What's Going On: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye, record used as a prop on the set of Scandal.

The jacket features a color image of Marvin Gaye wearing a black rain jacket with a large, popped collar and black buttons. There is blurred rain in the background. There is yellow and white text that reads [what’s / going on / MARVIN GAYE] at the top proper left corner. There is a black and white price tag above it. On the bottom proper left side of the jacket cover there is a yellow “TAMLA” logo followed by white text that reads [ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED / AND ARRANGED BY / DAVID VAN DePITTE]. There is clear plastic around the jacket. There is white text along the spine which reads [TAMLA / WHAT’S GOING ON · MARVIN GAYE]. The back of the jacket has a color image of Gaye in a yellow collared shirt, a yellow tie, black pants, and a black raincoat with a collar. He is standing with his hands in the coat pockets. There is a playground in the background. There is yellow and white text on the left side that reads [what’s / going on / MARVIN GAYE] followed by a list of song titles on either side of the record. The bottom left corner of the jacket has a white “TAMLA” logo followed by copyright information. The bottom right corner has text that reads [Produced by: MARVIN GAYE] followed by a black and white barcode.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1971
• Produced by: Tamla Records, American, 1959 - 1988
• Recorded by: Marvin Gaye, American, 1939 - 1984
• Used by: Shondaland, American, founded 2005
• Type: long-playing records
• Type: 45 rpm records
• Medium: ink on cardboard with plastic
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 12 3/8 × 12 1/2 × 1/8 in. (31.4 × 31.8 × 0.3 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place used: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Topic: Television
• Topic: U.S. History, 1969-2001
• Object number: 2019.90.12.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Walt Disney Television
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Universal Music Group Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.