10pm - 1am, Baby, It's Cold Outside However, when he heard it, Gaye was impressed with the double-lead feel that he kept it. Writing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), he deemed it both a "groundbreaking personal statement" and a Berry Gordy product, baited by three highly original singles but marred elsewhere by indistinct music and indulgent use of David Van De Pitte's strings, which Christgau called "the lowest kind of movie-background dreck". I think that … Guess I seriously underestimated him. [10] Longtime Funk Brothers members Jack Ashford, James Jamerson and Eddie Brown participated in the recording. He initially thought the song's would be good for the group The Originals, Benson convinced Gaye to record it himself. It also became Gaye's second number-one album on Billboard's Soul LPs chart, where it stayed for nine weeks as well as staying inside the Billboard Soul LPs chart for a record breaking 58 weeks throughout 1971 and 1972. Gaye felt the song's moody flow would be perfect for The Originals. [5][6][7] Gaye would befriend three of the Lions teammates, Mel Farr, Charlie Sanders and Lem Barney, as well as then Detroit Pistons star Dave Bing. Written in collaboration with Ed Townsend, the title song was an instant smash. "[23] Richie Unterberger found the album somewhat overrated, writing in The Rough Guide to Rock (2003) that much of its "meandering introspection" paled in comparison to its three singles. And so I cry sometimes When I'm lying bed Just to get … Anushka Sharma shared a post on her Instagram profile and she wrote: "A prolific cast, a fantastic crew and the most innovative team of writers and creators. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 100, based on ten reviews.[37]. The narrative established by the songs is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to his home country to witness hatred, suffering, and injustice. When Fontaine protested that he was just "goofing around", Gaye replied: "you goof off exquisitely, thank you.". Benson said later that Gaye tweaked and enriched the song, "added some things that were more ghetto, more natural, which made it seem like a story and not a song ... we measured him for the suit and he tailored the hell out of it. And I'm so grateful for that, Lise! For example, many American journalists wrote exposés about Nazi propaganda in the United States and, at least by 1940, the press was largely “immune” to it. Some folks don’t like to hear why it should be a “given” that a team like the 0-13 New York Jets will lose to the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams. "[3][4][2] In March of 1970, Gaye's singing partner Terrell died of a brain tumor. But her chihuahua still shows his owner’s continuing love for baked goods — going by the name Cookie. [5] However, his pursuit of a tryout was stopped after the owner of the team advised him that any future injury would derail his career. What's Going On, Prince Adam's Red Hot Dance Mix ! The album was an immediate commercial and critical success, eventually being regarded as a classic of 1970s soul. Gaye recorded the album between 1970 and 1971 in sessions at Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World, and United Sound Studios in Detroit, and at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" was another emotional plea, this time for the environment. Gordy later explained: "My reason for pushing back on Marvin wasn't to stop the single, just to determine whether or not this was another one of his wild ideas. In January 1970, Motown released Gaye's next studio album, That's the Way Love Is, but Gaye refused to promote the recording, choosing to stay at home. [8] Benson later told author Ben Edmonds, "I saw this and started wondering 'what was going on, what is happening here?' [38] In 2004, the album's title track was ranked number four on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [16][15] Upon its release, the song became a hit and was Motown's fastest-selling single at the time, peaking at number 1 on the Hot Soul Singles Chart, and peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. He described the incident to music writer Ben Edmonds in the 2001 book, What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye and the Last Days of The Motown Sound: These questions translated into a song Benson wrote with Cleveland, an in-house Motown composer. “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things— while I was still searching but not finding— I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world. Those who build great organizations make sure they have the right people on the bus and the right people in the key seats before they figure out where to drive the bus. But if people are on the bus because of who else is on the bus, then it’s much easier to change direction: “Hey, I got on this bus because of who else is on it; if we need to change direction to be