+
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye,
Prince of
Soul Music
If it is possible for a popular music star to be a genius, then Marvin Gaye is definitely a genius. At first glance, he was the major poster boy for Berry Gordy's Motown
Records, recording 39 top 40 hits for the commercially thriving Detroit label. With his lover man image, he was a heart throb for countless female fans around the world. Above and beyond these things, however, Marvin Gaye was a pioneer who took African-American
"soul music" to unprecedented heights of spiritual and social consciousness. His 1971 LP "What's Going On?" is one of the greatest, if not the greatest soul album of all time.
To the initial dismay of Motown, Gaye sensitively explored the harsh realities of urban poverty, environmental degradation, and the Vietnam War. In this album Gaye also
gave free play to his deeply felt spiritual beliefs. The first significant black "concept album", the great risk Gaye took in creating it paid off. "What's Going On?" has been loved and respected
ever since. Like many brilliant artists, Gaye was unfortunately a deeply troubled and conflicted person. Although sincerely a religious Christian, he was also a very sensual,
and sometimes too sensual a man. His penchant for the darker side of life included a taste for prostitutes, hard core pornography, guns, and last but not least, the drug cocaine. Gaye's addiction to
coke would lead him into bouts of depression, and sometimes paranoia and psychosis. Despite being shadowed by such depersonalizing obsessions, Gaye struggled with determination through two difficult marriages. He was once reprimanded
by a friend for "loving too hard". It was a tender, platonic friendship with his singing partner Tammy Terrell that led him to one of his deepest heartbrakes. Her death in the late 1960's from a brain tumor
(she once collapsed on stage in Gaye's arms) made him powerfully aware of the fragility of life. Fleeing to Europe in order to escape tax problems and personal pressures, Gaye eventually returned to the USA in the
early 80's. He sought security by moving in with his parents, but remained addicted to cocaine and was openly suicidal. Long having had a poor relationship with his disciplinarian father (who incidentally was a flamboyant ex-minister), one evening Marvin got into the final of a series of violent arguments with the old man. Tragically his father went into another room, got a gun, and then fatally shot his world famous son.
Thus ended the life of a painfully complex man, one
who fully embodied the complexities of existence itself. The conflict between the spirit and the flesh reigned fiercely in Marvin Gaye, and the twin poles of personal intimacy and advanced social consciousness were both
accorded by him deep concern. The range of themes which inspired his art is a testimony to the breadth of his humanity, and briefly describing a portion of his work here should make this evident. His "Here My Dear" album chronicles in detail the miserable demise of his first marriage. His hit singles "Let's Get it On" and "Sexual Healing" are charismatic anthems of free love and eroticism.
The title track of his "What's Going On?" album is easily the most beautiful and soulful protest song of the Vietnam era. "Mercy, Mercy Me (the Ecology)" is a plea for the environment which came long before most people had even heard the term
ecology. Songs like "Precious Love" and "Distant Lover" are among the loveliest romantic songs to come from Motown. "Inner City Blues (Makes Me Wanna Holler)" is a powerful articulation of black frustration with the situation
of grinding urban poverty. Finally, "God is Love" and "Wholy Holy" are deeply felt testimonies to the goodness and forgiving nature of God, and of the need for all people to love each other. Contemplating this spectrum of music should perhaps
lead us to place Marvin Gaye in the ranks of a John Lennon or a Bob Dylan. That he was able to transfigure through art so many aspects of his varied, astonishing, and frustrating life experience, this is the ultimate evidence of genius. --What a troubled man. What a vulnerable man. What a great man.
Marvin Gaye Page
Amanda's Marvin Site
The Marvin Gaye Fan Site
Marvin sings the National Anthem (beautiful)