Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

"Inner City Blues" redirects here. For the albums, see Inner City Blues (Grover Washington, Jr. album) and Inner City Blues: The Music of Marvin Gaye. For the novel, see Inner City Blues (novel).

1971 single by Marvin Gaye

"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"

Single by Marvin Gaye
from the album  What's Going On
B-side| "Wholy Holy"
Released| September 16, 1971
Recorded| March 1971
Studio| Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit
Genre|

* Soul
* funk
* psychedelic soul[1]

Length|

* 5:28 (album version)
* 2:58 (single edit)

Label|

* Tamla
* T 54209

Songwriter(s)| Marvin Gaye & James Nyx Jr.
Producer(s)| Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye singles chronology
| "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
(1971)  | "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
(1971)  | "You're the Man"
(1972)

|
|

"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", often shortened to "Inner City Blues", is a song by Marvin Gaye, released as the third and final single, and the climactic song from his 1971 landmark album, What's Going On. Written by Gaye and James Nyx Jr., the song depicts the ghettos and bleak economic situations of inner-city America, and the emotional effects these have on inhabitants.

## Composition and lyrics[edit]

In 1998, co-writer James Nyx Jr. recalled, "Marvin had a good tune, sort of blues-like, but didn't have any words for it. We started putting some stuff in there about how rough things were around town. We laughed about putting lyrics in about high taxes, 'cause both of us owed a lot. And we talked about how the government would send guys to the moon, but not help folks in the ghetto. But we still didn't have a name, or really a good idea of the song. Then, I was home reading the paper one morning, and saw a headline that said something about the 'inner city' of Detroit. And I said, 'Damn, that's it. 'Inner City Blues'."[2]

## Recording[edit]

The song was recorded in a mellow funk style with Gaye playing piano. Several of the Funk Brothers also contributed, including Eddie "Bongo" Brown, and bassist Bob Babbitt.

In its unedited version as it appears on the album, the final minute of the song (and of the LP) is a reprise to the theme of "What's Going On", the album's first song, then segues into a dark ending. This final minute was cut off of the single version, as well as other sections of the song so the single edit runs under three minutes—this edit appears on most reissues of the LP.

## Personnel[edit]

* Lead and background vocals by Marvin Gaye
* Piano by Marvin Gaye
* Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra including:
* Bobbye Hall – bongos[3]

## Release and reception[edit]

Motown released "Inner City Blues" as a single on their Tamla label on October 14, 1971. Record World predicted that it would be Gaye's "third [single from What's Going On] to smash."[4]

The song helped Gaye make history by being one of the few artists to have three or more Top 10 songs off Billboard's Pop Singles chart peaking at #9 and one of the first to have three consecutive #1 hits on Billboard's R&B Singles chart where it stayed for two weeks.[5] Although not certified by the RIAA at that time, all three releases from the What's Going On album gained Gold status by selling over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.

## Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1971)  | Peak
position

|

Canadian RPM Top Singles[6] | 29
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] | 9
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles[7] | 1

## Music video[edit]

A music video for the song was not released until 1994, when the Hughes brothers co-directed a video of the song for the reissue of What's Going On. The video was shot in Harlem over the course of five days, featuring visuals of poverty and inner-city depression. The brothers also filmed firefighters putting out a fire, claiming to police to have been shooting a documentary.[8]

## References[edit]

1. ^ Sacher, Andrew (2 March 2017). "30 essential psychedelic soul songs". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
2. ^ Tucker, Neely. "Like Getting A High Five From God". "This helped people understand the feeling of being in there town..."
3. ^ Sounes, Howard (2006). Seventies: the sights, sounds and ideas of a brilliant decade. Simon & Schuster. p. 134\. ISBN 0-7432-6859-8. "...such as Bobbye Hall whose insistent bongos can be heard..."
4. ^ "Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 2, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 226.
6. ^ "Inner city blues (make me wanna holler) in Canadian Top Singles Chart". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
7. ^ a b "What's Going On awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
8. ^ Russell, Deborah (July 9, 1994). "Hughes Brothers Survey Urban Blight: Motown's 'Inner City Blues' Clip a "Dream Project"". Billboard Magazine. p. 34.

## External links[edit]

* List of cover versions of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" at SecondHandSongs.com

* v
* t
* e

Marvin Gaye

Studio albums|

* The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye (1961)
* That Stubborn Kinda Fellow (1962)
* When I'm Alone I Cry (1964)
* Hello Broadway (1964)
* How Sweet It Is to Be Loved by You (1965)
* A Tribute to the Great Nat "King" Cole (1965)
* Moods of Marvin Gaye (1966)
* In the Groove (1968)
* M.P.G. (1969)
* That's the Way Love Is (1970)
* What's Going On (1971)
* Trouble Man (1972)
* Let's Get It On (1973)
* I Want You (1976)
* Here, My Dear (1978)
* In Our Lifetime (1981)
* Midnight Love (1982)
* Dream of a Lifetime (1985)
* Romantically Yours (1985)
* Vulnerable (1997)
* You're the Man (2019)

