The reason why Marvin Gaye set out to be an “impeccable warrior”
The late Marvin Gaye was much more than the man who delivered the sensual anthem ‘Let’s Get It On’. He was an unabashed pioneer of soul who pushed the form to its limits, making it more expansive and cerebral than fans thought possible. He imbued the genre with a dose of longevity that helped it flourish nearly 40 years after his death.
In addition to pushing the musical boundaries of the genre, Gaye also instilled his area of the music industry with a much more thought-provoking edge than in the days of ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ when the Motown label was at its commercial peak. As the 1970s beckoned, Gaye knew that the time for sugary love songs was over and that his music had to serve a higher purpose.
And that it did. In the early part of the decade, something profound was happening in soul music. Thanks to the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder and Gaye, the genre entered its most fruitful period. This shift was more necessary than ever due to the sorry state that the world was in.
To put this into context, at the dawn of 1970, the optimistic dream of the 1960s had well and truly died, with people wearier than they were in the days of the counterculture. A plethora of troubling world events and the undying spectre of the Cold War inspired this mood. Duly, some artists elected to create music of genuine substance moving forward. For Gaye, he produced his masterpiece, 1971’s What’s Going On, boasting a fitting title that is still applicable today.
A concept album of the highest order, What’s Going On remains the pinnacle of psychedelic soul. As well as containing a collection of Gaye’s best music, the range of topics that the songs touch on is vital. In the spirit of the day, drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War are all prominent themes, with Gaye taking the plight of many to the mainstream.
Following this, there was another issue that Gaye shines a light on; the ecological nightmare that was fast building. This choice confirmed him as one of the first in music to use their status to draw attention to the matter. Tragically, though, those in power are yet to heed his warning, with civilisation on a fast crawl to annihilation.
The point at which the ecological issues are brought into complete focus is on ‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’. An anthem expressing sorrow at the collapse of the environment, it has never been more impactful, demonstrating just how ahead of his time the late musician was. Imploring us to take better care of the earth, the line, “How much more abuse from man can she stand?” is particularly incisive.
In a 1976 interview with Sounds, Gaye discussed the broader spiritual pursuit underpinning the song. He explained that it was all part of his desire to become an “impeccable warrior” free from the trappings of modern life and complete adherence to mother nature. He said: “I am a student of Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda. I’ve read many books by many authors. My idea of living is, I would love to become an impeccable warrior, one who has no need for earthly things such as the wine, the women, the clothes and the diamonds, and the fine things to wear. I’d love to develop a distaste for those things and become only interested in knowledge and power that this earth will give us, if we’re only willing to put in the time and effort.”
“I would love to quit show business and go after that knowledge and that power that the truly gifted sorcerer has. The power’s here, it’s in the rocks, it’s in the air, it’s in the animals. There are men of knowledge who could take these forces and elements and cause mysterious things to happen to the body, transform themselves and do many, many marvelous things. I would like to become a man of power, and I would like to use it in a good fashion.”
Continuing, he added: “The knowledge that we have is enough to catapult ourselves over the hurdle into super-knowledge, where we become super-beings. But at that point we always destroy ourselves. That will always happen because super-knowledge is only for the chosen few. But the few can be of a greater number, that’s why I talk about it. If only we would adhere to certain laws that Mother Nature… THAT’S THE KEY!”
Gaye concluded: “We appear to have reached the bottom line. And, just like Bunny says (here he’s referring to the Jamaican musician Bunny Wailer), it’s in obeying the laws of nature that this wisdom and freedom lies. Those songs aren’t written for nothing. A lot of the time, they don’t even know it as writers, but they’re just forced to put Mother Nature into the picture, like in ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life.'”
