what's going on song

The phrase “what’s going on song” almost always refers to “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye , a landmark 1971 soul track that became one of the most influential protest songs in popular music history.

Song basics

• Artist: Marvin Gaye, American singer‑songwriter and Motown star.

• Release: Issued as a single in January 1971 and used as the opening track of the album of the same name.

• Style: Smooth, laid‑back soul with jazz touches, multi‑tracked vocals, and socially conscious lyrics asking what’s happening in the world.

Meaning and inspiration

• The core theme is social unrest, war, and inequality, with the narrator pleading for empathy and understanding rather than violence.

• Inspiration came when Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops witnessed police brutality against protesters in 1969 and began shaping a protest song that Marvin Gaye later reworked and recorded.

Place in music history

• The track became Motown’s fastest‑selling single at the time and reached high positions on U.S. charts, helping push soul music toward more openly political topics.

• It is now frequently ranked among the greatest songs of all time and remains culturally relevant, with later official videos and projects tying its message to modern issues such as ongoing political and social crises.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.