What’s Going On

Production notes

What's Going On was recorded primarily at Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) and the Golden World studio in Detroit, as well as at studios in Los Angeles, between June 1970 and March 1971. The album was produced by Marvin Gaye himself, with significant contributions from arranger David Van De Pitte, who orchestrated the lush string and horn arrangements, and engineer Ken Sands, along with Steve Smith at the mixing board. Gaye employed the innovative technique of layering multiple vocal tracks, overdubbing his own voice in different registers and styles to create a rich, conversational vocal texture that was groundbreaking for the time. The rhythm tracks featured members of the Funk Brothers, Motown's legendary house band, including bassist James Jamerson, whose fluid, jazz-influenced bass lines on the title track are considered among the finest ever recorded. The album's creation was marked by tension with Motown founder Berry Gordy, who initially resisted releasing the socially conscious title track, deeming it too political and uncommercial, but Gaye insisted on artistic control, and the album's enormous critical and commercial success helped transform Motown's approach to allowing artists greater creative freedom.