50 years ago, Marvin Gaye's album 'what's going on' was released.
In 1971, the Vietnam war was raging. Marvin Gaye's album was the most poignant of the times. It's message hasn't receded a bit in 50 years. I believe it's more timeless than the Beatles, Jimi H, Rolling Stones, Moody BLues, ++. We'll be playing this album 50 years from now.
https://youtu.be/iyQtUEwRIzQ
The title song 'what's going on' is about a Viet Vet returning stateside (in 1970) and being totally confused about what was going on with the hippies, the government, our leaders, protests, racial inequities, +++
The song Mercy, Mercy me was about blacks being mistreated by cops - as if mistreatment is a synonym for killing!! ... and here we are 50 years later
Marvin used his soul seduction style and sexuality to persuade us to stop the war, to no escalate, to take care of mother earth and all her creatures - to love each other and to RESPECT each other.
1971 was the first 'calm' year after a decade of all kinds of happenings. From assassinations' (JFK, MLK, Bobby Kennedy, ++), to riots (Watts, Harlem, Dem Convention++) to wars (Vietnam, Cuba crisis, Cold War ++), disasters (Love Canal, 3 Mile Island, ++) the hippie 'Love' culture, to protests after Kent State... on an on. And the music ...THE MUSIC ... Tracked all our pain, sorrow, confusion. Was 1971 the Year ‘Music Changed Everything’? https://nyti.ms/3bXqIF9
I lived through those and participated in some. I don't remember too much soul searching at the time, but it felt right - and 50 years later it still feels right. Have we made progress?? not much. But YES, there are many signs of hope and wonder for a good future. We've still go relatively clean air
To this day, i still shed many tears when i listen to these songs - they are soothing and unsettling at the same time. i can't think of any album or songs from the 60's/70's that has continued to be so progressive, timeless and current as 'what's going on?'.
So 50 years on, have we made any progress? Up to last year - NO. But after George Floyd's savage death from the knee of a grinning cop (Derek Chauvin) and all the protests, riots and public outrage - perhaps we are on a better road.
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Where is the love and compassion that Marvin espoused us to?
But the white supremists are more alive now than since the 50's McCarthy era - so the overall answer is a resounding No, NO, hell NO - we are going backwards with new hi-tech companies aptly named FANG (Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Google++) encouraging such crazy lies, we have dug our hole SO deep that it may have to result in some sort of civil war type confrontation.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/09/entertainment/whats-going-on-anniversary/index.html
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today - Ya
Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Ah, what's going on
In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on
Mother, mother, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh
Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Yeah, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby
