Gil Scott-Heron Pieces of a Man

Go outside! And other lessons we can take from Gil Scott Heron’s Pieces of a Man

You may have heard the saying “the revolution will not be televised” in discussions of systematic change and liberation. You may have even heard it in Kendrick Lamar’s recent Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, as well as referenced in his song “tv off.” This saying originated among U.S. Civil Rights activists in the 60s, but it was introduced to a wider audience by American jazz musician Gil Scott-Heron after the 1971 release of his album Pieces of a Man. Pieces of a Man beautifully envelopes soul, jazz, funk, and poetry into a brilliant 11-track album. Gil Scott Heron’s spoken word pieces paved the way for hip-hop and rap, genres heavily rooted in revolution, and he is even referred to as the Father of Rap, even though Scott-Heron himself never accepted this title. Pieces of a Man, as most of Gil Scott-Heron’s discography, is unabashedly political, delving into issues like racism, poverty, drug abuse, and police brutality.

The first and most renowned track off Pieces of a Man, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” is a spoken word poem that sets the tone for this explicitly political and socially conscious record. Over a sparse jazz-funk backing, Scott-Heron sarcastically and humorously critiques the disconnect between the trivial consumerism on television and the protests happening on the streets. The poem communicates that people will never understand the issues happening in America by watching television because White-controlled media was never going to air the fight for Black liberation. Like Lamar communicates in ‘tv off,” freedom will not come to those who passively consume contemporary popular media, where the Black experience is subdued and compromised. Freedom involves action. Long after the release of the song, Scott-Heron explained that what changes people’s mind is not something that could be captured on film. The revolution happens in a person's mind when they then change their thinking; it is deeply personal and experienced in real time. A person has to change their mind before they then change the way they live. Like Scott-Heron says at the end of the song, “The revolution will put you in the driver's seat… The revolution will be no re-run, brother / The revolution will be live.”

Despite the impact that “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” had at the time of its release and the profound rippling effect that it’s had on political discussions happening today, this song is not the title track. The rest of the album still has so much to say socially, politically, and musically. The title track, “Pieces of a Man,” tells a story of a man who, after buying a house and raising a family, receives a letter that he has been let go from his job, losing his sense of self and stability. This story originally happened to Scott-Heron’s neighbor, but in the song, that man is Scott-Heron’s father. The details of the man’s outburst is not explicitly stated, but Scott-Heron describes the situation with compelling imagery over pensive piano and subtle double bass. “Pieces of that letter, were tossed about the room / And now I hear the sound of sirens, come knifing through the gloom.” The police then made an arrest, but they were arresting only the shell of a man.

Pieces of a Man demonstrates life’s duality. Throughout his life, Scott-Heron struggled with substance abuse. You feel Scott-Heron’s sense of emptiness, inadequacy, and regret in “Home is Where the Hatred Is.” Your heart breaks with him as he chokes over his own lyrics, “Home is where the needle marks, tried to heal my broken heart / And it might not be such a bad idea / If I never, never went home again.” A few tracks later, Scott-Heron takes on an optimistic tone. Pieces of a Man then offers the most superb song to listen to as you rise with the sun, “I Think I’ll Call it Morning.” Despite the pain and despair caused by oppressive systems, Scott-Heron finds joy and comfort in the innate beauty and freedom of the world. “I’m gonna take the song from every bird and make ‘em sing it just for me, yeah / Birds got something to teach us all about being free.” It tells a beautiful story of hope and emotional perseverance. “Why should I survive on sadness? And tell myself I’ve got to be alone? / Why should I subscribe to this world’s madness? / Knowing that I’ve got to live on.” To me, “I Think I’ll Call it Morning” is a reminder that all people of the world live under the same sun, and we are united by the inherent feature of the human condition; suffering. Being a profound message about perseverance, this is a song that reaches all people.

We’re listening to Pieces of a Man because it is integral to hip-hop music, Black Liberation, and American culture. Scott-Heron was a musician, a singer, a novelist, but above all, Scott-Heron was a poet. Through his literary alchemy, he helped us see the invisible wounds. He communicated the incommunicable. He made us look forward to brighter days. His music preserved the pain - but also the perseverance - of Black Americans. Listening to Pieces of a Man now, it causes one to wonder: what present-day issues are we ignoring as we pacify ourselves with the constant bombardment of hypnotizing, mind-numbing entertainment? What are those changes that we can only experience on foot? Where do we need more boots on the ground? Although we are increasingly witnessing revolutions portrayed in media - on Vimeo, on YouTube, on Flickr, written in blogs - the real revolution happens when you are an active participant, so turn the TV off.