I'm technically a week late in getting this out. I hadn't intended on taking the week off. I was spending the weekend somewhere other than my own home and the wifi went out. And since I left my printing press at home, I wasn't able to get any substitute leaflets sent out in a timely fashion. Sorry.
I apologize in advance. This week's "sermon" and its accompanying album come from something of a dark place. As I write this, I'm actually listening to this week's album. Words fail me in the moment. I can't for the life of me understand how this album--which is older than I am--can be so relevant to our present time. I've been thinking about this album a lot the last couple of weeks. I think part of the reason that I'm amazed at the relevance of this album is the fact that in the 54 years since its release, I don't want the album to be relevant anymore. After 54 years, it shouldn't be relevant anymore. We should have fixed our problems and moved on by now. But I've also observed humanity long enough to know that that's not what we do. We blame those who disagree with us for the world's problems rather than trying to find common ground and actually fix what's broken. Consequently, we still have many of the same problems we had then--the only difference now is that we also have social media which allows us to spread misinformation, rumours, innuendo, and even outright falsehoods at a much faster rate than we ever could before.
We seem more divided than ever before in this country. I'm not the first to say this, and I'm sure I won't be the last. We've become so entrenched in our own beliefs about who's right, who's wrong, who's on the right side of history, and what our now long dead Founding Fathers actually thought 250 years ago. And while I'll be the first to admit I'm no different, I'm also open to hearing other viewpoints. Even if I don't agree with them, I would like to be able to at least understand them. But I also worry that the person with whom I would be discussing our respective viewpoints might not be as open-minded as I like to think I am. And in the last few days, I've begun to worry that I could also be investigated for using "hate speech" or some other trumped-up charge that might get leveled against me for expressing my viewpoint.
For a number of years, I've believed that we will have a second civil war by the end of this century. Again, I'm not the first to say this, and I'm sure I won't be the last, but we definitely seem to be headed in that general direction. Having said that, I do hope I'm wrong. But I've also observed humanity long enough to know that if I have to hope for something bad not to happen, it probably will. Sometimes hope is all we have to hold on to. And we become dependent on the arts to express that hope, along with every other emotion we feel in the moment.
Which brings us to that still relevant album from more than a half century ago. Released on Motown Records in May of 1971, Marvin Gaye released his landmark What's Going On, a musical plea for sanity in an otherwise insane world. Allegedly, Motown's founder, Berry Gordy Jr., didn't want to release the album, fearing that a lot of Gaye's audience would be turned off by political messages in music. He also--again, allegedly--described the song as the worst thing he'd ever heard in his life. Although he liked the jazzier sound of the recordings, he felt it was out of date with current musical tastes. (Gordy has always denied this.)
Without Gordy's knowledge, the single was released to record stores in January. It became Motown's fastest-selling single at that time. The album later became both Motown's and Marvin Gaye's bestselling album up to that point (eclipsed two years later by Let's Get It On). Over the years, the accolades continued. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed it at #1 on their list of the The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Not bad for an album that had the potential to alienate listeners and whose sound was out of date.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the contribution of The Funk Brothers--the "house band" at Motown who played with all of Motown's artists who recorded at the Detroit studios, known as "Hitsville, USA." This was the first album on which they actually received credit for their work. A year after this album was released, Motown closed up shop in Detroit and became based entirely in Los Angeles. For more on this, you can read my Film of the Week "sermon" from 12 April of this year.
In the meantime, in recognition of hard times and hope for a brighter future, please enjoy Marvin Gaye with What's Going On.
Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
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