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Aug 18, 2013 · 1.1K. 105K views 10 years ago. Copyright: Motown -- "Got to Give It Up" is a funk/disco song by American recording artist Marvin Gaye. Written by the singer and produced by Art...
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Sep 15, 2023 · Marvin Gaye drew inspiration from the lively disco scene of the 1970s, aiming to create a track that would compel people to let loose and enjoy themselves. He wanted to capture the carefree spirit and infectious energy that permeated the dance floors during that era. 3. How did “Got to Give It Up; Pt. 1” perform on the charts?
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Nov 4, 2019 · Specifically, he was going to make a disco song that, at least at the beginning, is about being too quiet and sensitive to hit the disco. This disco song was also going to be...
- The Boss at Motown Thought Gaye Was Jeopardizing His Career with This Album
- The Fastest-Selling Single in Motown History Had to Be Released in Secret
- The Album Was Motown's Biggest Commercial Success
- Betting on 30 Days of What's Going on
- 'What's Going On' Almost Became A Four Tops Song
- 'What's Going On' Almost Became A Joan Baez Song
- 'What's Going On' Almost Became A Song For Vocal Group The Originals
- What's Going on Was A Statement, Not A Question
- The Album Ushered in A New Look For Gaye
- Gaye Made Knit Toques A Must-Have Fashion Statement
In the fall of 1970, Gaye was so excited about the protest album he had in mind — and the song "What's Going On" that he'd just finished — that he tracked down the head of Motown Records, Berry Gordy, who was on vacation in the Bahamas, to tell him the idea. In response, Gordy said, "Marvin, why do you want to ruin your career?"
Gordy and his quality control panel at Motown were against What's Going Onfrom the beginning. One man, Harry Balk, is responsible for the album ever seeing the light of day. One day Balk, an executive in the creative department, received an acetate pressing of "What's Going On" by mistake, while it was on its way to be heard by Motown's quality con...
The album stayed on the charts for a whole year, peaking at No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 6 on the pop chart, spawning three hit singles. It was Motown's biggest-selling album by far. Prior to What's Going On, the company's biggest success had also been by Gaye: "I Heard it Through the Grapevine." Motown had just as little faith in that first hit ...
After Gordy had been proven wrong about the success of the single "What's Going On," he drove to Gaye's house to ask for the full album. This irked Gaye, because Gordy had actively tried to stop the song from being released. But Gordy knew that one sure-fire way to get music out of Gaye was to make a bet with the singer. So the two men bet an undis...
The hit song was actually originally conceived by Renaldo "Obie" Benson of the Four Tops. On May 15, 1969, the band was on a tour stop in San Francisco when Benson witnessed a violent confrontation in People's Park between young protesters and Berkeley police. Kids in America were being sent overseas to fight in Vietnam and kids were being beaten b...
The Four Tops were on tour in the U.K. and due to appear on the British TV show Top of the Pops. Before the taping, Benson got to chatting with a folk singer playing on the show: Joan Baez. After the Tops had rejected his protest song, Benson thought it might work for Baez. He tried to play "What's Going On?" for Baez in her dressing room, but she ...
In mid-1970, after working on the song with lyricist Al Cleveland, Benson finally had a chance to play it for Gaye after tracking him down on a golf course. Gaye loved the song but didn't hear it for himself — he wanted to cut the track with a vocal group he was producing called the Originals. But Benson refused to give Gaye the song unless he sang...
The question mark Benson had originally fixed to the album's title track was deliberately removed by Gaye. What's Going On, the album, is a statement rather than a question, a challenge to Motown to deal with the reality of the early 1970s. The album was a presentation of what's going on in the world today.
To separate himself from the finishing-school look of other Motown artists, Gaye changed his image while recording this album. He grew a beard and wore casual attire like hoodies, denim and funky tracksuits, even though the album artwork sees him wearing a tailored suit.
During the recording, Gaye began to wear a series of knit toques. Many of his fans copied his fashion sense, but Gaye later admitted to biographer David Ritz that he wore them to cover up a growing bald spot on the top of his head, and was tickled to see people wear them to look cool.
May 21, 2021 · Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On," released 50 years ago today, changed the sound of R&B forever. Here's why.
Apr 2, 2024 · Gaye’s single almost effortlessly took his smooth and romantic tones onto the disco dancefloor. From the early years of Marvin’s career for his very first R&B chart entry, in October 1962,...
Berry Gordy Marvin Gaye Smokey Robinson Motown Records. The soul legend’s 1971 album is now considered one of the greatest musical recordings of all time, but it came perilously close to never ...
