Marvin Gaye's performance of "What's Goin' on/What's Happening Brother"

This is an excerpt from “Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981”, a recently released compilation of the greatest live performances by Marvin Gaye. The timeline of these performances that spans 17 years encompasses many of Marvin Gaye’s hits. But the pinnacle of this DVD many argue is Marvin Gaye’s live performance of “What’s Goin’ on/What Happening Brother” in 1973. As the song starts, signaled by Marvin Gaye’s, 1,2, 3 introduction, you can see the recognition and excitement of the people in the audience. Noticeably the kids in the crowds are jumping down in anticipation and the impact of Gaye and this groundbreaking song for the early 1970s for people is exemplified. As he sings, what seems like his signature smile stays on his face while his vocals verbalize the socially compelling lyrics of “What’s Going On”. Then the video footage in the DVD performance transitions to footage of inner city black neighborhoods. There are shots of rundown buildings, and of the problems Gaye’s lyrics so famously talks about. An example of this is the panning of a building where almost all of the windows were knocked out in the panels. This shot in particular struck me because it shows the not so perfect living and setting that many blacks were familiar to. In addition a shot of the Chicago police is relevant to this period because of police brutality and their unpopularity with the masses. This footage I felt gave visual connotation to the song and the time period that I felt was very accordant with the message of “What’s Going On”. Appropriately the shots of people in the crowds, showed adults contemplating Marvin Gaye’s sun words. It seemed like his echoed question of ‘What’s Going On” did sink into their heads. Which very well could be the purpose of the social commentary that “What’s Going On” is.
From it I was given a fresh perspective on the song that with just the words I would not have been able to take away. While this background to these social issues prevalent in the 1970s is compelling, it is not all that is shown in the footage. During the interlude where the drums are heard, footage of people doing regular, everyday things are shown too. This includes showing people enjoying themselves in picnic gatherings in the park, people going to church, and kids playing. It struck me how authentic everything seemed, to the piano and drums playing in the interlude to the real life footage of inner-city life in Chicago. These images exemplify the culture and way of life of African Americans as it showed mundane daily occurrences. With the help of these footage of authentic life for blacks, I felt like I had grasped the intention of the performance footage and the song. It is directed towards the everyday person who continues to persevere even as the situation in America deteriorates and makes Gaye question ‘What’s Goin On”.