Imitation #3(70's): Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

            This spoken word piece by Gil Scott-Heron was originally released on his 1970 album, Small Talk at 125^th and Lenox.  It is about the fight for racial equality and its non-existence in media. 

Gil is confessing his outrage with the way the media is driven for and controlled by white people.  In the lyrics, Scott-Heron makes a number of references to pop culture of the 1970s.   This is a way of using figurative meaning.  For instance, he says, “The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.”  These were icons of that time, and throughout the piece Scott-Heron uses them to outline the fact that people know so much about fantasy characters, actors and actresses, and business ads, but are unaware of what is going on with the Black revolution.           

 Also, since this is a completely emotion-filled opinion about the goings-on of this era, this song can be attributed as lyrical poetry.  The tone of the piece is angry and forceful.  On the recording, Scott-Heron’s voice is booming and loud as he speaks over a simple drumbeat. 

About 5 years before this song was created, Malcolm X had been murdered.  And in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.  The fight for racial equality seemed to be in the balance, as two of its most prominent leaders were killed off.  Instead of succumbing to fear, some people stood up in this fight.  At the end of the song, Scott-heron says, “the revolution will be no re-run brothers, the revolution will be live.” In saying this, he ensures that whether or not people are made aware of the tragedies befalling the Black race, their fight for equal rights will continue.