more successful, fine with me.” Second, if you have … In 1973, Marvin finally answered What’s Going On with Let’s Get It On. And I say: HEY! This song was written by the former Motown producers Freddie Perren and … Co-composer Obie Benson was a member of the Motown vocal act, the Four Tops. In 2001, a deluxe edition of the album was released, featuring a recording of Gaye's May 1972 concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Broad-ranging surveys of critics, musicians, and the general public have shown that What's Going On is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time and a landmark recording in popular music. I took that as an omen that things were going to work out for me. You’ve got a problem. [15] Fontaine's open alto saxophone riff on the song was not originally intended. You really should be pretty comfy with science if you're going to read this without feeling overwhelmed. It was his first album to credit him as a producer and to credit Motown's in-house studio band, the session musicians known as the Funk Brothers. However, the night Jamerson came to record the bass lines, he could not sit properly in his seat and laid on the floor playing his bass riffs. "[10] The singer's brother Frankie wrote in his autobiography, My Brother Marvin, that while reuniting at their former childhood home in Washington, D.C., Frankie's recalling of his tenure at the war made both brothers cry. I'm not a poet. [33] In MusicHound R&B (1998), Gary Graff said What's Going On was "not just a great Gaye album but is one of the great pop albums of all time",[25] and Rolling Stone later credited the album for having "revolutionized black music". While traveling on his tour bus with the Four Tops on May 15, 1969, Four Tops member Renaldo "Obie" Benson witnessed an act of police brutality and violence committed on anti-war protesters who had been protesting at Berkeley's People's Park in what was later termed as "Bloody Thursday". I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone. Gaye asked engineer Kenneth Sands to give him his two vocal takes to compare which one he wanted to use, but Sands ended up mixing them together by accident. It was the title track of his album What's Going On?, released in May 1971. The song was co-written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye, and produced by Gaye himself. Mother, mother Everybody thinks we're wrong Oh, but who are they to judge us Simply because our hair is long Oh, you know we've got to find a way To bring some understanding here today It forced Gordy to allow Gaye to produce his own music, giving him an ultimatum to complete an album by the end of March, resulting in What's Going On. You're not. “Even though ‘Go Your Own Way’ was a little angry, it was also honest,” Nicks wrote in the liner notes to the Rumours reissue in 2013. I realized that I had to put my own fantasies behind me if I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. Jamerson, who couldn't sit properly on his seat after arriving to the session drunk, performed his bass riffs, written for him by the album's arranger David Van De Pitte, on the floor. And I say, hey hey, hey hey I said hey, what's going on? '"[8][9], Benson offered the song to Marvin Gaye when he participated in a golf game with the singer. In 1984, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 following Gaye's untimely death. What's going on? The song marked Gaye's departure from the Motown Sound of his previous output, towards more personal material. In 2001, a "Deluxe Edition" 2-CD version of the album was released by Motown, which included the original LP as released, the discarded "Detroit Mix" of the album, and the mono 45 rpm mixes of the singles. "[10][9] During this time, Gaye had been deeply affected by letters shared between him and his brother after he had returned from service in the Vietnam War over the treatment of Vietnam veterans. [24], According to Paul Gambaccini, Gaye's death in 1984 prompted a critical re-evaluation of the album, and most reviewers have since regarded it as an important masterpiece of popular music. Why are they attacking their own kids in the street? One question led to another. While traveling on his tour bus with the Four Tops on May 15, 1969, Four Tops member Renaldo "Obie" Benson witnessed an act of police brutality and violence committed on anti-war protesters who had been protesting at Berkeley's People's Park in what was later termed as "Bloody Thursday". [17] "Flyin' High (In the Friendly Sky)", which took its title from a United Airlines tag, "fly the friendly skies", dealt with dependence on heroin. