:The Daily Vault

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.


Click here to read complete Review

Featured Local Company

Equinox Fitness Clubs-Franklin Street

(617) 426-2140
225 Franklin Street
Boston, MA

Related Articles
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Massachusetts
I remember back when I was in grade school, after parody ubermensch "Weird Al" Yankovic made it to the big time with "Eat It," I discovered that h ...
- '89 Live In Japan Massachusetts
- #3 Massachusetts
- #447 Massachusetts
- (818) Massachusetts
- "Hours..." Massachusetts
- () Massachusetts
- '74 Jailbreak Massachusetts
- "Hours..." Massachusetts
- #1's Massachusetts
Regional Articles
- What's Going On Acton MA
- What's Going On Agawam MA
- What's Going On Allston MA
- What's Going On Amesbury MA
- What's Going On Amherst MA
- What's Going On Andover MA
- What's Going On Arlington MA
- What's Going On Attleboro MA
- What's Going On Beverly MA
- What's Going On Billerica MA
- What's Going On Boston MA
- What's Going On Braintree MA
- What's Going On Bridgewater MA
- What's Going On Brighton MA
- What's Going On Brockton MA
- What's Going On Brookline MA
- What's Going On Buzzards Bay MA
- What's Going On Cambridge MA
- What's Going On Charlestown MA
- What's Going On Chelmsford MA
- What's Going On Chelsea MA
- What's Going On Chicopee MA
- What's Going On Danvers MA
- What's Going On Dedham MA
- What's Going On Dracut MA
- What's Going On East Falmouth MA
- What's Going On East Weymouth MA
- What's Going On Easthampton MA
- What's Going On Everett MA
- What's Going On Fairhaven MA
- What's Going On Fall River MA
- What's Going On Fitchburg MA
- What's Going On Foxboro MA
- What's Going On Framingham MA
- What's Going On Franklin MA
- What's Going On Gardner MA
- What's Going On Gloucester MA
- What's Going On Haverhill MA
- What's Going On Hingham MA
- What's Going On Holyoke MA
- What's Going On Hyannis MA
- What's Going On Hyde Park MA
- What's Going On Jamaica Plain MA
- What's Going On Lawrence MA
- What's Going On Leominster MA
- What's Going On Lexington MA
- What's Going On Longmeadow MA
- What's Going On Lowell MA
- What's Going On Ludlow MA
- What's Going On Lynn MA
- What's Going On Malden MA
- What's Going On Marblehead MA
- What's Going On Marlborough MA
- What's Going On Mattapan MA
- What's Going On Medford MA
- What's Going On Melrose MA
- What's Going On Methuen MA
- What's Going On Middleboro MA
- What's Going On Milford MA
- What's Going On Milton MA
- What's Going On Natick MA
- What's Going On Needham MA
- What's Going On New Bedford MA
- What's Going On Newburyport MA
- What's Going On Newton Center MA
- What's Going On North Adams MA
- What's Going On North Andover MA
- What's Going On North Attleboro MA
- What's Going On North Dartmouth MA
- What's Going On Northampton MA
- What's Going On Norton MA
- What's Going On Norwood MA
- What's Going On Peabody MA
- What's Going On Pittsfield MA
- What's Going On Plymouth MA
- What's Going On Quincy MA
- What's Going On Randolph MA
- What's Going On Revere MA
- What's Going On Roslindale MA
- What's Going On Salem MA
- What's Going On Saugus MA
- What's Going On Scituate MA
- What's Going On Shrewsbury MA
- What's Going On Somerville MA
- What's Going On South Hadley MA
- What's Going On South Weymouth MA
- What's Going On Southbridge MA
- What's Going On Springfield MA
- What's Going On Stoneham MA
- What's Going On Stoughton MA
- What's Going On Swampscott MA
- What's Going On Taunton MA
- What's Going On Tewksbury MA
- What's Going On Walpole MA
- What's Going On Waltham MA
- What's Going On Watertown MA
- What's Going On West Roxbury MA
- What's Going On West Springfield MA
- What's Going On Westborough MA
- What's Going On Westfield MA
- What's Going On Westford MA
- What's Going On Weymouth MA
- What's Going On Winthrop MA
- What's Going On Woburn MA
- What's Going On Worcester MA
Related Articles
- #447 Massachusetts
The title of pop-rock singer/songwriter Marshall Crenshaw's latest CD, #447, is a tongue and cheek exaggeration on the number of recordings he has r ...
- #1's Massachusetts
- '74 Jailbreak Massachusetts
- (818) Massachusetts
- "Hours..." Massachusetts
- "Hours..." Massachusetts
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Massachusetts
- () Massachusetts
- #3 Massachusetts
- '89 Live In Japan Massachusetts
Related Local Events
National Golf Expo
Dates: 3/5/2010 - 3/7/2010
Location: Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Boston, MA
View Details

Wellness Event
Dates: 11/6/2009 - 11/6/2009
Location: Metro Meeting Centers
Boston, MA
View Details

Business After Hours
Dates: 10/29/2009 - 10/29/2009
Location: Carousel Family Fun
Whitman, MA
View Details

Good Morning Metro South
Dates: 10/22/2009 - 10/22/2009
Location: Holiday Inn,
Brockton, MA
View Details

Good Morning Metro South
Dates: 9/23/2009 - 9/23/2009
Location: Holiday Inn,
Brockton, MA
View Details

Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin

Topics:
Advertising Family Home Services Real Estate Resources
Business Services Fashion Industrial Goods & Services Retail & Consumer Services
Career Financial Services Insurance Software
Cars Food & Beverage Internet Technology
Computer Hardware Franchise Legal Telecommunications
Construction Health Miscellaneous Trade Shows
Education Holidays Nightlife Travel
Entertainment Home Appliances Online Database Weddings
Environmental Home Electronics Pets World History