![]() What's Going On (1971) [ larger cover art ] |
Whoa, oh, mercy, mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be, no, no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Whoa, mercy, mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be, no, no
Oil wasted on the oceans
And upon our seas, fish full of mercury
Oh, oh, mercy, mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be, no, no
Radiation underground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy, mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Oh, no, no, no
My sweet Lord
No, no, no, no, no
My, my, my Lord
My sweet Lord
| jules44 (Sunny North Carolina) | Posted: Jun 09, 2013 - 16:05 Zzzzzzzzzz..........not in the mood for this, i guess.....psd,,, |
| olivertwist (Atlanta GA) | Posted: Jun 07, 2013 - 10:19 BillG wrote: Fixed. Thanks for the reminder. Thanks, Bill! |
| BillG | Posted: May 24, 2013 - 13:54 olivertwist wrote: Great song, but this is a shortened version that cuts out the haunting keyboards at the end. Blasphemy - we need to hear the entire song! Fixed. Thanks for the reminder. |
| kcar | Posted: May 24, 2013 - 12:14 Love the echoing percussion, but it reminds me of the depth-sounding noise in submarines from 60s-era movies and/or "Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea." Jesus wept, Bill: that was an absolutely butchered segue into "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Normally you're a genius at this kind of thing, though. |
| olivertwist (Atlanta GA) | Posted: Feb 19, 2013 - 06:37 Great song, but this is a shortened version that cuts out the haunting keyboards at the end. Please play the entire song! |
| Lazarus (Bethany) | Posted: Jan 03, 2013 - 13:14 MiracleDrug wrote: everybody in EVERY room loves this song... Everybody in my church loves this song... |
| joelbb | Posted: Oct 16, 2012 - 21:01 jimmpypowder wrote: Good lord what a talent! If only most singers could sing with this passion! You got that right, jimmpy. He died way too young, right at the peak of his career. |
| Proclivities (Carrboro, NC) | Posted: Jul 30, 2012 - 11:07 AliGator wrote: Aaaaand two years later nothing has changed. Yeah, things are rough all over. |
| jberko (Franklin, TN) | Posted: Jun 12, 2012 - 18:55 I never appreciated this song when it came out, but now I can relate. Mercy, mercy. |
| rtrudeau (Bay Area, California) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 09:41 AliGator wrote: Looks like BillG hasn't read the comments about the bad segue to Grant-Lee Phillips. *sigh* In Bill's defense: any song would sound bad after the perfection that is Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) |
| danoodles (Saint Louis, Mo.) | Posted: Apr 26, 2012 - 09:35 Very, very nice ! |
| jimmpypowder | Posted: Mar 09, 2012 - 14:04 Stratocaster wrote: Godlike. Yep. |
| jimmpypowder | Posted: Mar 09, 2012 - 14:03 Good lord what a talent! If only most singers could sing with this passion! |
| AliGator (The Bluegrass) | Posted: Feb 22, 2012 - 23:46 On Jan 24, 2010, AliGator wrote: Looks like BillG hasn't read the comments about the bad segue to Grant-Lee Phillips. *sigh* Aaaaand two years later nothing has changed. |
| Stratocaster (Bermuda) | Posted: Feb 03, 2012 - 17:23 Godlike. |
| cc_rider (Austin Texas. Y'all.) | Posted: Dec 21, 2011 - 13:01 Damn. |
| MiracleDrug (Earth) | Posted: Dec 05, 2011 - 06:57 romeotuma wrote: Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... everybody in EVERY room loves this song... |
| slr242 (San Francisco) | Posted: Nov 19, 2011 - 19:15 *classic* |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Nov 03, 2011 - 16:26 Everybody in my hotel room loves this song... |
| Red_Dragon | Posted: Jul 16, 2011 - 20:21 cc_rider wrote: Something about this song makes me well up a little bit. Every single time. Damn. gee, I wonder what it could be. |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Jul 16, 2011 - 20:20 This song is soooo good for the heart... |
| unclehud (300 feet above the planet) | Posted: Jul 16, 2011 - 20:19 As relevant today as it was "in the day." |
| Dave_Mack (Still Hangin' in the Twilight Zone) | Posted: Apr 28, 2011 - 17:19 dmax wrote: Oh, my yes. That whole song cycle that this is part of is so incredibly brilliant. It's more than a single pop song. Much more. Roger that. There's a flow to that album you just gotta hear all the way through. |
