"WHAT'S GOING ON" MARVIN GAYE (1971)

I generally gravitate to the music first before the lyrics. But as a writer, I still marvel at well-spun verses and choruses. This month, I’m joining the music Twitter community in #SeptSongLyricChallenge

Day 25

It goes down in history not just as one of the greatest protest songs of all time, but one of the greatest, period. It prompts many of the same problems, questions and emotions that we continue to struggle through today. Police brutality. Racism. War. These things haven’t left us. Gaye was calling our attention to themes that continue to surface – and the song gave us permission to ask the hard questions. The rare strength of “What’s Going On” is its unique ability to be timely and timeless at the same time.

“Father, father. We don't need to escalate. You see, war is not the answer. For only love can conquer hate. You know we've got to find a way to bring some lovin' here today.”