What's Going On: An Album Review 

By: Emily Eade

What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye was the legend’s eleventh studio album. The nine-song album took inspiration from when his brother came back from the Vietnam War and how his outlook had noticeably changed. Throughout the album, it is seen that Gaye explores the common themes of oppression and injustice in society. 

What’s Going On is a concept album that follows a circular structure. Gaye uses this album to tell a story from the point of view of a veteran returning from the Vietnam War, only to find a country full of pain, violence, injustice, and oppression. 

“What’s Going On” is the first track on the album. On this track, Gaye creates a perfect start to the album, by expressing confusion and hope to bring peace to the country. “Oh, what’s going on (What’s going on),” these lyrics came from Renaldo Benson of the Four Tops, who saw acts of police brutality being unleashed on anti-war victims. 

The fourth track of this album is “Save the Children.” He uses this song to express how the world is becoming tarnished and that the children will not grow up in a good world, they will “suffer.” This can be seen through the lyrics, “Who really cares, to save a world in despair?” The song takes place after the Vietnam War when people lost hope for the future. 

“Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)” is the sixth song of the album. On this track, Gaye tries to show the destruction of the environment in the modernized world. This can be seen through the lyrics, “Where did all the blue skies go? Poison is the wind that blows from the North and South and East.” 

What’s Going On is to be considered as one of the greatest albums of all time. Gaye used his influence from gospel and jazz music, with the combination of his soulful and passionate vocals to help create the confusion and pain that could be seen throughout the country during the time. 54 years after the release of this album, it can be seen that it’s still relevant to this day.