‘What’s Going On’ A Reason To Smile DAN RATHER AND TEAM STEADY MAY 26 Marvin Gaye (credit: Getty Images) This week’s reason to smile is an American treasure. It’s also a reason to think and reflect. The R&B/soul classic “What’s Going On” was released 53 years ago.  When Marvin Gaye wrote the song, Motown Records originally shelved it, because the label’s founder, Berry Gordy, said he didn’t understand it. When it finally was released, the single and the album of the same name became huge hits and among the most acclaimed titles in American music. Rolling Stone voted the album “What’s Going On” number one in its “Five Hundred Greatest Albums of All Time.” The title track is about an anti-war protest at Berkeley in 1969 where police were beating demonstrators. Indeed, a lot was going on back then that didn’t make sense. Our culture was seemingly turned on its head amid an unpopular war, police brutality, and race riots. Our environment was being ravaged by corporations polluting our lakes and rivers. A lot of us were asking, “What’s Going On?” In 2019, a video of the song was produced that interspersed current events with the original song, which unfortunately shows that in the 50 years since the song was released, Marvin Gaye’s lyrics are as relevant as ever.