Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On (Mercy, Mercy Me)" is one of those songs that transcends generations. I like it. My parents liked it when it was new. You like it. There aren't many songs that can make that claim. It's just a great, straight forward pop song with a message. Marvin Gaye's song is timeless in that anyone can relate to the issues, but it was specifically written for a troubled time in our past. In the late 1960s, Vietnam (90,000 American men, average age 19, had already been killed in battle), pollution of the air and water, insecticide poisoning, innercity violence and poverty, a lack of civil rights, the assassinations of John and Bobby and Martin - all of these were the components of Gaye's pleas to stop the madness.



Yesterday we analyzed the lyrics to Sting's "They Dance Alone," a song that brings light to the sorrows and protests of those Chilean women who lost their husbands, sons and fathers to the murderous tactics of General Augusto Pinochet. We mentioned as well the newly found interest in Randy Newman's 1972 song "Louisiana 1927," a song about the last time New Orleans was devastated.

So many songs shed light on people's plights, people's lives, and the human tendency to go forth despite overwhelming obstacles. That's what I'm expecting you to address in your latest project. Choose a song of meaning that you can truly analyze. In your PowerPoint or other presentation, express your passionate view of the chosen song/topic. Be socially conscious. Truly look into the underlying meaning of the song, and then help us to feel it as well.

When you present your project, be sure to include the lyrics, to have a copy of the song for the class to hear, and to create imagery that will express your thoughts. Have fun with this. It won't be easy to capture the spirit of a meaningful song, but it will be rewarding.