Essay about Timeless Work: an Analysis of Marvin Gaye

During the early 1970’s legendary singer, songwriter, music producer and minister, Reverend Al Green, dominated music charts with his classic hits of southern soul music. Records including “Let’s Stay Together,” “Tired of Being Alone,” and “Love and Happiness,” has endlessly been passed down through generations of families predominantly in the African American community (Dr. J). Although Green has had an enormously influential impact on the history of R&B music, the eleven-time Grammy award winner decided to step away from soul music at the peak of his career and rededicate his life to Christ. He strolled down many paths of which the religious author, James Martin, refers to as the paths of belief, exploration, and return. To further understand how Al Greens has explored each of these paths, this essay will analyze significant moments in the life of Reverend Al Green.

Popular singer Elton John once said; “music has healing power; it has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours”, and for most, music is the portal to an out of body experience. African American lyricists especially have been found to use the art of music to escape the real world, commencing from the slavery era and onward. The blues song titled The Tracks of My Tears does just that; expresses the ability to remove your soul from a treacherous reality. Similarly, the lyrics from popular modern songs, written by black artists, speak volumes about what is presently going on in the country, parallel to the way African American slavery songs did. Music written at an earlier period have been found to correlate to music of the past through providing strong emotion toward present day commentary.

Chuck Arnold states, “Few artists have spoken for their generation, for their people, the way Marvin Gaye did when he released his masterpiece “What's Going On” in May 1971. The 40th anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is a righteous reminder of how much the music--and the message--still resonates today.” (Mitchell and PETERS) In “Inner City Blues,” Gaye talks about poverty within the ghettos of American territory.

The message of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On is that the abuse of the government's authorities will not lead to peace and harmony within the United States. Marvin Gaye sings about his through his lyrics that show the destruction inflicted upon normal families. He sings; “Mother, mother/ There’s too many of you crying/ Brother, brother, brother/ There’s far too many f you dying” (1-4) which show the families that have been affected by things such as poverty, or war, or police brutality, which was prominent and harmful back in the 1970s. Gaye sings about how “war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate” (9-10). He is saying that the violence between people will not solve the problems they currently face and that to conquer problems they need to be united. It’s clear that Gaye is singing about police authorities when he sings “Picket lines and picket signs/ Don’t punish me with brutality” (13-14) and references to the signs used by protesters and workers on strike. When Gaye sings “Don’t punish me with brutality” (14), he is singing about the police force used against protestors although most of them were not harmful. Marvin Gaye sings about the violence between civilians and authorities. He sees the change needed and how The main message of the poem shown throughout the lyrics is that the authority's force against civilians who are against governmental actions is not useful, nor will it bring harmony within the country.

In this essay I will attempt to underscore and celebrate Simone’s activist efforts through song and demonstrate the messages in the music about race, gender, and class.

Marvin Gaye, a sex music icon, was a symbol of the social and political issues during his time. Though his music he represented young culture, racial injustice, peaceful protest and his black identity. Produced with Motown Records, his album What’s Going On made it to the top ten on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums,” (Dyson). Motown Records is known for its crossover music and artists that sang about things that would not create controversy in the political world, however their artists began to address social issues following the release of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Though Gaye’s message was not direct until the release of this album, he represented a rage against the black stereotype and political issues associated with his black identity at a much larger scale being one of Motown Record’s most successful artist.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right. It reinforces all other human rights, allowing society to develop and progress. The ability to express our opinion and speak freely is essential to bring about change in society.” Freedom of Speech grants you the right and privilege to speak your mind without facing any type of consequence . I strongly believe that censorship and the lack of free speech can and will cause a negative effect on our world.

The music is rebellious and its uncompromising intensity is uncatagorizable for its urgent flooding past genre definitions. Miles’ music of the five-year period is unlike any music that preceded it, and still, 30 years later, so original, so Progressive, and so inadequately described.

Marvin Gaye penned this masterpiece at a time when he refused to neglect social issues in spite of his previous catalogue. His marriage to Motown Records Executive Berry Gordy's sister Ann Gordy was a complete shamble, Tammi Terrell his music duet, partner in crime and close friend died during a concert in 1970, alcohol, drug abuse, and addiction was destroying the community and culture as well as the assassination of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Robert

Characteristics that sets Marvin Gaye Apart from Popular Recordings: What set Mr. Gaye apart from other popular recordings of the time was that his controversial style pays off big with his song “What’s Going On.” Mr. Gaye was inspired by the politics and violence of the Vietnam War, which he and Motown did not see eye to eye, however the single was released in 1971 and became a hit (Marvin Gaye, 2015). Proving that Mr. Gaye did not fear to take risks, to speak out and be heard. Furthermore, Mr. Gaye wrote his lyrics and produced on the album, which also opens himself up to a new audience

Growing up in Washington D.C. for Marvin Gaye seemed to be a joke, he lived in a ghetto surrounded by large buildings and major monuments that represented American freedoms. Not unlike any other children growing up in Washington D.C. he was taken on field trips to all of these places. Marvin Stated “I remember visiting the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson memorials at different ages. I could appreciate the grandeur of the architecture. But I had the distinct feeling that these marvelous treasures belonged to white people.”(Ritz 34) By his mid teens, Marvin began to take notice of the world that surrounded him. He began to question the discrimination that Black Americans faced. During Marvin’s coming of age, the schools, movies, restaurants and even public playgrounds were segregated in Washington D.C., this made it difficult not to be cynical about

Tributes, I’m sure you’ve heard of at least one in your life. What exactly is a tribute? Google defines it as “an act, statement, or gift that is intended to show gratitude, respect, or admiration.” Tributes can take place in many forms; poems, songs, movies, etc. More times than not, tributes are made to honor the dead. Some examples of tributes include the songs “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, “Robin Williams” by CeeLo Green, “Marvin Gaye” by Charlie Puth featuring Meghan Trainor, and the novel Jane Slayre by Charlotte Brontë and Sherri Browning Erwin. The tribute that I believe connects most with Jane Slayre is “Marvin Gaye”. This is because “Marvin Gaye” was made to honor the singer who died who was named Marvin Gaye.

While in class yesterday we talked about multiple topics revolving around faith, beauty, and icons. One topic in particular made me stop and think about how it has transformed not just me but our society as a whole. That topic dealt with the icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The main topic we talked about in class about Dr. King was a picture of him pointing toward ‘The mountain top’ during his last speech before being assassinated. This picture was taken April 3 1968 yet it still impacts our lives today. Another topic talked about in class was a song called Glory by John Legend which was released December 11, 2014. In this song it says “King pointed to the mountain top and we ran up”. This song was written 48 years after Dr. Kings speech yet

Watching the film “The World According to John Coltrane” taught me a lot about the rich life of one of the most impactful jazz artists in history, John Coltrane. Coltrane was a meticulous jazz performer, always seeking to improve his skills in some way. He was also a spiritual person, a quality instilled in him from early in his childhood. Coltrane treated music as something much more than what it is for most people; to Coltrane, music was not a means to an end but an experience that is unique for each individual experience.

On that note, we must ask ourselves this: how free is freedom of speech allowed to be? Free enough to voice an opinion but restraining