| (former member) | Posted: Mar 12, 2011 - 11:07 Propayne wrote: Brilliant. But skip the "best of" and get "What's Going On". Actually, everyone should already have that in there collections. Oh, my yes. That whole song cycle that this is part of is so incredibly brilliant. It's more than a single pop song. Much more. |
| colt4x5 (scrambling.) | Posted: Feb 24, 2011 - 15:45 May 21 will mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the album that held this song, "What's Going On." |
| OHMish (Copenhagen) | Posted: Feb 24, 2011 - 15:45 AliGator wrote: Looks like BillG hasn't read the comments about the bad segue to Grant-Lee Phillips. *sigh* +1 ;) |
| automaticjack (Sonoma County CA) | Posted: Aug 02, 2010 - 21:55 Timeless! |
| garycha (Bristol, UK) | Posted: Jun 16, 2010 - 02:52 So far ahead of his time and his people. A prophetic song. And beautiful to boot. Obama is just getting on message with the ecology some 40 years later... |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: May 15, 2010 - 08:14 ckcotton wrote: Just AWESOME... I agree... love it... |
| ckcotton | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 12:20 Just AWESOME... |
| ziakut (Chicago, IL) | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 12:14 Love this man! Great stuff...such a shame he's no longer available to create ear candy like this anymore! |
| cc_rider (Austin Texas. Y'all.) | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 12:14 Something about this song makes me well up a little bit. Every single time. Damn. |
| BowTieDad (Stockholm, Sweden) | Posted: Apr 29, 2010 - 12:12 classic coolness! |
| sirdroseph (Tokyo) | Posted: Apr 13, 2010 - 13:47 Yes, it is hard not to like this one! |
| nichomerri | Posted: Apr 13, 2010 - 13:36 AliGator wrote: Looks like BillG hasn't read the comments about the bad segue to Grant-Lee Phillips. *sigh* +1 |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Apr 13, 2010 - 13:34 incredible... |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Mar 28, 2010 - 20:40 david1045 wrote: It's a perfect song. Yes... indeed... |
| On_The_Beach (Vancouver BC, Bud) | Posted: Mar 28, 2010 - 20:40 Propayne wrote: Brilliant. But skip the "best of" and get "What's Going On". Actually, everyone should already have that in there collections. Absolutely! ![]() |
| ddbz (The Midwest) | Posted: Mar 28, 2010 - 20:39 I work hard for a living but this darn single click on my computer takes my brain to an easy spot and I just don't have to thinks so darn much... is that Grant? |
| david1045 (Madison Wisconsin) | Posted: Mar 12, 2010 - 22:54 It's a perfect song. |
| Propayne (Richmond VA) | Posted: Feb 25, 2010 - 08:39 Brilliant. But skip the "best of" and get "What's Going On". Actually, everyone should already have that in there collections. |
| BeyondZero (Halifax, Canada) | Posted: Feb 25, 2010 - 06:56 One of the greatest songs ever made. |
| AliGator (The Bluegrass) | Posted: Jan 24, 2010 - 20:00 Looks like BillG hasn't read the comments about the bad segue to Grant-Lee Phillips. *sigh* |
| digger (Vermont) | Posted: Dec 08, 2009 - 14:33 This is a twelve. |
| DigitalJer (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) | Posted: Oct 22, 2009 - 14:17 MM13 wrote: What a beautiful, beautiful story... Goes to show what a true hero Stevie Wonder is. Thomas Dolby just went up a few knotches in my admiration as well, for telling it so heartfelt. seconded, thank you for that...not something I might have ordinarily sought out, but you had such a great review I couldn't resist :) ...oh...and DAMN if Marvin didn't NAIL it :) ...sent shivers up my spine |
| michaelc (Walnut Creek, CA) | Posted: Oct 22, 2009 - 14:15 at the time this was playing ( came out) it was not that good to me with time it Marvin just seemed to get better and better it's just sweet but that was really a short version |
| peter_james_bond (Lunenburg, NS) | Posted: Oct 06, 2009 - 16:17 Marvin was way ahead of the curve here. = => 10. |
| (former member) (hotel in Las Vegas) | Posted: Jul 19, 2009 - 21:51 This song is soooo good for the ears... |
| MM13 (Slightly under sealevel) | Posted: Jun 18, 2009 - 02:39 sirrus wrote: I couldn't find anything about it with a brief Google search, but I did turn up this gem: Stevie and Marvin I really do love the internet sometimes... What a beautiful, beautiful story... Goes to show what a true hero Stevie Wonder is. Thomas Dolby just went up a few knotches in my admiration as well, for telling it so heartfelt. |
| sacton (malta in the med) | Posted: May 17, 2009 - 08:26 One of the ALL-TIME GREATS - both Song & (most of all) Artist |

