"What's Going On" by A Perfect Circle

 

To a certain extent, April 4th will always be a day of mourning.

On this day in 1968, the world lost a truly brilliant soul, the epitome of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience, Rev. Martin Luther King.

Though not directly about King's assassination, Washington, DC singer songwriter Marvin Gaye's 1971 protest anthem "What's Going On" was adopted as a rallying cry against social injustice. The opening lines “Mother, mother, there’s far too many of you crying / Brother, brother, brother, there’s far too many of you dying” were powerful words that buoyed the Civil Rights movement.

Here is a cover version from post-industrial Los Angeles, California band A Perfect Circle.

For more Marvin Gaye covers, James Taylor's version of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" can be found here, and Hot Chip's version of "Sexual Healing" can be found here.