Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) Song – Marvin Gaye | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#9) & R&B (#1 for 2 weeks); 1971
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Despite Marvin Gaye‘s amazing tally of 26 Top 10 R&B singles in just eight years, no one was prepared for the landmark records he would release in 1971. The turning point in Marvin’s life came when his younger brother Frankie returned from Vietnam.
As Frankie told his haunting first-hand stories of war, Marvin felt an undeniable urge to speak out on the days’ issues: war, the environment, and urban blight.
A song presented to him by Renaldo “Obie” Benson of the Four Tops, What’s Going On, became the flashpoint for Marvin’s social expression. On June 1, 1970 Marvin cut the basic tracks for What’s Going On which was finally released on January 21, 1971.
Recording and mixing of the album stretched out to within days of its release in May. The next single, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), matched Going On’s #1 R&B peak and Inner City Blues made it three in a row.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Marvin Gaye
Lyrics Written by:
- Marvin Gaye
- James Nyx Jr.
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).