Culture and History's Influence on the Album

The culture and times of America in 1969-1970 were very influential to the creation of this album. During the time it was made, there was much going on like the vietnam war, the hippie movement, and many other protests and riots like the Detroit Riots(which happened a little earlier in 1967). The album voiced the question that most Americans would pose to their government which is "What's going on?". Many people did not really understand the purpose of the war in Vietnam and did not support the invasion of Vietnam for it yielded nothing but dead soldiers and civilians. This notion of anti war in society is very much apparent and communicated by the album as in "What's going on" Gaye sings, " war is not the answer but love".
The influence of the hippie movement of experimenting drugs and being free was also very much alive on this album as portrayed in one of the songs, "Flying High (in the Freindly Sky)". In the song, Gaye sings of an experience of flying without moving and having a peaceful mind which is very in tune with the hippie philosophy. Other songs  on the like "Mercy Me. Mercy Me" and  "Save the Children" voice the many troubles in society like war, and injustice that the vulnerable peolple need to be saved from.
"What's going on" paints a great picture of the thoughts and feelings of an individual living in America during the late sixties through early seventies; It was a record very much influenced by the culture and the times then.