Marvin Gaye and the Legacy of What’s Going On

By the AD HOC NEWS Music Desk » Background & Profile - the editorial team covers albums, tours, charts and scene developments. Published: June 21, 2026 · Last reviewed: June 21, 2026 at 12:41 am

Marvin Gaye stands as one of Motown’s most influential artists and a key architect of modern soul. His 1971 studio album What’s Going On is regularly ranked among the greatest albums of all time by publications such as Rolling Stone and remains a touchstone for R&B and pop artists.

How Marvin Gaye emerged at Motown

Born in Washington, D.C. in 1939, Marvin Gaye moved to Detroit and signed with Motown’s Tamla label at the start of the 1960s, initially working as a session drummer before establishing himself as a solo singer.

Early hits such as Stubborn Kind of Fellow (1962), Hitch Hike (1962) and Pride and Joy (1963) helped define the classic Motown sound, marked by tight grooves from the Funk Brothers studio band and concise, radio-ready arrangements.

From duet star to socially conscious writer

In the mid-1960s Gaye became known for a series of successful duets, especially with Tammi Terrell, including Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (1967) and Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing (1968), which became pop and R&B standards in the U.S.

After Terrell’s illness and death in 1970 and amid the backdrop of the Vietnam War and inner-city unrest, Gaye pushed Motown to allow him more creative control, setting the stage for the concept-driven album What’s Going On in 1971.

The sound of What’s Going On

Released in May 1971 on Motown’s Tamla imprint, What’s Going On marked a stylistic shift, blending lush orchestration, jazz harmony and socially conscious lyrics into a unified song cycle framed by Gaye’s multitracked vocals.

The title track, together with songs such as Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler), addressed war, environmental destruction and urban poverty at a time when mainstream soul rarely centered those themes.

Influence on U.S. charts and R&B

The What’s Going On single reached the top of Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and crossed over to the pop listings in 1971, while the album reached the upper region of the Billboard 200 and spent weeks on the U.S. charts.

Decades later, the album and title song continue to appear in all-time rankings; in 2020, for example, Rolling Stone placed What’s Going On at No. 1 on its updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Genre, style and later work

Marvin Gaye’s work sits at the intersection of soul, pop and R&B, with later albums such as Let’s Get It On (1973), I Want You (1976) and Here, My Dear (1978) adding erotic slow jams and deeply personal themes to his repertoire.

In the 1980s he scored another major U.S. hit with Sexual Healing (1982), recorded after he signed with Columbia Records and released the album Midnight Love, which helped define early 1980s quiet-storm R&B.

Where the legacy stands

Marvin Gaye’s catalog remains central to U.S. soul and pop history, with What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On and Sexual Healing still widely streamed and frequently cited by contemporary R&B and hip-hop artists as key influences.

This article was created with AI assistance and editorially reviewed. All information without guarantee; dates, chart positions and certifications may change at short notice.