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May 2022
1h 5m

Marvin Gaye's What's Going On

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About this episode

Alex and Jordan delve into the creation of Marvin Gaye’s magnum opus. Though recently crowned “The Greatest Album of All Time” by Rolling Stone, Motown chief Berry Gordy called it the worst thing he’d ever heard in his life and wanted to toss it on the scrap heap. They’ll explain how Stevie Wonder saved the day, why Gaye nearly abandoned his music career in favor of joining the NFL, and how the song’s iconic sax line came about as a total accident. They’ll also get into Gaye’s unorthodox pre-singing rituals — so take note, vocalists! (On second thought, maybe don’t…) 

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