Duet albums|

* Together (with Mary Wells, 1964)
* Take Two (with Kim Weston, 1966)
* United (with Tammi Terrell, 1967)
* You're All I Need (with Tammi Terrell, 1968)
* Easy (with Tammi Terrell, 1969)
* Diana & Marvin (with Diana Ross, 1973)

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits (1964)
* Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 (1967)
* Marvin Gaye and His Girls (1969)
* Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits (1970)
* Super Hits (1970)
* Anthology (1974)
* Marvin Gaye's Greatest Hits (1976)
* Motown Remembers Marvin Gaye: Never Before Released Masters (1986)
* The Marvin Gaye Collection (1990)
* The Norman Whitfield Sessions (1994)
* Love Starved Heart: Rare and Unreleased (1994)
* The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (1994)
* The Master (1961–1984) (1995)
* Marvin Gaye: The Love Songs (2000)
* The Complete Duets (2001)
* The Very Best of Marvin Gaye (2001)

Live albums|

* Marvin Gaye Recorded Live on Stage (1963)
* Marvin Gaye Live! (1974)
* Live at the London Palladium (1977)
* Marvin Gaye at the Copa (2005)
* What's Going On Live (2019)

Video albums|

* The Real Thing: In Performance (1964–1981) (2006)

US/UK top
ten singles|

* "Pride and Joy"
* "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"
* "I'll Be Doggone"
* "Ain't That Peculiar"
* "Your Precious Love"
* "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"
* "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
* "You're All I Need to Get By"
* "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
* "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"
* "That's the Way Love Is"
* "Abraham, Martin and John"
* "The Onion Song"
* "What's Going On"
* "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
* "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
* "Trouble Man"
* "Let's Get It On"
* "You Are Everything"
* "Got to Give It Up"
* "Sexual Healing"

Family|

* Marvin Gay Sr. (father)
* Alberta Gay (mother)
* Anna Gordy Gaye (first wife)
* Denise Gordy (son's birth mother)
* Nona Gaye (daughter)
* Frankie Gaye (brother)
* Gordon Banks (brother-in-law)

Related
topics|

* Discography
* Songs
* Albums
* Songs by Marvin Gaye
* Albums produced by Marvin Gaye
* Songs produced by Marvin Gaye
* Personal life
* Death
* Tributes
* Songs in memory
* The Marquees
* Harvey Fuqua
* Tammi Terrell
* Leon Ware
* Marvin's Room
* Marvin Is 60: A Tribute Album
* Divided Soul
* Sexual Healing Tour

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Marvin Gaye singles

1960s: (Tamla)|

1961
"Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide"

1962
"Sandman"
"Soldier's Plea"
"Stubborn Kind of Fellow"
"Hitch Hike"

1963
"Pride and Joy"
"Can I Get a Witness"

1964
"You're a Wonderful One"
"Once Upon a Time"
"What's the Matter with You Baby"
"Try It Baby"
"Baby Don't You Do It"
"What Good Am I Without You"
"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"

1965
"I'll Be Doggone"
"Pretty Little Baby"
"Ain't That Peculiar"

1966
"One More Heartache"
"Take This Heart of Mine"
"Little Darling (I Need You)"
"It Takes Two"

1967
"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
"Your Unchanging Love"
"Your Precious Love"
"You"
"If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"/"If This World Were Mine"

1968
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing"
"You're All I Need to Get By"
"Chained"
"Keep On Lovin' Me Honey"
"You Ain't Livin' till You're Lovin'"
"His Eye Is on the Sparrow"
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

1969
"Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By"
"Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"
"That's the Way Love Is"
"Abraham, Martin and John"
"What You Gave Me"
"How Can I Forget"

1970s: (Tamla)|

1970
"Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got"
"The Onion Song"
"California Soul"
"The End of Our Road"

1971
"What's Going On"
"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
"Save the Children"

1972
"You're the Man"
"Trouble Man"
"I Want to Come Home for Christmas"

1973
"Let's Get It On"
"You're a Special Part of Me"
"Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)"
"Come Get to This"

1974
"You Sure Love to Ball"
"My Mistake (Was to Love You)"
"Don't Knock My Love"
"You Are Everything"
"Distant Lover"

1976
"I Want You"
"After the Dance"
"Since I Had You"

1977
"Got to Give It Up"

1978
"Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)"

1979
"A Funky Space Reincarnation"
"Anger"
"Ego Tripping Out"

1980s: (Tamla/
Columbia)|

1981
"Praise"
"Heavy Love Affair"

1982
"Sexual Healing"

1983
"My Love Is Waiting"
"'Til Tomorrow"
"Joy"

Posthumous|

1985
"Sanctified Lady"
"It's Madness"
"Just Like"

1986
"The World Is Rated X"

1991
"My Last Chance"

1994
"Lucky, Lucky Me"

1995
"This Love Starved Heart Of Mine(It's Killing Me)"

2001
"Music"

2005
"Let's Get It On (The M.P.G. Groove Remix)"

2015
"Where Are We Going"

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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