Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain
One of the most important protest tunes of all time, the genesis of “What Going On” happened when Four Tops vocalist Renaldo “Obie” Benson, witnessed police brutality in San Francisco in May 1969, while on tour. While stuck in traffic, Benson observed young protestors being brutally attacked by cops wearing riot gear.
“The police was beatin’ on them, but they weren’t bothering anybody,” Benson related to Ben Edmonds in his book What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye and the Last Days of the Motown Sound. “I started wondering what the fuck was going on. What is happening here? One question leads to another. Why are they sending kids so far away from their families overseas? Why are they attacking their own children in the streets here?”
Benson and fellow Motown writer Al Cleveland composed a protest song in response to the senseless violence. Benson’s fellow Four Tops bandmates declined to perform it, deeming it too political. Joan Baez also passed on it before Benson offered it to Gaye.
Gaye agreed to record it under the condition he could make some modifications to it, which was agreeable to Benson: “Marvin definitely put the finishing touches on it,” Benson stated. “He added lyrics, and he added some spice to the melody. He added some things that were more ghetto, more natural, which made it seem more like a story than a song. He made it visual. He absorbed himself to the extent that when you heard the song you could see the people and feel the hurt and pain. We measured him for the suit, and he tailored it.”
One important change Gaye made was removing the question mark originally attached to the title and lyrics, transforming the tune into a statement. Gaye was starting to become more politically conscious and he stated concerning the tune: “For the first time I really felt like I had something to say,” he commented.
Gaye also had a personal connection to the song, his younger brother Frankie Gaye had been stationed in Vietnam, employed as a radio operator. This contributed to the lyrics being expanded to include stronger anti-war sentiments.
There was also resistance to recording and releasing the song from Motown label founder Berry Gordy. He was open about his disdain, he felt it was too political and too non-commercial. Gordy was even quoted as saying it was “the worst record I ever heard in my life”.
Despite Gordy’s initial refusal, Gaye put his foot down and gave Gordy the ultimatum, “Put it out or I’ll never record for you again”. Gaye proved Gordy wrong. Not only was the single a massive hit, but it became a timeless song that sadly remains relevant. It also became the title track to his 1971 landmark concept album of protest songs.
An official video was released in 2019, which included visuals and sound bites to give the song a renewed resonance in the current political climate.
Also, check out 6 cover versions of “What’s Going On”.