'Everything is everything.' I love the friendly chatter that opens this sweet tune. What's Going On was co-written by Renaldo 'Obie' Benson, a member of the Four Tops, Motown songwriter Al Cleveland, and Marvin Gaye. Benson had witnessed police brutality in Berkeley and was really shook up by it. He began to ask himself all sorts of questions, like why were kids being sent off to Vietnam? and why were kids being beaten at home? Marvin Gaye was asking himself, with all the problems going on in my country, how am I supposed to keep singing love songs? The song is a plea for people to talk with each other and explore alternatives to war and violence. 'For only love can conquer hate.' It's amazing to me that this song is still relevant all these years later. Will our world ever evolve to the kind of existence that everyone can enjoy?
Musically, I've always loved the drums. Marvin Gaye played a box drum accompaniment to the regular drums, producing this oversized ping pong ball quality. The saxophone opening is a classic. The legendary James Jamerson played the bass while laying on the floor. Excellent string arrangement.
No comments:
Post a Comment