who wrote whats going on

The classic soul song “What’s Going On” was written by Marvin Gaye, Renaldo “Obie” Benson, and Al Cleveland.

Songwriters

• Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops first came up with the core idea and early version of the song after witnessing police brutality at an anti‑war protest.

• Motown writer Al Cleveland worked with Benson to shape those early lyrics and turn them into a fuller song concept.

• Marvin Gaye then reworked the melody, added new lyrics from his own perspective, and completed the version that became the famous 1971 single.

Quick context

• The song was released by Marvin Gaye in 1971 on the Motown Tamla label as the opening track of his album, also titled What’s Going On.

• Its themes of war, social injustice, and police violence were drawn from real events of the late 1960s and Gaye’s conversations with his brother, a Vietnam War veteran.

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