Essay Sample on Marvin Gaye: Music Icon of the 20th Century

A small number of American musicians in the twentieth century can be compared to Marvin Gaye. His silky angelic voice that renders it is hits put on a level that most musicians have only imagined of ever achieving. His skills as a songwriter are everywhere for everyone who cares to see for the classics he brought up during his heydays. These hit songs include "Dancing in the Street," "What's Going On," "Hitch Hike," Let's Get It On," and "Sexual Healing." The early seventies album, "What's Going On," stands out among the others in the way it influenced him into chanting his peculiar way.

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"What's Going On" does not only stand out as a masterpiece among Marvin Gaye's songs but the most significant and passionate recording among soul music (Edmunds, 44). It signifies new dawn to a man now openly able to pour out what is on his mind as a recording artist. Throughout the song, Marvin Gaye wonders on what changed the course of the American dream that society is bedeviled with poverty, police brutality, urban decay, environmental woes, and unemployment.

The song introduces the controversial side of Martin Gaye as he raises the issues that infringed on the society in the years from 1967 and 1970 (Edmunds, 65). He had been restrained from sharing his views through music. However, he decided to record "What's Going On" in late 1970 that was deemed uncommercial by the producer and could not be released. Gaye stopped all his activities towards music until the producer gave in to his demands by releasing the song.

The album was a tremendous success in 1971 and cemented Martin Gaye among the greatest musicians of pop music. It is regarded as the best to ever been produced by the Motown factory and possibly the best soul album (Ritz, 21). "What's going On" does not only cover the life of an estranged soldier coming back home but an assurance that the piece was going to be both informative and entertaining to the listeners.

The album was a reflection of the social life in the early seventies filled with cases of drug abuse, civil unrest and abandoned children. The song was a cut from the rest with its unique production and how it was conceived. It was filled with a string of relaxed grooves and a heavy bottom, a thick bass line that was accompanied by percussion, conga, and bongos. The album was languid and jazzy that was a perfect fit with Motown's bassist and guitarists.

The album has been classified as a cycle of songs whose narrative is set from the view of a returnee soldier coming back to the country only to be confronted with suffering, societal injustices, and hatred. The lyrics cover the issues of war in Vietnam, high poverty levels and drug abuse. The album is also recognized for raising the alarm on issues of ecology long before the public became concerned. It has been classified among the soul classics of the 1970s because it was a turning point for musicians to use music as a tool of rising concerns on concerns societal ills.

"What's Going On" was the singer's masterwork, and according to the survey that has been carried out among musicians and critics, it is clear that the album is among the best to ever be produced. It is the clearest expression of Martin Gaye's anger, concerns, and hope among the songs he ever recorded

Work Cited

Edmonds, Ben. What's going on? Marvin Gaye and the last days of the Motown sound. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis US, 2001. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/dec/08/extract

Ritz, David. Divided soul: the life of Marvin Gaye. London: Omnibus Press, 1991. https://www.biography.com/musician/marvin-gaye