"Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" is the second single from American singer-songwriter

Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason". Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987. The following year she released ...

's self-titled debut album. The politically aware song peaked at 75 in the United States as opposed to its predecessor, "

Fast Car "Fast Car" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on April 6, 1988, as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album. Chapman's appearance on the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute helped the s ...

" which reached No. 6. It also charted in several other countries, reaching the top 40 in Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The song received heavy radio play in Tunisia in 2011 during the

Tunisian Revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

. The song has also been used as an unofficial theme for Vermont Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

2016 presidential campaign This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kir ...

, played before speeches at his campaign rallies.

Charts

Certifications

Cover versions

The song was first covered by the group

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band currently consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish (who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992). S ...

, who not only performed the song on occasion on various tours but released a live version in the compilation album ''What's Your Favorite Color'' (1995). The German punk band, Ausbruch, recorded their cover version of the song on the album, ''Auf Alte Zeiten'' (1994). English punk band

Leatherface Leatherface is a fictional character in ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' film series created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. He first appears in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' as a disfigured, cannibalistic and mentally unstable mass murderer ...

released their cover version of the song on their EP "Compact and Bijou" in 1992. In 1989 there was a cover version from Pliers of

Chaka Demus & Pliers Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus (born John Taylor) and singer Pliers (born Everton Bonner), known for their hits " Tease Me" and "Murder She Wrote". As a duo, they enjoyed more commercial success wi ...

and the Firehouse Crew released, it was later re-released as Revolution Sounds It was subsequently covered by singer

Ben Jelen Benjamin Ivan Jelen (born 8 July 1979) is a Scottish-born American former singer-songwriter who plays the piano, violin, and guitar. He has lived in Scotland, England, Texas, New Jersey and New York. His career has been characterized by near-st ...

on the

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons' ...

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

-produced all-star compilation '' Wake Up Everybody'' in 2004. This song was also covered by

Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Orange County, California. The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold-certified album ''Turn the Radio Off''. Soon af ...

on their 2005 album ''

We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy ''We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy'' is the fifth studio album by ska punk band, Reel Big Fish. It was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records to mixed reviews. Background and production In February 2004, the band finished pre-production ...

'' and

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "Five Year Diary". In 2010, this song was translated into

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

and covered by

Art Napoleon Art Napoleon is a former chief of the Saulteau First Nation, from Victoria, British Columbia. He has used his television shows, music, and books to provide education on and increase awareness of Indigenous foods, languages, and cultures. He is c ...

on his album ''Creeland Covers''. In February 2011, Israeli band

Shmemel Shmemel ( he, שמֶמֶל) is an Israeli Funk Rock band. The band was formed in 2007 and consists of ten members. Most of the lyrics are satirical and humorous and often controversial. The songs are in Hebrew and English English usually refer ...

covered the song and added a verse inspired by the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of Nonviolent resistance, anti-government protests, Rebellion, uprisings and Insurgency, armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in T ...

revolutions, with the new song being given the title "Talking About an Arab Revolution". Clarence Bekker, of

Playing for Change Playing For Change is a multimedia music project, featuring musicians and singers from across the globe, co-founded in 2002 by American Grammy award-winning music producer/engineer and award-winning film director Mark Johnson and film producer/ph ...

, sang a cover version to commemorate

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...

, 2017. In 2020 Mauto, Italian singer-songwriter, recorded an acoustic cover with a new text on the same music as the song entitled "La tua rivoluzione" while in 2022 the electric version of the same song was released.La tua rivoluzione Mauto
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution Tracy Chapman songs 1988 singles 1988 songs Elektra Records singles Reel Big Fish songs Ska punk songs Songs about poverty Songs about revolutions Songs written by Tracy Chapman