Hello again world and welcome back to my blog. In celebration of June being Black Music Month, today's entry is about the always relevant and ever revealing musical genius Marvin Gaye. Since his filicide (murder by his father) in 1984, Gaye's legacy and music has elevated to the status of being culturally iconic due to its constant reexamination by critics, fans and a younger generation of audience. This is because his music- or art, to a higher degree- was geared towards pulpit and platform; it gave its audience a more deeper understanding of the human psyche through presenting rare honesty and connective emotion. In this meaning, I believe Marvin Gaye to be the defining artist of soul music; his "self-exposure" causes us to identify ourselves with him, as his theories on love, society and philosophy can beautifully mirror our own.
Before such finding and revelation, Marvin Gaye spent the first decade of his career being Motown Records' most chivalric and amalgamate artist; this "Prince of Motown" tried to find his own persona by imitating those of Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Sam Cooke. He would also struggle with Motown's "assembly line" type of hit-making production, as it prohibited their artist's own creative expression in favor of exposure and development. Both conflicts would come to a head in 1971 when Gaye demanded that Motown release his "Whats Going On" album; a nine track sociopolitical thesis, "What's Going On" allowed Marvin to find his own voice as he was inspired from American upheaval, particularly in the divisive opinion of the Vietnam War. When Motown-"the sound of young America"- refused to put it out fearing its possible lack of commercial viability, Gaye would force them to by stating he would not record any other material for them otherwise. His belief in the material would prove to be vindicated, as "What's Going On" was a commercial and cultural smash and has since been celebrated in its' role in making the standards of pop/modern music more limitless.
"What's Going On" became the defining catalyst in Marvin's music and life, finally giving him the creative and even spiritual freedom he so desired. From this point, however, his musings shifted from the outer society to the inner self, deciding that his music would serve as a narrative for the ongoings in his own life. I think it is from this point on that Marvin always sung with a purposeful plea that asks of its listener for either some sort of relation, accompaniment or forgiveness. Prime examples of this are his virile encouragement for "Let's Get It On"; his admittance to guilt and its pleasures in "Ego Tripping Out"; his timidness towards finding new love in "I Want You"; his anger at marital separation in "When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You". The amazing feature of Marvin's craftsmanship is that his music itself, apart from his singing and lyrics, could also describe the feeling he wanted to convey. Just as with his vocals, the instrumentation creates a fusion of gospel, jazz and blues that both invokes and appeals. I challenge you to listen to just the instrumental of a Marvin Gaye song and try to find the inspiration and emotion it aims to achieve.
In the tradition of all autobiographical artists, Marvin would gradually believe that he would have to live a life that provided the mythology necessary for such honesty; this meant heightening the dramatic, more negative aspects of his life so he could be more heroic in his storytelling. Needless to say that living in this ideal is a double-edged sword that services creativity at the cost of aggrandizing the demons that bred its subject matter. This ideal can also lead its artists into believing that their creativity is solely within their darker aspects, thus causing them to deny the more virtuous, pure aspects of themselves and their gift. As was the case with van Gogh, Hemingway and Cobain, Gaye would pose self-destruction as artistic suffering, assuming he would gain spiritual redemption through his creative legacy while mortally submerging into drugs, damaging relationships, and suicidal inclinations. Ironically, this excuse for downward spiral does have an element of truth for this type of artist, as their complete body of work grows to be more appreciated well after their physical demise.
The overall theme in Marvin Gaye's life and music is his desire for intimacy at all costs, be it erotic, familial, or societal. His was the type of intimate plea that is gut-wrenching to its audience, as they can hear in his empathic rhythms and expressive voice that his own quest for this virtue would never be fulfilled. However, this unfulfillment tends to brilliantly expand his legacy, as it displays that Marvin's genius was really bred from his humanity- he needs to understand himself just as he needs to connect to others. This exact sort of intimacy and connectivity is what I perceive to be most essential in soul music, therefore making Marvin Gaye its most defining and relative artist.
Well, that's about it for now folks. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and let me know what you think about this and other entries. Until next time, peace out.
Keep writing man. Best work yet
ReplyDeleteI'd like to say that I know Marvin Gaye intimately. Every Sunday my mother would play "What's Going On" in it's entirety. It's a ritual, I like to call it, that she still performs to this day. My favorite song of all time just so happens to be "I Want You". I saw a dance routine performed on Motown 25 to that song and have been hooked ever since.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wonder how the music industry would be if he were still living. Him and Aaliyah both. Would they have survived the change? Would they have continued to pave their own way and prosper? I wonder.....
Love the blog! I'm subscribed and will return. :)