1971 Hit, With NFL Players, Is Still a Big Hit 55 Years Later

Marvin Gaye’s 1971 classic “What’s Going On” remains a major hit 55 years after its release, with the song continuing to attract hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams and standing as one of the most important recordings of Gaye’s career.

Released in 1971, “What’s Going On” became a breakthrough for Gaye. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart for five weeks and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It eventually sold more than two million copies and became the fastest-selling Motown single at the time.

Its popularity has lasted far beyond the original charts. The What’s Going On album, released on May 21, 1971, is listed as the second-most-streamed album in Marvin Gaye’s catalog on Spotify, with about 792.6 million streams from its main version, according to ChartMasters. 

But the song has another surprising part of its story: NFL players from the Detroit Lions helped make the recording.

Gaye was friends with Detroit Lions players Mel Farr and Lem Barney, and their connection to the singer went beyond football.

“What’s Going On” was a phrase Gaye and the two football players used when greeting each other. When Gaye was recording the song, he invited Farr and Barney to Motown Studio B, per Songfacts.

The two NFL players joined Gaye and the Funk Brothers to add vocal chatter to the recording. The casual conversation helped create the relaxed, almost party-like sound heard at the beginning of the song.

Their voices became part of a recording that would eventually become one of Gaye’s best-known works.

The football connection was not completely unexpected. Gaye had worked hard to become a talented football player himself. Although he never played in the NFL, he became close friends with Farr and Barney.

The recording also included other Detroit musicians and Motown performers. Bobby Rogers of the Miracles joined the background vocals, while musicians from the Funk Brothers provided much of the instrumentation.

The result was a song that sounded warm and welcoming while carrying a much deeper message.

The story behind “What’s Going On” began with Four Tops member Renaldo “Obie” Benson.

In 1969, Benson witnessed police violence during a protest in Berkeley, California. The experience made him question what was happening around him, including why young people were being sent overseas to fight in the Vietnam War.

Benson worked with Motown songwriter Al Cleveland to shape those thoughts into a song. The Four Tops were not interested in recording it, so Benson eventually brought the material to Marvin Gaye.

Gaye added new lyrics, changed parts of the melody and gave the song its final shape.

His own life gave the song even more meaning. Gaye had been deeply affected by the death of his duet partner Tammi Terrell, who died after battling a brain tumor. His brother Frankie had also returned from the Vietnam War with stories that deeply affected him.

Gaye was also becoming uncomfortable with the idea of continuing to record only romantic songs while the country faced war, poverty, racial tension, violence and other social problems.

“What’s Going On” became his way of addressing those issues without abandoning the smooth sound that had made him famous.

Gaye decided to produce the recording himself, rather than relying on the traditional Motown production system. He brought together the Funk Brothers, members of the Detroit Symphony and other musicians to create a different sound.

The recording also featured an accidental technique that became part of Gaye’s signature style.

According to Performing Songwriter, Gaye recorded two lead vocals and asked engineer Ken Sands to prepare them separately so he could compare the performances. Instead, the two vocal parts were accidentally played together. Gaye liked what he heard and kept the double-lead effect.

Another memorable part of the recording came from saxophonist Eli Fontaine. Fontaine was warming up over the track when Gaye told him they already had what they needed. Fontaine explained that he was only playing around.

Gaye responded, “Well, you goof exquisitely.”

The opening saxophone line stayed in the final recording.

Not everyone at Motown was convinced the song would work.

Berry Gordy, the head of Motown, initially opposed its release and called it “the worst thing I ever heard.” Gaye refused to continue recording unless the song was released.

Despite the resistance, the single reached radio stations and quickly found an audience. More than 100,000 copies were sold in its first week, followed by another surge in sales. It ultimately passed two million copies.

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