“Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution” is the second single from American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut album. The politically aware song peaked at No. 75 in the United States as opposed to its predecessor, “Fast Car” which reached No. 6. It also charted in several other countries, reaching the top 40 in Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
This song was in Chapman’s repertoire while she was studying at Tufts University, before the start of her professional music career, and was among several demos of her songs she had recorded for her college radio station WMFO for copyright purposes, in exchange for the station’s right to play her songs. Fellow Tufts student Brian Koppelman showed his father Charles Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing, a tape of this song that he had smuggled from the station, leading Chapman to sign with the record company.
The song received heavy radio play in Tunisia in 2011 during the Tunisian Revolution.The song was also used as an unofficial theme for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign, played before speeches at his campaign rallies.
After 5 years with no public appearances, Chapman recorded a performance of the song to air on Late Night with Seth Meyers on the eve of the 2020 United States elections. She changed the lyrics at the end to “Talkin’ ’bout a revolution, Go Vote”
