What's Going On
Party chatter, a sax that sighs, and Gaye asking the question Motown begged him not to ask.
Party chatter, a sax that sighs, and Gaye asking the question Motown begged him not to ask.

A 1932 Tin Pan Alley ballad, rearranged by Isaac Hayes, until Redding and Al Jackson tear the roof off.
Bowie lived near Mountain Studios, dropped in, and one evening's jam became a UK number one with a disputed bassline.

Withers bought a small piano, ran his fingers up the keys, and found the coal-town kinship he missed.

Nick Lowe wrote it for a pub-rock flop, produced Costello's B-side version, then got rich when The Bodyguard covered it.

Garrett and Ballard's demo won Quincy Jones over within hours, and the Andraé Crouch Choir carries Jackson home.
Everlast left House of Pain, picked up an acoustic guitar, and topped both rock charts with three street portraits.
Forty-odd stars filed past a sign reading "Check your ego at the door," and Quincy Jones got them singing together.

Levine says he and Valentine wrote it in about an hour, drawing on a troubled couple he knew.
Reed's parade of characters with nothing to their names, sung by Doug Yule over seven closing minutes of Loaded.

A bullied teenager's death behind it, and Jenkins turned the fifth single off his debut into a plea.

Wayne named Tupac's "Keep Ya Head Up" as his model, then sang it over acoustic guitar into the top five.