Marvin Gaye's Whats Going On

"Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying"

Its unbelievable how powerful this song is. The lyrics as a whole are incredibly moving, but for me... just the first lines alone seem to make a huge statement. Gaye uses simple abab rhyme scheme and repetition to appeal to his audience, but the message is still so complex. It can be related to the timeless theme of war, but knowing that Gaye is specifically addressing the Vietnam War makes the lyrics even more appropriate.

I did a little wikipedia search to get more background information on Marvin Gaye... I had no idea that he sang "Ain't No Mountian High Enough". It suprised me that he created very pop songs as well. It really shows the how much impact the war must have had on him to create such a protesting album. I also found it very interesting that wikipedia did not mention the influence of his brother's death, but instead attributed the depressing tone of this album to the death of his lover, Tammi Terrell. I guess wikipedia isn't the most credential sight, but it is still interesting to find information that doesn't tell the whole story.