Marvin's masterpiece will go down in history as quite possibly the smoothest protest song ever written. At a time when the slogan "make love, not war" was popular, 'What's Going On' provided a convincing argument for the former. Inspired, some say, by the procession of body bags returning to Detroit from Vietnam, and the worsening economic crisis in urban cities, the song serves as a jump-off point for the themes Marvin explored throughout the rest of the 'What's Going On' album. 'What's Going On,' for instance, segues immediately into the similar-sounding 'What's Happening Brother,' which, like the movie 'Dead Presidents,' addresses the issue of African American veterans coming home to an uncertain future after serving the U.S. military in Southeast Asia.

It's hard to overstate the impact of Motown's premier love man eschewing romantic balladry for gritty social commentary -- an unprecedented, and highly significant, move at the time, one that Motown chief Berry Gordy reportedly disagreed with. The song's success -- as well as that of 'Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Hollar),' another single off the 'What's Going On' LP -- vindicated the singer, and clearly inspired fellow Motown artist Stevie Wonder (who began to release his own socially-conscious anthems, including 'Living for the City,' 'Frontline,' and 'You Haven't Done Nothing'). Of course, 'What's Going On' has since been manhandled by everyone from Jermaine Dupri to Bono, but that shouldn't take away from its message: "Don't punish me with brutality/ Talk to me, so we can see, what's goin' on?"

About the Author

Eric K. Arnold is a freelance writer based in the Bay Area.