What’s Going On Lyrics

[Chorus]
Picket lines (Brother) and picket signs (Brother)
Don't punish me (Brother) with brutality (Brother)
Come on, talk to me (Brother), so you can see (Brother)
Oh, what's going on (What's going on)
Yeah, what's going on (What's going on)
Tell me what's going on (What's going on)
I'll tell you what's going on
(What's going on)

[Post-Chorus]
Woo-ooh-ooh-ooh (Right on, baby, right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Woo, woo (Right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ba-da-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-doo
Ba-da-boo-boo-boo-doo, ba-da-da-da-da-da-da

[Outro]
Woo (Right on, baby, come on, right on)
Ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Woo (Right on)
Listen, ah-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Da-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo-doo
Da-boo-boo-doo, boo-boo-boo

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

What’s Going On is an exquisite plea for peace on Earth, sung by a man at the height of crisis. In 1970, Marvin Gaye was Motown’s top male vocal star, yet he was frustrated by the assembly-line role he played on his own hits.
- Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Songs

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Marvin Gaye say about "What's Going On"?
Genius Answer

Barry Gordy’s initial reaction to the song was “the worst thing I ever heard in my life”, and “that Dizzy Gillespie stuff in the middle, that scatting, it’s old”.
Smokey Robinson told Gordy – “ (it’s no use – ) like a bear shitting in the woods, Marvin ain’t budging”.

Marvin Gaye’s very compelling reason for wanting to record the song –

If I was arguing for peace. I knew I’d have to find peace in my heart.

What was going on during his time that made Gaye want to fight for peace?
Genius Answer

The Vietnam War.

The story is told from the point of view of a Vietnam veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing only hatred, suffering, and injustice. Gaye’s introspective lyrics discuss themes of drug abuse, poverty, and the Vietnam War.

Is there an official video for "What's Going On"?
Genius Answer

Yes! While “What’s Going On” first came out before the music video era, an official video was released in 2019 as the first video in Universal Music Group’s “Never Made” project. The purpose of “Never Made” was to create content for songs that never had a music video.

Credits
Produced By
Mix Engineer
Recorded At
Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit, Michigan
Release Date
January 17, 1971
What’s Going On Covers
What's Going On by Lisa Ono, What's Going On by Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp, What's Going On by Hank Crawford & Jimmy McGriff, What's Going On by Johnny Hammond, What's Going On by Herbie Mann, What's Going On by Gene Ammons, What's Going On by Charles McPherson, What's Going On by Jimmy McGriff, What's Going On by Profyle, What's Going On / Ain't No Sunshine by Bernard Purdie, What's Going On (Live at The Bitter End, New York City, 1971) by Donny Hathaway, What’s Going On by Jewel, What’s Going On (The Voice Performance) by Paris Winningham, What's Going On by Charles Lloyd, What's Going On by Michael McDonald, What’s Going On - triple j Like A Version by Jimblah (Ft. Ellie May), What's Going On by The Undisputed Truth, What's Going On? by Harvey William Mason, What’s Going On (Dupri R&B Mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On? by John Wetton (Ft. The Les Paul Trio), What's Going On by Snoh Aalegra, What’s Going On by Michael Bolton (Ft. Michael Lington), What's Going On by Devon Gilfillian (Ft. Jasmine Cephas Jones), What's Going On by Tayla Parx, What's Going On (Dupri original mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What’s Going On (Live) by Donny Hathaway, What's Going On by Joe Cocker, What's Going On by Paul Carrack, What's Going On (7" Single Remix) by Cyndi Lauper, What's Going On by Kris Allen, What’s Going On (Diddy’s Bad Boy OG Remix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What’s Going On (Diddy's Bad Boy Remix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On (Junior Vasquez's club mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What’s Going On (The Neptunes This One’s for You Mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide (Ft. Angie Martinez, Da Brat, Fabolous, Faith Evans, LL COOL J, Mobb Deep, N.O.R.E., Queen Latifah, Royce da 5'9" & Sonja Blade), What's Going On (J. Dupri R&B Remix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On (Mick Guzauski's Pop Mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On (Mangini / Pop Rox Mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide (Ft. Chuck D), What's Going On (Fred Durst's Reality Check mix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On (Moby's version) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On (Babyface's Pop Version) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What's Going On by Weldon Irvine, What's Going On (The London version) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide (Ft. Bono, Chris Martin & The Edge (Guitarist)), What's Going On (J. Dupri Original Remix) by Artists Against AIDS Worldwide, What’s Going On by Donny Hathaway, What's Going On by Amos Lee, What's Going On? by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Ft. Chuck D), What's Going On by Etta James, What's Going On by U2, Peace & Love Medley: Where Is the Love? / What's Going On / All You Need Is Love / Imagine / Man in the Mirror by Anthem Lights, What's Going On (Live at Red Rocks) by A Perfect Circle, What's Going On (Live) by A Perfect Circle, What's Going On by A Perfect Circle, What's Going On by John Legend, What's Going On by Cyndi Lauper (Ft. Chuck D), What’s Going On by Seal, What's Going On by Coldplay (Ft. Bono), What's Going On? by Ni/Co (USA), What's Going On by Les McCann, What's Going On by Julio Iglesias Jr., What's Going On by Hayseed Dixie, What’s Going On by 水原明子 (Akiko Mizuhara), What's Going On? by Ohio Players, What's Goin' On/Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, What’s Going On by Take 6 (Ft. Brian McKnight), What's Going On by Piano Project & What's Going On by Majestic K Funk
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