Marvin Gaye's 1971 album, What's Going On is regarded for its depiction of the social unrest of the time, as well as its musical beauty. Gems/Redferns/Getty Images
Back in 1971, Richard Nixon was president, the Beatles were newly broken up, and Fiddler on the Roof was one of the biggest movies at the box office. But also, a new network called National Public Radio broadcast for the first time. In honor of the anniversary of NPR's first broadcast, we're stepping back to give you a special edition of What's Making Us Happy This Week, as we might have offered it up 50 years ago.
What To Listen To
The Shaft soundtrack by Isaac Hayes
There's a stretch of about 30 seconds in Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" that contains roughly a half-dozen iconic moments, from perfect little bursts of strings and horns to the wearily pleading exclamation of "But I'm talkin' 'bout Shaft!" to that pitch-perfect way Hayes delivered the words, "Right on." Rarely has a single excerpt from a single song conveyed so much.
But the entire Shaft soundtrack — which encompasses a few tracks with vocals and a magnificent, versatile assortment of instrumental scene-setting — is a marvel worthy of the iconic (and still enjoyable!) film it accompanies. It's a reminder that Hayes' career extended well beyond the honeyed perfection of his voice, which would later spawn a renaissance thanks to his work as Chef on South Park. As a composer, he wasn't just gifted; he was masterful. — Stephen Thompson
What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
Sometimes when you reach a certain age, around 12 or 13, you encounter art that turns you into High Fidelity's Rob Gordon. Marvin Gaye's What's Going On was that piece of art for me, my entry point to becoming the annoying kid who could be disdainful of their peers for not caring as much about this deep, important work. It took some growing up before I could fully appreciate the album as something more than a catchy status symbol. What's Going On is, to me, the quintessential social issues pop album; it doesn't feel like it's preaching to you; it's not sappy.
Of course there's the brilliant title song, but I love how each subsequent track builds and draws from it while feeling distinct in its own right. "What's Going On" drifts smoothly into "What's Happening Brother," which eases into "Flying High (In the Friendly Sky)" and so on. I encourage people to listen to the entire thing from beginning to end if they haven't in a while, because there are so many layers to engage with. — Aisha Harris
Tapestry by Carole King
Carole King was already a prolific songwriter in 1971, having written or co-written classics like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", "The Loco-motion," and "One Fine Day." But with Tapestry, she made a solo album that established her as a hugely important performer, too. The album is certified 13 times platinum, it won a Grammy for Album of the Year, "It's Too Late" was named Record of the Year, and "You've Got A Friend" was Song of the Year. Beautiful songs she made famous like "Home Again" and her own takes on songs she'd written that were hits for others, like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," make this an unmissable, unforgettable musical document that's also part of the story of a fascinating career. — Linda Holmes
What To Read
The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover, written by Jon Stone and illustrated by Michael Smollin
The year 1971 saw the publication of a work whose towering significance enduringly manifests in several ways. As a generation's first brush with meta-narrative, after the fashion of Foucault and Derrida. As a steely-eyed exploration of the gnawing inchoate fear that is the human condition — our base, festering need to Other that which we do not understand. As a harrowing descent into desperation, terror and rage. As a tome of Kierkegaardian existential dread. As Baby's First Post-Structuralist Meta-Narrative.
I can of course only be speaking of The Monster At The End Of This Book, Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover. It features a beloved character pleading with the reader not to turn to the next page – which the reader, with grim, merciless determination, invariably does. As Grover continues to address the reader, pummeling the fourth wall into rubble and rebar, his mewling pleas become screams of soul-sick despair, and the book transforms into an extended crie-de-cour of raw anxiety that chills the blood.
It's like if No Exit was a Little Golden Book. — Glen Weldon
What Else Has Been Making Us Happy Recently?
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