The 1971 Marvin Gaye song Berry Gordy tried to cancel: “Another one of his wild ideas”
In 1971, Marvin Gaye released What’s Going On, his undisputed masterpiece.
It was a record many considered soul’s first concept album, with Gaye stringing one narrative of social consciousness through nine songs of songwriting genius. Everything from his lyrics to vocal performance and arrangements was near enough perfect and saw him deliver something at the very peak of his career. Crucially, it saw him step out of the commercial shadow that had been cast on him by his label.
Under the fierce leadership of Berry Gordy, Motown had made Gaye something of a poster boy, utilising his voice for chart-topping duets and having him record a string of inoffensive love songs, but that wasn’t who Gaye was. What’s Going On was who he was, and with the release of that record, he had clearly drawn out a new career path for himself. Ironically, every single person in the musical world knew that Gaye had just laid down genius, except Gordy.
Despite the music mogul claiming to be the all-knowing power of soul music at that time, he was convinced What’s Going On and more specifically its title track, would be a flop. According to the book Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves & Demons of Marvin Gaye, Gordy’s instinctual response to hearing it was to block its release and then dubbed it the “worst record I ever heard in my life”.
The rest of the label knew that Gordy was spouting utter nonsense and so facilitated its release while he was on holiday, a move which provoked an enraged response on his return. But it didn’t take long for him to U-turn when the single sold 100,000 copies upon its release, and suddenly Gordy saw how artistry and commercialism could perhaps align.
However, he refuted claims that he tried to block its release. While he admitted that he wasn’t all that convinced by the track, he argued that he wasn’t going to prevent Gaye from releasing something altogether, explaining to the Wall Street Journal, “For years, people have written that I stood in the way of this song’s release and that Marvin had threatened never to record for me again if I didn’t put it out. That must make for great reading, but none of it is true.”
He did admit to pushing back, however, claiming that it wasn’t about financial reasons so much as artistic. What’s Going On served as a sharp turn in Gaye’s career and potentially one that would confuse an established fan base. Gordy insisted that he was simply fulfilling his duties by ensuring Gaye knew the consequences of his sonic change.
Gordy said, “My reason for pushing back on Marvin wasn’t to stop the single, just to determine whether or not this was another one of his wild ideas. Motown was about music for all people, white and black, blue and green, cops and the robbers. I was reluctant to have our music alienate anyone. This was a big risk for his image.”
But of course Gaye knew the ramifications. That was the entire point of the record: to provoke a global audience into political action, powered by the sound of his music. But Gordy was so obsessed with the figures that he couldn’t see beyond the wider vision and almost prevented the greatest album of all time from being released.
