What's Going On

"What's Going On" is the eleventh studio album by Marvin Gaye, released on 21 May 1971 by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. It was recorded between 1970 and 1971 at several studios in Detroit, including Hitsville U.S.A., Golden World and United Sound Studios, as well as at The Sound Factory in West Hollywood, California. The album marked the first time Gaye was credited as producer and also acknowledged Motown’s in-house session musicians, known as the Funk Brothers. "What's Going On" is a concept album in which most tracks segue into one another and has been described as a song cycle. Its narrative is presented from the perspective of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the United States and observing social and economic issues. The lyrics address themes such as drug abuse, poverty, war and environmental concerns, including ecological issues highlighted in "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)". The album remained on the Billboard Top LPs chart for over a year and became Gaye’s second number one album on the Billboard Soul LPs chart, where it held the top position for nine weeks. The title track, released as the lead single in January 1971, reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Soul Singles chart. Subsequent singles, including "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" and "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", also reached the top ten of the Hot 100, making Gaye the first male solo artist to achieve three top ten singles from the same album on that chart. The album was both a commercial and critical success and is widely regarded as a significant work in 1970s soul music, contributing to the development of progressive soul. It has frequently been cited by critics and musicians as one of the most important recordings in popular music. In 1985, it was voted the greatest album of all time by writers for NME, and it has been ranked in leading positions in subsequent lists published by Rolling Stone, including being placed at number one in its 2020 and 2023 revisions of the greatest albums of all time. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.