On This Day in 1971

On this day in 1971, Marvin Gaye released his eleventh studio album, What’s Going On. Hailed as a classic of 70’s soul, it is written from the point of view of a US soldier returning from Vietnam to witness the poverty and injustice that existed in his own land.

A step away from his usual themes of love, it was created during a period of grief and turmoil in Gaye’s personal life, during which he became increasingly troubled by the ongoing police brutality towards black people in the United States, and the letters he received from his brother in Vietnam.

Image shows the What's Going On album cover, Featuring Marvin Gaye in a rain coat with his collar and face turned to the sky in the rain.

I realised that I had to put my own fantasies behind me if I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.

What’s Going On found immediate success critically and commercially, it set the tone for the next era of Soul and R&B and is thought by many to be one of the greatest albums of all time.