What’s Going On? Marvin Gaye Wouldn’t Want to Know
I’ve been listening to a lot of Marvin Gaye lately. Since Christmas when I treated myself to “What’s Going On” while shopping for Christmas presents for my wife. When I think about what exactly was going on in 1971 and how there’s no big difference from what’s going on today, it’s sad that greatest album of all time could stand to be blasted on street corners around the world.
And it’s not just with Marvin. Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, many artists who were singing songs and producing music that matched the feelings of the time have their art regarded as classics today, but the ideals that birthed them are foreign to us. People are still returning home from wars without hope for a job, people are still Flying High in the Friendly Sky, and let’s not get started on the Ecology.
We often talk about what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would think if he were alive today, and rightfully so. But we usually don’t regard the soundtrack to the struggle as an important part of our culture. Stevie released an album a couple of years ago, and he still wants everyone to love each other as much as he did in the 70’s. But would Marvin be proud of us today? Despite the fact that his music is timeless, would he be sad that no one truly heard him?
