LogFAQs > #953792598

244. Gil Scott-Heron The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1971)
from the album Pieces of a Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnJFhuOWgXg

Key lyrics:
The revolution will be no re-run, brothers
The revolution will be live

Gil Scott-Herons call for active revolution turns fifty years old this year, though its message feels just as relevant today unfortunately, thats more a condemnation of society than any intentional attempt at timelessness. In fact, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised ties itself explicitly to a certain era, calling upon advertising slogans and critiquing specific cultural monoliths at the time. That bombardment of disparate ideas highlights his point with so much of our lives being sugarcoated and forced down our throats, its easy to get complacent. To truly cause a revolution requires looking past the easy comforts and going out in the streets. Of course the revolution will be televised what hes saying is that it wont succeed if too many people are only watching.

Gil Scott-Heron delivers this spoken word piece with a frenetic yet articulate ferocity. His music is commonly considered a precursor to rap, and pieces like this laid the foundation for the more political side of the genre. The backing instrumentation has a jazzy funk quality that really helps sell his delivery, a perfect showcase for fusing poetry with music. This is simply one of those rare cases where the prototype hits just as hard; Gil Scott-Heron jumped in with perfect delivery. An anthem for the oppressed thats richly layered and rewards casual listening, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised brought protest music to a new level.

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