What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

What’s Going On

Marvin Gaye * Track #1 On What’s Going On

Download "What’s Going On"

What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

Release Date
Sun Jan 17 1971
Performed by
Marvin Gaye
Produced by
Marvin Gaye
Writed by
Marvin Gaye & Renaldo Benson & Al Cleveland
About

What’s Going On is an exquisite plea for peace on Earth, sung by a man at the height of crisis. In 1970, Marvin Gaye was Motown’s top male vocal star, yet he was frustrated by the assembly-line role he played on his own hits.
- Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Songs

What’s Going On Lyrics

[Intro]
Hey, hey-hey
Hey, what's happenin'?
Hey, brother, what's happenin'?
Boy, this is a groovy party (Hey, how you doin'?)
Man, I can dig it
Yeah, brother, solid, right on
What's happenin'?
Hey, man, what's happening?
Woo
Everything is everything
We're gonna do a get down today, boy, I'll tell ya

[Verse 1]
Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today, yeah

[Verse 2]
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today, oh (Oh)

[Chorus]
Picket lines (Sister) and picket signs (Sister)
Don't punish me (Sister) with brutality (Sister)
Talk to me (Sister), so you can see (Sister)
Oh, what's going on (What's going on)
What's going on (What's going on)
Yeah, what's going on (What's going on)
Oh, what's going on

[Post-Chorus]
Ah-ah-ah-ah (In the meantime, right on, baby)
Woo (Right on, baby), woo
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Woo (Right on, baby, right on), woo
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ba-da-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo
Ba-da-boo-boo-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-ba-ba-do

[Verse 3]
Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply 'cause our hair is long?
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today, oh-oh

[Chorus]
Picket lines (Brother) and picket signs (Brother)
Don't punish me (Brother) with brutality (Brother)
Come on, talk to me (Brother), so you can see (Brother)
Oh, what's going on (What's going on)
Yeah, what's going on (What's going on)
Tell me what's going on (What's going on)
I'll tell you what's going on (What's going on)

[Post-Chorus]
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh (Right on, baby, right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Woo, woo (Right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ba-da-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-doo
Ba-da-boo-boo-boo-doo, ba-da-da-da-da-da-da

[Outro]
Woo (Right on, baby, come on, right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Woo (Right on)
Listen, ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Da-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-doo
Da-boo-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo

What’s Going On Q&A

Who wrote What’s Going On's ?

What’s Going On was written by Marvin Gaye & Renaldo Benson & Al Cleveland.

Who produced What’s Going On's ?

What’s Going On was produced by Marvin Gaye.

When did Marvin Gaye release What’s Going On?

Marvin Gaye released What’s Going On on Sun Jan 17 1971.

What did Marvin Gaye say about "What's Going On"?

Barry Gordy’s initial reaction to the song was “the worst thing I ever heard in my life”, and “that Dizzy Gillespie stuff in the middle, that scatting, it’s old”.
Smokey Robinson told Gordy – “ (it’s no use – ) like a bear shitting in the woods, Marvin ain’t budging”.

Marvin Gaye’s very compelling...

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What was going on during his time that made Gaye want to fight for peace?

The Vietnam War.

The story is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye’s introspective lyrics discuss themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War.

Is there an official video for "What's Going On"?

Yes! While “What’s Going On” first came out before the music video era, an official video was released in 2019 as the first video in Universal Music Group’s “Never Made” project. The purpose of “Never Made” was to create content for songs that never had a music video.

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