    "the revolution will not be televised" is a 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). 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 title was originally a popular slogan among the 1960s black power movements in the united states. its 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. ==covers, allusions, and uses== * the drum pattern is often sampled in hip hop music. *roy clark's 1972 song "the lawrence welk-hee haw counter-revolution polka" alludes to the song in its title. scott-heron had accurately predicted that as part of the revolution, several tv shows that were popular with rural audiences (which he mentioned by name in the lyrics) would no longer be relevant; indeed, all but one of them had been canceled by 1971 as part of a programming strategy known as the rural purge. nevertheless, two such shows, the subjects of clark's response (but neither of which
1970_songs African-American_literature American_poems Gil_Scott-Heron_songs Protest_songs