What's Going On

Marvin Gaye’s 1971 single was the first song ever to receive a 5-star review in Rolling Stone and was the opening shot of a concept album that Motown president Berry Gordy initially refused to release. Its jazz-inflected, orchestral meditation on Vietnam, poverty, and ecological destruction was so radical for a Motown release that Gaye had to threaten to walk from the label to get it out. Cheaper than the typical rival, the single cost only $10,000 to produce, yet it sold over 2 million copies in its first year.