"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is a satirical poem and song by
Gil Scott-Heron. Scott-Heron first recorded it for his 1970 album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, on which he recited the lyrics, accompanied by
congas and
bongo drums. A re-recorded version, with a full band, was the
B-side to Scott-Heron's first single, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is", from his album Pieces of a Man (1971), featuring a distinctive bass-line by jazz bassist
Ron Carter. It was also included on his compilation album, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1974). All these releases were issued on the
Flying Dutchman Productions record label.
The song's lyrics either mention or allude to several television series, advertising slogans and icons of entertainment and news coverage that serve as examples of what "the revolution will not" be or do. The song is a response to the
spoken-word piece "When the Revolution Comes" by
The Last Poets, from their
eponymous debut, which opens with the line "When the revolution comes some of us will probably catch it on TV".[2]
General
Creighton Abrams, one of the commanders of military operations in Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War
Mendel Rivers, chairman of the
House Armed Services Committee during the period of the Vietnam War (Rivers' name appears in the original 1970 recording, but not in the re-recorded 1971 version, being replaced by Spiro Agnew)
Spiro Agnew, 39th vice president of the United States under Nixon
"
NBC will not be able to predict the winner at 8:32", a reference to television networks predicting the winner of presidential elections shortly after the polls close at 8 p.m.
"Dove in your bedroom", an advertising image associated with
Dove anti-perspirant
deodorant
"Put a tiger in your tank", an Esso (now
Exxon) advertising slogan created by Chicago copywriter Emery Smith
"Giant in your toilet bowl," a reference to
Liquid-Plumr commercials saying that it cleared so well it was like "having a giant in your toilet bowl" with an animation of a large arm using a plunger on your toilet.