African American Images and the Mass Media

COM 3534 Spring 2009/Week 10

Reading Guide: . “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Herron . “Your Revolution”by Sarah Jones

First, find information about the artists. Then answer the following questions:

1. Sara Jones wrote her song after attending a party where all the music she heard celebrated the degradation of women. It bothered her to the point that she went home and write and record a song attacking the misogyny, commercialism and numbing sexual sameness of rap music. To her surprise, the song got airplay. At one station, however, a listener called in and complained that the song was offensive. The listener made the same complaint to the FCC, which fined the station saying that her song contains “offensive sexual references” designed “to pander and shock and are patently offensive.” Discuss the argument you would make to defend the song and the artist against such charges?

2. Read the lyrics to the songs by Gil Scott-Heron and Sarah Jones on the next pages. Are the songs political, social, or both? Explain. Are their messages about “revolutions” similar? How? How do they differ? (The

items in boldface in the Scott-Heron song are things you should look up to define if you are not familiar with them.)

3. What ideas in the Hall, Jewell and Morton essays does Jones’ song reflect or refute? How does her song illustrate the significance of the ideas presented by those scholars? (Continued on next page) “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” Gil Scott-Herron

You will not be able to stay home, NBC will not be able predict the winner brother. at 8:32 You will not be able to plug in, turn on or report from 29 districts. and cop out. The revolution will not be televised. You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and There will be no pictures of pigs Skip out for beer during commercials, shooting down Because the revolution will not be brothers in the instant replay. televised. There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down The revolution will not be televised. brothers in the instant replay. The revolution will not be brought to There will be no pictures of Whitney you by Xerox Young being In 4 parts without commercial run out of Harlem on a rail with a interruptions. brand new process. The revolution will not show you There will be no slow motion or still life pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle and of Roy leading a charge by John Mitchell, Wilkins strolling through Watts in a General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to Red, Black and Green liberation eat hog maws confiscated from a jumpsuit that he had been saving Harlem sanctuary. For just the proper occasion. The revolution will not be televised. Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, The revolution will not be brought to and Hooterville Junction will no longer you by the be so damned relevant, and women will not care if Dick finally gets down Schaefer Award Theatre and will not with Jane on star Natalie Search for Tomorrow Woods and Steve McQueen or because Black people will be in the Bullwinkle and Julia. street looking for a brighter day. The revolution will not give your The revolution will not be televised. mouth sex appeal. The revolution will not get rid of the There will be no highlights on the nubs. eleven o'clock news and no pictures of The revolution will not make you look hairy armed women liberationists and five pounds thinner, because the Jackie Onassis blowing her nose. revolution will not be televised, The theme song will not be written by Brother. Jim Webb, Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen There will be no pictures of you and Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Willie May pushing that shopping cart down the Cash, Englebert Humperdink, or the block on the dead run, or trying to Rare Earth. slide that color television into a stolen The revolution will not be televised. ambulance. The revolution will not be right back The revolution will put you in the after a message about a white driver's seat. tornado, white lightning, or white people. The revolution will not be televised, You will not have to worry about a will not be televised, will not be dove in your televised, will not be televised. The revolution will be no re-run bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the brothers; giant in your toilet bowl. The revolution will be live. The revolution will not go better with Coke. (1975) The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath. “Your Revolution” by Sarah Jones

Your revolution will not happen between My Jamaican brother these thighs Your revolution will not make you feel Your revolution will not happen between bombastic, and really fantastic these thighs And have you groping in the dark for that Your revolution will not happen between rubber wrapped in plastic these thighs Uh-uh Will not happen between these thighs You will not be touching your lips to my Will not happen between these thighs triple dip of French vanilla, butter pecan, chocolate deluxe The real revolution ain't about bootie size Or having Akinyele's dream, um hum The Versaces you buys A six foot blow job machine, um hum Or the Lexus you drives You wanna subjugate your Queen, uh-huh And though we've lost Biggie Smalls Think I'm gonna put it in my mouth just Maybe your notorious revolution because you Will never allow you to lace no lyrical Made a few bucks, douche in my bush Please brother please

Your revolution will not be you killing me Your revolution will not be me tossing my softly with fujees weave Your revolution ain't gonna knock me up And making me believe I'm some caviar without no ring eating ghetto Mafia clown And produce little future M.C.'s Or me giving up my behind Because that revolution will not happen Just so I can get signed between these thighs And maybe have somebody else write my rhymes Your revolution will not find me in the back I'm Sarah Jones seat of a jeep Not Foxy Brown With L.L. hard as hell, you know You know I'm Sarah Jones Doing it and doing and doing it well, you Not Foxy Brown know Doing it and doing it and doing it well Your revolution makes me wonder Your revolution will not be you smacking it Where could we go up, flipping it or rubbing it down If we could drop the empty pursuit of Nor will it take you downtown, or humping props and the ego around We'd revolt back to our roots Because that revolution will not happen Use a little common sense on a quest to between these thighs make love De la soul, no pretense, but Your revolution will not have me singing Your revolution will not be you flexing your Ain't no nigger like the one I got little sex and status Your revolution will not be you sending me To express what you feel for no drip drip V.D. shot Your revolution will not happen between Your revolution will not involve me or these thighs feeling your nature rise Will not happen between these thighs Or having you fantasize Will not be you shaking Because that revolution will not happen And me, [sigh] faking between these between these thighs thighs No no not between these thighs Because the real revolution Uh-uh That's right, I said the real revolution You know, I'm talking about the revolution When it finally comes When it comes, It's gonna be real It's gonna be real It's gonna be real (2001) It's gonna be real