Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is one of the most important songs of all time, so it should be no surprise that there have been many cover versions. Here is a sampling of six of them. The Undisputed Truth (1972) This close-to-9-and-a-half-minute version was off the Motown act’s sophomore album Face to Face […]
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Released on May 21, 1971, Marvin Gaye’s 11th studio album What’s Going On is one of the most important albums ever released. The landmark concept album is sung from the perspective of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the USA and observing injustice and suffering. The socially conscious tunes that he composed were deeply rooted in the personal. For example, […]
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Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain One of the most important protest tunes of all time, the genesis of “What Going On” happened when Four Tops vocalist Renaldo “Obie” Benson, witnessed police brutality in San Francisco in May 1969, while on tour. While stuck in traffic, Benson observed young protestors being brutally attacked by cops wearing riot gear. “The […]
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Source: Markus Spiske | Pexels One of the objectives of this website is to document music’s link to different protest movements. Music often mirrors what is happening in the world, so it is no surprise that many protest tunes address environmental concerns. Here is a small sampling of songs that deal with climate change. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin […]
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The final results are in and we now have the list of inductees into the second year of the Protest Music Hall of Fame. I will admit that Hall of Fame could be considered a misnomer. Instead of awarding accolades, it is about building awareness for socially conscious music. As the reach of this website grows, we will be able […]
Learn more →Singer-songwriter Amos Lee just released a deluxe version of his recent album My New Moon. The deluxe edition features seven new tracks including a strip down acoustic reworking of Marvin Gaye’s 1971 socially conscious soul classic “What Going On”. Even though Lee takes some liberties with the music arrangement, he stays true to the spirit of the tune. Lee has […]
Learn more →80 Years of Protest Songs Part 1: 1939-1958 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 3: 1979-1998 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 4: 1999-2018 The 1960s ushered in what is often considered the golden age of protest tunes. Civil rights and the Vietnam War were hot button topics. Many of these issues spilled over into the 70s. Along with folk […]
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