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Song · Tracy Chapman

“Talking About A Revolution” by Tracy Chapman

“Talking About A Revolution” by Tracy Chapman appears on 26 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1988 and 2026. Its best result is #54 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #188 alternative song of 1988 and #1,646 alternative song of all time.

26countdowns
8stations
#54best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1988–2026years charted

Tracy Chapman wrote "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" while she was still in high school, and it arrived in 1988 on her self-titled debut album, released by Elektra after she was discovered at Tufts University. Following "Fast Car" as a single, it sets the tone for the whole record: a politically awake song drawn from her own life, with the emphasis on her guitar and her voice.

It lingered on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, topping out at No. 75, while Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand all took it into their top 40s. Other artists have covered it several times since, and it has found work in politics too, used by Bernie Sanders' campaigns in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1988 54 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1988 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 740 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 792 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 795 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 795 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 795 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 795 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 795 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 1552 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1485 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1508 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2009 227 WYEP WYEP 913 Essential Songs 913
2010 1538 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1606 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 339 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2013 1666 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1734 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2020 1923 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 267 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 754 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '90s 908
2022 439 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2023 711 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 416 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 516 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2024 191 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2026 446 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498

Also listed as: Talkin' About a Revolution; Talkin' Bout A Revolution; Talkin' Bout a Revolution; Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution; Talking About a Revolution.

Charting alongside it in 1988

Best songs of 1988 →
  1. 1SuedeheadMorrissey
  2. 2DesireU2
  3. 3Beds are BurningMidnight Oil
  4. 4Route 66Depeche Mode
  5. 5Peek-A-BooSiouxsie and the Banshees
  6. 6Chains of LoveErasure

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