Gil Scott-Heron was a composer, musician, author and poet best known for writing and performing this spoken-word track, which made its way into the cultural lexicon. Regarding the song, he said: "The revolution takes place in your mind. Once you change your mind and decide that there's something wrong that you want to effect that's when the revolution takes place. But first you have to look at things and decide what you can do. 'Something's wrong and I have to do something about it. I can effect this change.' Then you become a revolutionary person. It's not all about fighting. It's not all about going to war. It's about going to war with the problem and deciding you can effect that problem. When you want to make things better you're a revolutionary."
The lyrical delivery, funky groove, and socio-political messages in this song influenced the creation of the musical style hip-hop. The main subject is the lack of media coverage in African-American communities.
The original, spoken word version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" was released in 1970 on Gil Scott-Heron's debut album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox. This first full-length record was created in collaboration with the Jazz producer Bob Thiele, who also worked with John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders. In 1971 Gil Scott-Heron and musical partner Brian Jackson rearranged the song. Jackson jammed on the flute while warm, jazzy rhythms added depth to the previously sparse track. These elements, when added to Gil Scott-Heron's calm and intelligent vocal delivery, earned the song radio airplay across the US. This second version is the most famous and is now known all over the world.
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