Today’s socially relevant classic song of the day by an R&B legend is “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” by Marvin Gaye. Released in June of 1971, it hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 (for two weeks) on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
“Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)” was the second single from Marvin Gaye’s groundbreaking What’s Going On album. Like the first single, “What’s Going On,” which touched on the Vietnam War and other social issues, “Mercy, Mercy Me” focused on a hot button issue of the day, the impact of pollution on the environment:
Mercy, mercy me
Things ain’t what they used to be
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north and south and east
Later verses go on to lament oil in the ocean and fish full of mercury, radiation underground and animals dying, and an exploding population leading to an overcrowded land. “How much more abuse from man can she stand?,” Marvin asks at the end of the song. The question is still valid today.
Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album was a huge departure from the Motown norm. While some previous singles, such as the Supremes’ “Love Child” and the Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion,” had addressed social issues, What’s Going On was an entire album of what were essentially protest songs. Mr. Gaye reflected on what drove his decision to create the album:
“I began to reevaluate my whole concept of what I wanted my music to say. I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.”
The songs on What’s Going On did just that, and “Mercy, Mercy Me” is one of the most powerful songs on the album. It still resonates today, fifty years later.
