What's Going on

Marvin Gaye va néixer el 2 d'abril de 1939 a Washington i va morir a Los Angeles l'1 d'abril de 1984, el dia abans de fer 45 anys, quan va intervenir en una discussió familiar i el seu pare li va disparar dos trets. Marvin Gaye, a més de compositor i productor, va ser una de les veus més importants del so Motown durant la dècada dels 60 del segle XX.

Escoltem una de les seves cançons més conegudes, What's Going on, inspirada en un cas de brutalitat policial de què va ser testimoni Renaldo Benson, cantant del grup The Four Tops, amic de Gaye i coautor de la cançó, i la versió que en van fer l'any 2001 un ampli grup d'artistes, entre els quals Bono, Britney Spears i Alicia Keys, sota el nom d'Artists Against AIDS Wordwide, per recaptar fons per a la lluita contra la SIDA.

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

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

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on

(In the mean time)
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on

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

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Come on, talk to me
So you can see
Ah, what's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on

Whoo
Right on baby
Right on baby