Near as I can figure the song What's Going On? exemplifies a longstanding tradition of writing songs about injustice, that raise people's awareness of moral issues, bring out into the light things the powerful elite would rather keep hidden.
We had a whole bunch of em like that in the 60's.
We could use a What's Going On? type of song today. Instead it seems we have to go back in time to find one. Almost as if people today are afraid to write such songs. Or maybe they do, and it just somehow is hard to find them?
Can't talk about that here? Really does make one wonder What's Going On?