Gil Scott-Heron — The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Pieces of a Man · 1971
Label: Flying Dutchman · Genre: Soul / Jazz-Funk / Spoken Word · Country: USA · From: New York, NY, North America
Gil Scott-Heron's debut album was recorded in two days in April 1971 at RCA Studios in New York, produced by Bob Thiele. It arrived as the prototype for everything that would follow — spoken word over jazz-soul arrangements, political rage delivered with a poet's precision. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was the opening shot: a list-poem dismantling the illusion that change could be consumed rather than made. Kendrick Lamar quoted it at the 2025 Super Bowl. It is still correct.
Did you know: Gil Scott-Heron recorded The Revolution Will Not Be Televised twice — first as a spoken word track on his debut live album in 1970, then as a full band version for Pieces of a Man in 1971. The band version became the definitive one. Kendrick Lamar quoted it directly during his 2025 Super Bowl halftime performance, introducing the song to an audience of 130 million people.
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