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBowman2006 (, Recording Industry Association of America, Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies, List of number-one R&B albums of 1971 (U.S.). Musician Elgie Stover, who was later a caterer for Bill Clinton, was the man who opened the song's track with the words, 'hey, man, what's happening?' "Motown was about music for all people—white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. "[11] One night, he called Berry Gordy about doing a protest record, to which Gordy chastised him, "Marvin, don't be ridiculous. Gaye also invited the Detroit Lions players Mel Farr and Lem Barney to the studio and, along with Gaye and the Funk Brothers, added in various vocal chatter in the background, in a mock conversation. When Fontaine said he was "just goofing around", Gaye being pleased with the results replied, "Well, you goof off exquisitely. [36], A remastered deluxe edition with 28 additional tracks was released on May 31, 2011, to similar acclaim. 23 One Hit Wonders You Still Can't Get Out Of Your Head; HOT SONG: Jennifer Lopez & Maluma – "Pa Ti" - LYRICS; HOT SONG: Ozuna - "Un Get" - LYRICS; Picket lines and picket signs Don't punish me with brutality Talk to me So you can see Oh, what's going on What's going What's going on What's going on. Here's the history of one of the most important songs of the 20th century: The song was co-written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye, and produced by Gaye himself. The follow-up single, "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", peaked at number-four on the Hot 100, and also went number-one on the R&B chart. ", later crying out, "save the babies". The album's rhythm tracks and sound overdubs were recorded at Hitsville, or Studio A, while the strings, horns, lead and background vocals were recorded at Golden World, or Studio B. This was a big risk for his image. Disc 2 ("The Detroit Instrumental Sessions and More"), LP (Original Detroit Mix – April 5, 1971), ^shipments figures based on certification alone, "What's Going On (album)" redirects here. - as told by, The Story of... 'Merry Christmas Everyone' by Shakin, The Story of... 'All I Want for Christmas is You' by, The Story of... 'The Power of Love' by Frankie Goes to, The Story of... 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy' by, Adam Lambert's self-recorded video of 'Please Come Home, When Luther Vandross flawlessly sang 'Have Yourself a, Merry Little Christmas' on 1995 TV special, Celebrity deaths in 2020: Paying tribute to the stars, Tom Jones singing ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ as Ella, Download 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' on iTunes, Read more: The 25 greatest Motown songs, ranked. Why are they attacking their own children in the streets?'". Bloomberg delivers business and markets news, data, analysis, and video to the world, featuring stories from Businessweek and Bloomberg News on everything pertaining to technology I said 'no man, it's a love song, about love and understanding. I'm not a painter. But his fellow members in the Four Tops … I just have to do it my way. I want to know what's going on. “The police was beating on the kids, but they wasn’t bothering anybody. 17 Comments. "[8][9] Returning to Detroit, Motown songwriter Al Cleveland wrote and composed a song based on his conversations with Benson of what he had seen in Berkeley. Benson later told author Ben Edmonds, "I saw this and started wondering 'what was going on, what is happening here?' 7 Gross Things About Someone Going Down On You. [17] Henderson also wrote that "Gaye's choice to emphasize humanity at its most charitable rather than paint bleak pictures of destruction and disillusionment is characteristic of the album that follows."[17]. "[18] Gordy mentioned later that he feared no one would buy songs with a jazz influence after his attempt to be a record store owner of a jazz shop folded after a year, years prior to starting Motown. yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yea I said hey, what's going on? In 1970, Benson gave the untitled song to Marvin Gaye, who added a new melody and changed the song and added his own lyrics. 4 Non Blondes – Whats Going On Lyrics. The title track, which had been released in January 1971 as the lead single to promote the album, sold over 200,000 copies within its first week and eventually two-and-a-half-million units by the end of the year. You know Bucky Harris, the Yankee's manager, gave me a job as coach for as long as you're on the team.. Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players. “Aside co-writing it, Gaye also produced it. He brought inoriginal Motown in-house studio musicians such as James Jamerson and Eddie Brown, with musicians he recruited himself. The work was considered groundbreaking for its honest treatment of children’s emotions, especially anger, and it won the 1964 Caldecott Medal. The entire album's stylistic use of a song cycle gave it a cohesive feel and was one of R&B's first concept albums, described as "a groundbreaking experiment in collating a pseudo-classical suite of free-flowing songs. 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