Marvin Gaye - "What's Going On"

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr was originally a starting member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows. His four octave vocal range was one of a kind in the late 1950s. Songs like "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"(which he refused to take credit for) gained his position as "The King Of Motown" and "Prince of Soul". Soon, this fame would gain recognition of one of the most prolific producers, Berry Gordy, whom signed him to Motown Records. Once apart of the Motown family, Gaye and their producers clashed on his musical direction. Marvin Gaye wanted to go in more of a jazz route, while Motown wanted him to stay more on a rhythm and blues direction. He also became a sessions drummers for such bands as The Miracles.
The lyrical content on Gaye's "What's Going On" was misinterpreted by a lot of his listeners.  Many consumers thought that it was an anti-war song, however, Marvin's intent was to question the state of society in general. Barry Gordy feared that this "protest" song would ruin his sex symbol imagine. The Four Tops, the originators of the song, did not mean for this to be a song of protest, but yet a love song about understanding. They actually wanted to know "what's going on?". Marvin's spiritual, yet rebellious demeanor was the perfect catch for this song. His voice added the spice that this composition needed. Marvin would watch the riots going on in Detroit at the time and become inspired. He was also inspired by the Martin Luther King, Jr and Bobby Kennedy deaths. The moon landing was also another factor that helped Gaye gain inspiration. Stories of the Kent State University helped fuel the song with lines like "Picket lines and picket signs/Don't punish me with brutality". What was going on?
As the record was being put out, Marvin Gaye suffered the horrible death of Tammi Terrell due to a brain tumor. After her death, Gaye promised her dead body that he would never sing a duet nor would he ever perform on stage again. As soon as Barry Gordy heard the record and claimed that it "was the worst record I have ever heard". Through many fights with Gordy, Gaye was able to release his record on his own terms. Despite his "sex symbol" image, Marvin Gaye grew a beard and wanted to make sure that he gave the people something they had never heard before. 
Compared to other Motown artists, Marvin Gaye had the courage to be himself. When Motown wanted rhythm and blues, Gaye gave them soul and jazz. They were singing their hit songs while Gaye sang along to Nat King Cole. The instrumentation was far different from other Motown artists as well. The use of chatter between two football players and first-try horns were ahead of the Motown era's time. The percussions gave the song an unusual feeling and the multilayered vocals added to Marvin Gaye's sound. 
The sound of "What's Going On" left an everlasting impression on me since the first time I heard the song. The sincere vocals coupled with the amazing rhythm section helped create a feeling of sorrow and the need to assist the helpless. His vocal improvisations are very rare to that of a Motown artist, which makes him unique in his own genre.