Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

Infobox Single
Name = Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)


Caption =
Artist = Marvin Gaye
from Album = What's Going On
A-side =
B-side = "Wholy Holy"
Released = June 10, 1971
Format = vinyl record (7", 45 RPM)
Recorded = Hitsville USA (Studio A); March 1971
Genre = Soul
Length = 5:28
Label = Tamla
T 54209
Writer = Marvin Gaye & James Nyx
Producer = Marvin Gaye
Certification =
Chart position = * #9 (US)
* #1 (R&B)
Last single = "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
(1971)
This single = "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
(1971)
Next single = "You're the Man"
(1972)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = What's Going On
Type = studio
prev_track = "Wholy Holy"
prev_no = 8
this_track = "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"
track_no = 9"Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" is a song by Marvin Gaye, released as the third and final single from his 1971 landmark album, "What's Going On". Written by Gaye and James Nyx, the song depicted the ghettos of inner-city America as it discussed how the bleak situation would lead to someone wanting to holler and throw ones hands up. 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.

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. 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 a million copies in the United States.

The final minute of the song (and of the album) is a reprise to the theme of "What's Going On", the album's first song.

Cover versions

The song was first covered by Grover Washington, Jr. in 1972. Also in 1972, on her album "A Time In My Life", Sarah Vaughan covered "Inner City Blues" with David Axelrod on the drums. Christian alternative band Adam Again did a soulful rendition of the song on 1990's Homeboys. In 1994, Angela Winbush covered the song and released it as a single and abbreviated the name simply to "Inner City Blues". In 1998, the Mayfield Four released a cover of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" under its original title on their debut album "Fallout". The Dirty Dozen Brass Band also did a cover of this song on their album Buck Jump

It was also covered by the hard-rock band Sevendust in 2003, and can be found on the DVD included with some versions of their album "Seasons", and then was included on their compilation album "Best of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" which was released in late 2005. In 2004, John Mayer performed the song live and later released on his compilation live album "As/Is". The version includes a turntable solo by New York jazz turntable player DJ Logic.

In 1997 the Grover Washington Jr. version was re-released on the compilation "Funky Jazz Classics & Original Breaks from the Tough Side", the first of the "Pulp Fusion" series. In 2007 the Sarah Vaughan cover was also re-released on the compilation "Bustin' Loose", the tenth of the "Pulp Fusion" series.

The original version of the song also was used in the soundtrack of the 2007 film Zodiac, directed by David Fincher.

*Grover Washington, Jr. (1972)
*Sarah Vaughan ("A Time In My Life" from 1972)
*Reuben Wilson ("Reuben Wilson - Sweet Life" from 1972)
*Gil Scott-Heron (1981)
*Working Week ("Working Nights" from 1985)
*Joe Cocker (1986)
*Angela Winbush ("Angela Winbush" from 1994)
*The Chi-Lites (1995)
*Maceo Parker (1998)
*Mayfield Four ("Fallout" from 1998)
*Peter Mulvey (2002)
*Sevendust ("Seasons" from 2003 & "Best of (Chapter One 1997-2004)" from 2005)
*John Mayer ("As/Is" from 2004)
*Powderfinger ("" from 2004)
*Marc Broussard ("" from 2007)

Trivia

*The song is featured in videogame Grand Theft Auto IV on The Vibe radio station
*The song is also featured in the John Singleton movie, Four Brothers.
*It is also featured in the David Fincher movie, Zodiac.

Credits

*Lead and background vocals by Marvin Gaye
*Written by Marvin Gaye & James Nyx
*Piano by Marvin Gaye
*Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers