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Rating:
Let's start from the end, as if it were a b-movie or a noir. Marvin Gaye's body on April 1, 1984, the day of his forty-fifth birthday, lies lifeless on the floor of his father's home in a pool of blood. A single gunshot fired by his father, during yet another violent argument, ended the troubled existence of one of the greatest soul singers ever. A series of romantic and economic misadventures, as well as the tragic death of his artistic partner Tammy Tarrel, had severely tested his fragile psyche, leading him, in '79, to a suicide attempt with a heroin overdose (the "monkey" had long weighed on his broad but far from resilient shoulders).
Quick flashback. We're in the early '70s, and Marvin is the leading artist at the renowned Motown Records. The "black man who appeals to whites" decides to make a turn in his career filled with successes, in open conflict with the record label. Thus was born "What's Going On", an album that marks a turning point for soul music, and not just for soul; no more sugary singles, extreme romanticism, falsettos in abundance, but the street, the ghetto, Vietnam, even ecology forcefully enter the songs: a small, great revolution, in short. But it's not just a matter of content. Even musically, in just over 35 minutes, with this album, we enter a new era for soul music: already in the title track, placed at the beginning, Marvin's double, overdubbed voice stands out, which, together with that percussive "groove" mixed with strings, will constitute a (unreachable?) model for all the black music to come.
There are eight tracks and, as we said, many of them deal with themes of social background; never, however, in a rhetorical or, worse, preachy way. Doubts, anxieties prevail; justified anxieties ("What's going on?"), concerns for the society in which he lives and some ongoing negative changes, for his people, outweigh the possible solutions. Exemplary, in this sense, is the track that closes the album "Inner City Blues" (also seek out the splendid cover by Working Week), which talks about the ghetto, poverty, inflation. An acute sensitivity that brings Gaye closer to a great photographer rather than a good journalist. But the best way to listen to this evergreen is, in my opinion, to surrender to it as if it were a long suite in several movements; a single rich track in which the ebony roots of black music (gospel, in particular, but also jazz) are as important as the flourishing gems that emerge from them. Letting oneself be carried away by these enveloping, warm sounds, by the regular rhythms of a crystalline bass, by arrangements that were innovative for the time (how many have been inspired by them!), thanks to his inseparable collaborator Van De Pitte, is a truly rewarding experience, capable of involving even the most cynical, even those who are not fans of soul music.
That macabre scene of April 1, '84, I have erased from my mind; that body lying in blood, amidst the desperate screams of the murderous father, should not have been the epilogue of the life of such a restless and sensitive singer and songwriter. Marvin Gaye for me will always be the one who appears on the album cover: an elegant man in his black raincoat, with an intense and tormented look, facing the driving rain without fear.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 What's Going On (03:54)
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
What's going on, what's going on
What's going on, what's going on
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
But who are they to judge us
Simply 'cos our hair is long
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
What's going on, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on
04 Save the Children (04:02)
I just want to ask a question
Who really cares?
To save a world in despair
There'll come a time, when the world won't be singin'
Flowers won't grow, bells won't be ringin'
Who really cares?
Who's willing to try to save a world
That's destined to die
When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
All who is to blame, we can't stop livin'
Live, live for life
But let live everybody
Live life for the children
Oh, for the children
You see, let's save the children
Let's save all the children
Save the babies, save the babies
If you wanna love, you got to save the babies
All of the children
But who really cares
Who's willing to try
Yes, to save a world
Yea, save our sweet world
Save a world that is destined to die
Oh, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, oh dig it everybody
06 Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) (03:14)
Woo ah, mercy mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Woo mercy, mercy me, mercy father
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas, fish full of mercury
Ah oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Oh, na na...
My sweet Lord... No
My Lord... My sweet Lord
07 Right On (07:31)
Hey baby
That's alright people
I know that's alright
Oh, when we love each other
I know that's alright
Oh feel it, feel it
Oh everybody feel it
God know that's alright, yes
Some of us were born
With money to spend
Some of us were born
For races to win
Some of us are aware
That it's good for us to care
Some of us feel the icy wind
Of poverty blowing in the air
For those of us who simply like to socialize
For those of us who tend the sick
Ah, and heed the people's cries
Let me say to you
Right on
Right on, feel it
Yea, oh, oh, Oh Lord, Lord, people
And I say, Right on
Honey right on
For those of us who live
Where peace is craved
For those of us who live, uh-huh
Where hatred is enslaved, alright
For those of us who live a life
Yea, surrounded by good fortune and wealth
Talk about it
Those of us who live a life
Hey, hey, hey enjoying ourselves
For those of us who got drowned
In the sea of happiness
For the soul that takes pride in his God
And himself and everything else
Love
That's all it is
We need love
That's all it is
Oh, oh
Love, love
Love's the thing
Love, love, love, love
Sweet love, love
Wonderful love
Ah, true love, love
Love for your brother
Love, for God
Pure love
Love can conquer hate everytime
Give out some love and you'll find
Peace sublime
And my darling, one more thing
If you let me, I will take you
To live where love is King
Ah, ah baby, baby
Ah, ah, ah, baby
People, people
People who love and care
That's alright
Alright
Ah....
08 Wholy Holy (03:07)
Ah, wholy holy
Come together
Wholy holy
People got to come together
And I know with the strength, power and all the feeling
Wholy holy
Wholy holy
Oh Lord, come on get together, one another
Oh Lord
Wholy holy
Wholy holy
Wholy holy we believe in one another
Wholy holy we believe in Jesus
Jesus left a long time ago, said he would return
He left us a book to believe in
In it we've got an awful lot to learn
Oh, wholy holy
Oh Lord
We can conquer hate forever, yes we can
Ah, wholy holy, Oh Lord
We can rock the world's foundation
Yes we can
Better believe it
Wholy holy together and wholy
Holler love across the nation
Oh, oh
Wholy holy
We proclaim love, our salvation
Oooh, ooh...
09 Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) (05:27)
Dah, dah, dah, dah
dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have nots
Money, we make it
Fore we see it you take it
Oh, make you wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain't livin', This ain't livin'
No, no baby, this ain't livin'
No, no, no
Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Send that boy off to die
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Hang ups, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can't pay my taxes
Oh, make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Yea, it makes me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Crime is increasing
Trigger happy policing
Panic is spreading
God know where we're heading
Oh, make me wanna holler
They don't understand
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Dah, dah, dah
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Who are they to judge us
Simply cause we wear our hair long
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By RingoStarfish
Marvin Gaye decides to leave behind the chart-topping soul-pop and create the first African-American concept album.
A jewel of not even 40 minutes. And fresh as a rose!
