via Flickr
On what would have been Marvin Gaye’s 80th birthday, Motown gifted music lovers with his previously unreleased album entitled “You’re the Man.”
The album includes his most political songwriting to date. In fact, here’s the lyrics he recorded calling out disgraced former President Richard Nixon right after the Watergate scandal…
“Don’t give us no peace sign/ turn around and rob the people blind”
“Can you take the guns from our sons?/ Right all the wrongs this administration’s done?”
Gaye was speaking truth to power even louder than the year before, when his chart-topping “What’s Going On” single highlighted the socioeconomic conditions Black people faced in the 1960s inner cities.
With appreciative hindsight, it’s hard to believe Gaye had so little faith in the project. He ultimately shelved it unfinished in favor of working on the masterpiece film score for Blaxploitation flick, “Trouble Man” and a duet album with Motown labelmate Diana Ross.
Whatever his reasons, we’re happy he held nothing back throughout these 17 tracks of unfinished yet superb musical genius.
Best of all, he was providing medicine for the mind and groovy melodies for the soul - an example of the role we too can play in influencing others to think critically about the leaders that oppress our communities.