"In 1971, Motown's biggest male star walked away from love songs – and asked the country a question it could not answer."
"En 1971, la estrella más grande de Motown abandonó las canciones de amor – e hizo al país una pregunta que no podía responder."
Think of one thing happening in the world right now that troubles you. War. A neighborhood problem. Something at school. Something on your phone last night. Write 1–2 sentences in your notebook.
Piensa en algo que está pasando en el mundo ahora mismo que te molesta. Escribe 1-2 oraciones.
Sentence starter: "What's going on right now that bothers me is __________ because __________ ."
In 1971 Marvin Gaye asked the same question. Today you ask it.
I can analyze how Marvin Gaye used the album What's Going On (1971) to confront war, racism, and despair, and identify one technique or message from the documentary that I could use in my own creative work.
Puedo analizar cómo Marvin Gaye usó el álbum What's Going On (1971) para enfrentar la guerra, el racismo y la desesperación, e identificar una técnica o mensaje que yo podría usar en mi propio trabajo creativo.
For 13 weeks we’ve studied music as social commentary – protest songs, "This Is America," your own lyrics, salsa from the Bronx. Today we go to the bedrock. In 1971, Marvin Gaye’s brother Frankie was sending letters home from Vietnam. Cities were on fire. The environment was breaking. Marvin walked into the Motown studio and made an album that asked one question over and over: "what's going on?" Berry Gordy didn’t want to release it. Marvin released it anyway. It changed what a Black album in America could be.
Por 13 semanas estudiamos la música como comentario social. Hoy vamos a la base. Marvin Gaye, en 1971, hizo el álbum que cambió lo que un disco Negro podía ser en América.
Marvin repeats "what's going on?" over and over. Listen for it – in the title track, in the lyrics, in his voice. He is asking the country.
Layered vocals (Marvin's own voice multi-tracked), strings, jazz brass, party-room chatter. Motown had never sounded like this. The production itself was a statement.
Vietnam (his brother Frankie's letters home), civil rights, police violence, the environment, poverty. Each song faces one of these.
Your exit ticket asks you to analyze all three. Watch closely. No notes required – just pay attention. Mr. Mbagwu will be at his desk grading the marking-period papers while you watch.
As you watch, ask: WHY did Motown say no to this album? What was Marvin willing to lose to make it?
Name two specific social issues Marvin Gaye wrote about on What's Going On. For each one, name one moment from the documentary that showed it.
Nombra dos temas sociales sobre los que Marvin Gaye escribió. Para cada uno, nombra un momento del documental que lo mostró.
Starter: "Marvin wrote about ____ and ____. The doc showed ____ and ____."
The doc says Berry Gordy / Motown initially refused to release What's Going On. Why? What did Marvin do anyway, and what does that tell you about the cost of speaking truth in music?
Motown rechazó el álbum. ¿Por qué? ¿Qué hizo Marvin? ¿Qué te dice eso del costo de decir la verdad?
Starter: "Motown said no because ____. Marvin ____ anyway. This shows me that ____."
Marvin layered multiple tracks of his OWN voice on the title track — he is singing with himself. How does the SOUND (the production choice) reinforce the MESSAGE of asking "what's going on?" Cite one specific musical technique from the doc.
¿Cómo refuerza el sonido (la producción) el mensaje? Nombra una técnica musical específica.
Starter: "The technique I noticed is ____. It supports the message because ____."
Compare Marvin Gaye's social commentary to ONE artist or piece we studied in Unit 5 (your own lyric workshops, "This Is America," Lift Every Voice and Sing, salsa from L39). Name one similarity AND one difference. Then: what can YOU take from Marvin for your own future creative work?
Compara con un artista de la Unidad 5. Una similitud + una diferencia. ¿Qué aprendes de Marvin para tu propio trabajo?
Starter: "Marvin is similar to ____ because ____. He is different because ____. From him I can take ____."