"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution'" is the second single from African American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 contemporary folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 artist Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...

. The politically aware song failed to replicate the success of its predecessor, "Fast Car

Fast Car

"Fast Car" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released as a single in April 1988 from her self-titled 1988 debut album Tracy Chapman...

", and peaked at #75 in the United States. However, it also managed to chart on four other charts maintained by Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

(which brings out the weekly US chart

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

) and reached the top forty in two of them.

Internationally, this single was a big hit, reaching the Top 40 in several countries, including France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, becoming a classic in Chapman's song repertoire. The song received heavy radio play in Tunisia in 2011 during the Tunisian Revolution

Tunisian revolution

The Tunisian Revolution is an intensive campaign of civil resistance, including a series of street demonstrations taking place in Tunisia. The events began in December 2010 and led to the ousting of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011...

.

The song is in the key of G major. The chord progression is: G, C, Em, D. It has a relatively simple strumming pattern which plays unbroken throughout the entire song, making it fairly easy for a novice or learner to play on guitar.

The song was subsequently covered by singer Ben Jelen

Ben Jelen

Ben Jelen is a Scottish-born American 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-stardom, with his debut album, Give It All Away peaking at #113 on the Billboard 200 list...

 on the Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...

/Babyface-produced all-star compilation Wake Up Everybody

Wake Up Everybody (2004 album)

Wake Up Everybody was a compilation album released to coincide with the 2004 presidential election. It features a collection of music stars who urge young people to go out and vote . The Executive Producers of the album were Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds,Tracey Edmonds, Russell Simmons and Jonathan Lewis...

in 2004. This song was also covered by Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". 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 after, the band...

 on their 2005 album We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy

We're Not Happy 'Til You're Not Happy

We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy is the fifth LP by Orange County ska punk band, Reel Big Fish.The follow-up to the band's moderately successful Cheer Up!, We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy was released on April 5, 2005 on Mojo Records...

and Chamberlain

Chamberlain (band)

Chamberlain is an indie rock band from Indianapolis & Bloomington, Indiana, previously having been known as Split Lip, they changed their name and their general sound away from post-hardcore punk in 1996.-History:...

 as a B Side to "Five Year Diary". In 2010, this song was translated into Cree

Cree

The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...

 and covered by Art Napolean on his album Creeland Covers. In February 2011, Israeli band Shmemel covered the song and added a verse inspired by the Arab Spring

Arab Spring

The Arab Spring , otherwise known as the Arab Awakening, is a revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protests occurring in the Arab world that began on Saturday, 18 December 2010...

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

Charts

Chart (1988)Artist Chart History: Billboard.com	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	75
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...	45
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...	24
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...	22
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	78
Austrian Singles Chart	29
Canadian RPM Top Singles	48
France Singles Chart	22
Dutch Singles Chart	18
New Zealand Singles Chart	32