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This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Please help improve this article by introducing appropriate citations of additional sources. (October 2008) |
| "What's Going On" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Marvin Gaye | ||||||||||
| from the album What's Going On | ||||||||||
| B-side | "God Is Love" | |||||||||
| Released | January 20, 1971 | |||||||||
| Format | Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM) | |||||||||
| Recorded | June 10, 1970, Hitsville USA (Studio A) | |||||||||
| Genre | Soul | |||||||||
| Length | 3:40 | |||||||||
| Label | Tamla T 54201 |
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| Writer(s) | Al Cleveland Renaldo Benson Marvin Gaye |
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| Producer | Marvin Gaye | |||||||||
| Marvin Gaye singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"What's Going On" is a song written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. It was the title track of Gaye's groundbreaking 1971 Motown album What's Going On, and it became a crossover hit single that reached #2 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts.[1]. A meditation on the troubles and problems of the world, the song proved a timely and relatable release, and it marked Gaye's departure from the pop stylings of 1960s-era Motown towards more personal material. The song topped a Metro Times list of the 100 Greatest Detroit Songs Of All Time,[2] and in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the fourth greatest song of all time.
The song has been covered by multiple artists, notably Cyndi Lauper, whose version reached #12 on the pop singles charts in 1987.
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About the song
Designed with a somber jazz-inspired tone, "What's Going On" addressed the political and social troubles of the world and black-on-black crime in a soulful, introspective way, contrasting to the more dramatic socially conscious records made by Sly & the Family Stone and The Temptations over the previous three years. The song originated from an idea by Four Tops member Renaldo "Obie" Benson, who, witnessing stressful conditions while on tour in San Francisco, began writing a song to express his feelings. Once back in the United States, Benson and Motown songwriter Al Cleveland prepared an initial rough version of the song, and invited Marvin Gaye as a third collaborator on the song. Gaye, depressed from the death of singing partner Tammi Terrell and strongly considering a retirement from performing, planned to produce "What's Going On" as a single for The Originals, but Benson and Cleveland convinced Gaye to record it himself.
On the finished track, as Gaye musically ponders on the state of the world and the Vietnam war, a party can be heard going on in the background, from which Gaye's voice is purposely detached. The partygoers are portrayed by a group of Detroit Lions players including Mel Farr and Lem Barney, whose acquaintances Gaye had made during his failed 1970 tryout with the team.
The song is notable for its heavy use of major seventh and minor seventh chords, a fairly uncommon occurrence in popular music of that era. Also, notably for this record, Marvin Gaye sings both lead and background vocals himself. The process had been used for many years to give parts of a recording extra strength (Motown themselves had used it on such tracks as The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On"), but Gaye took it a step further and sang each of his vocal passes in various harmony parts, creating an ethereal sound that became one of his trademarks.
The song was completed in 1970 before the rest of the album was finished. Motown chief Berry Gordy deemed the record "uncommercial" and initially tried to block its release as a single. He later relented after Gaye threatened to cease recording permanently. "What's Going On" proved to be a substantial commercial hit, paving the way for his forthcoming seminal album release of the same title. "What's Going On" was one of the major hits of 1971 as well as Motown's fastest selling single at that point, reaching #2 for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 for five weeks on the Billboard R&B charts. The single would eventually sell over 2.5 million copies, becoming Gaye's biggest US Pop hit since "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" charted in late 1968. The single version (available on the deluxe version of What's Going On, the album) differs noticeably from the album version; in particular, there is stronger percussion in the background as well as louder background vocals and noise. Some of Gaye's vocals have also been re-recorded to sound slightly punchier. There is also a false "fade out" that is only on the single version.
Credits
- Lead and background vocals by Marvin Gaye
- Additional vocals by Mel Farr and Lem Barney
- Written by Renaldo "Obie" Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye
- Produced by Marvin Gaye
- Instruments by The Funk Brothers
Cyndi Lauper cover
| "What's Going On" | ||||
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| Single by Cyndi Lauper | ||||
| from the album True Colors | ||||
| B-side | "One Track Mind" | |||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Format | Vinyl (7"), Vinyl (12"), Vinyl (10") | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Writer(s) | Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye, Renaldo Benson | |||
| Producer | Cyndi Lauper, Lennie Petze | |||
| Cyndi Lauper singles chronology | ||||
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"What's Going On" was the third single released by Cyndi Lauper from her second album True Colors in 1987.
"What's Going On" is a cover of Marvin Gaye's classic. On the album version, the song starts off with a series of gunshots in reference to Vietnam; the single release is a remix with an alternate vocal used in the intro. It is the single version that most often appears on compilations. Lauper's "What's Going On" was a modest hit around the world. It even made it to #17 on the U.S. dance chart, thanks to its club remixes by Shep Pettibone.
The video for the song was also popular and aired heavily on MTV. It was nominated for an award at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1987. An extended mix of the song is used in the music video.
