What’s Going On, released in 1971, is one of the most important albums in the history of popular music. It appeared at a time of great social unrest in the USA, while its composer Marvin Gaye was facing his own personal troubles, including depression, cocaine dependency, marital problems and a strained relationship with his label, Motown, and its boss Berry Gordy.
The last of these issues came to the fore with the title track, which was presented to Gaye by a band he was producing. He took the basic elements, reworked the melody and came up with a classic. Gordy hated the song, but when the single raced up the charts, he performed a U-turn and insisted that Gaye complete the album in less than a month.