Chart performance
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music Maxi Single Sales | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 17 |
| U.S. Billboard ARC Weekly Top 40 | 6 |
| Casey's Top 40 Radio & Records | 11 |
| Cash Box Top 100 Singles | 15 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 52 |
| Chilean Singles Chart | 19 |
| Colombian Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 30 |
| German Singles Chart | 46 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 30 |
| UK Singles Chart | 57 |
12" LP Single
- What's Going On (Club Version) 6:20 (Marvin Gaye; Al Cleveland; Renaldo Benson)
- What's Going On (Long Version) 6:22 (Marvin Gaye; Al Cleveland; Renaldo Benson)
- What's Going On (Instrumental) 6:25 (Marvin Gaye; Al Cleveland; Renaldo Benson)
- One Track Mind 3:39 (Cyndi Lauper; Jeff Bova; Jimmy Bralower; Lennie Petze)
Official versions
- Album Version 4:39
- Club Version 6:30
- Instrumental 6:25
- Live Version
- Long Version 6:22
- Special Version 3:51
Artists Against AIDS Worldwide cover
In October 2001, a group of popular recording artists under the name "Artists Against AIDS Worldwide" released an album containing multiple versions of "What's Going On" to benefit AIDS programs in Africa and other impoverished regions.[1] Jermaine Dupri and Bono produced the radio single version, whose performers included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Nelly Furtado, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Destiny's Child, Wyclef Jean, Backstreet Boys, Monica, Gaye's own daughter Nona, and many other popular artists. The album contained that single along with 8 additional remixes. The song was recorded shortly before the September 11, 2001 attacks, and it was decided afterwards that a portion of the song's proceeds would benefit the American Red Cross' September 11 fund, as well as Artists Against AIDS Worldwide.
Artists Against AIDS World
- Britney Spears
- Backstreet Boys
- Mary J. Blige
- Bono (producer)
- Sean Combs
- Destiny's Child
- JC Chasez
- Jermaine Dupri (producer)
- Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit
- Eve
- Gwen Stefani
- Nelly Furtado
- Nona Gaye
- Darren Hayes
- Wyclef Jean
- Christina Aguilera
- Jagged Edge
- Alicia Keys
- Aaron Lewis of Staind
- Lil Kim
- TLC
- Jennifer Lopez
- Monica
- Justin Timberlake
- Nas
- Ja Rule
- Nelly
- *NSYNC
- Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
- Usher
US Album Track List
- What's Going On (Original Mix)
- What's Going On (The London Version)
- What's Going On (Moby's Version)
- What's Going On (Fred Durst's Reality Check Mix)
- What's Going On (Mangini/Pop Rox Mix)
- What's Going On (Mick Guzauski's Pop Mix)
- What's Going On (Dupri R&B Mix)
- What's Going On (The Neptunes This One's For You Mix)
- What's Going On (Junior Vasquez's Club Mix)
Europe CD Single Track List
- What's Going On (Original Mix)
- What's Going On (The London Version)
- What's Going On (Fred Durst's Reality Check Mix)
Other covers
- 1972, Soul singer and keyboardist Donny Hathaway also covered the song on his Live album.
- 1976, Reggae singer Big Youth covers "What's Going On" on his album Hit the Road Jack
- 1985, Weather Report, on their album Sportin' Life.
- 1987, Richie Havens, album Collection.
- 1990, Stanley Jordan, album Cornucopia.
- 1990, Donny Hathaway, album A Donny Hathaway Collection.
- 1993, Los Lobos, album Just Another Band From East L.A.: A Collection, live version.
- 1995, Hall & Oates, album Best of Times (Japan only), live version.
- 1997, Everette Harp, album What's going on.
- 1999, Various artists, Marvin is 60 - The Tribute Album, "What's going on" performed by Profyle.
- 2000, Coldplay, album Songs For The One I Love (Bootleg, Rare Tracks, B-Sides & live).
- 2000, Zebrahead, featured on their Playmate of the Year (album).
- 2001, When U2 toured in the US in the fall of 2001, just one month after 9/11 and in the midst of the 2001 anthrax attacks on the third leg of their Elevation Tour, "What's Going On" was a frequently played number, often appearing towards the end of the setlist.
- 2003, a cover of "What's Going On" by Chaka Khan with The Funk Brothers won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The performance was taken from the soundtrack to the 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
- 2003, Lee Ritenour, album A Twist of Motown, medley "War/Whats Going On".
- 2004, Michael McDonald, album Motown II.
- 2004, A Perfect Circle, progressive rock band, album eMOTIVe.
- 2004, Eric Burdon used the line "What's Going On" for his song "Once Upon a Time". He also named Marvin Gaye and others in the song.
- 2006, Serbian female singer Bebi Dol covered this song at concert and on her live album.
- 2004, Joe Cocker, album Heart & Soul
- 2005, Ray Baretto covered the song on album Blue Note features Bobby Flores in 'Soul Mate' digipak from Bobby Flores, .
- 2006, P!nk was performing the cover of the song on her worldwide I'm Not Dead Tour, in support of her successful I'm Not Dead album.
- 2006, Jason Miles, album What's going on tribute to Marvin Gaye.
- 2006, Kenny Wellington, album A Kind of Black.
- 2006, Frankie Gaye, Tribute to Marvin Gaye (Motorcity).
- 2008, The Funky Muchachos, album Play Soul Jazz.
- 2009, Kris Allen performed the song (selected for him by creator/producer Simon Fuller) on the season 8 finale of American Idol
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 225.
- ^ The 100 greatest Detroit songs ever! (Metro Times Detroit)
| Preceded by "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by The Temptations |
Billboard's Best Selling Soul Singles number-one single March 27 - April 24, 1971 |
Succeeded by "Never Can Say Goodbye" by The Jackson 5 |
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