Tracy Chapman - Chapman, Tracy (CD 1988)

I don't remember where I was when JFK got shot, I was an infant. I don't remember where I was when we landed on the moon, I wasn't alive when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and although I do remember President Reagan getting shot at, I can't tell you what I was doing at the time.

I do however, remember what I was doing when I heard Fast Car, Tracy Chapman's breakthrough single, from her self-titled debut of 1988.

I was sitting in my living room, talking to my mother. The TV was tuned to MTV, as I was very into it then, and always wanted to catch some of my favorites whenever I could.

During a pause in the conversation, I heard this soft acoustic guitar, and I looked up to see this woman that I had never seen before. You got a fast car. I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we can make a deal. Maybe together we can get somewhere. And I grabbed the remote, and got on my knees, and crawled towards the TV to get a front row seat.

This was a voice unlike any other, but it was way more than that. This song and this video painted a portrait of being poor and black in the inner city that was so incredibly personal, I could feel my heart filling with a very intense sadness. Who was this woman?

Well, Tracy Chapman, of course. And this song, as well as the CD, catapulted Tracy to levels of stardom she wasn't comfortable with. A very private person, Tracy retreated from the spotlight. All of the albums after this one (although I'm missing "Crossroads") would never measure up to Tracy Chapman. Her writing would never be as strong, or as unself-conscious. (I think I just made that word up.) This was her first and her best.

There are very heavy themes here. When I said in the "cons" section that a lot of white people wouldn't really get it, I wasn't being facetious. I am white, I'm not poor. I will never understand some of the things she's talking about to the point where I could say, "I understand what you mean." How could I possibly understand real poverty? Poverty to me is not having enough money to get a CD I want the day it's released.

How could I understand what it's like to call the police and not have them come because of the neighborhood I live in? Or have them pull me over because of the neighborhood I'm driving in? I can't. I don't. I can empathize. I can hurt for you. But I can't really understand.

And the reason I bring this up is because a critic wrote an article about how rich white people were buying Tracy Chapman in order to feel better about themselves - as if they now understood the plight of the poor black Tracy brings up in this CD. As if, while playing bridge, they could say, "isn't it awful about what's going on in the inner city? Tracy Chapman says there's gonna be a revolution; these people are angry." Getting visuals?

Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution is a song about being sick of the status quo - the welfare lines, the Salvation Army, the wait to get a promotion - and in her call for a revolution, she proclaims that poor people gonna rise up, and get their share. Poor people gonna rise and take what's theirs.

This may make some poor people feel better. It may make them feel empowered. But is it practical? Not to me. What is "theirs?" What is anyone's? How exactly do we rise up and take anything? No one gets "their share" in life. Some are born into wealth, some are born into poverty, and some are born into in-between. We have as much say in that as we do about the color of the sky on a rainy day.

As a song, this isn't a bad song, I just don't think it's honest, or really fair to the people it's aimed at.

Fast Car is a classic, and I'm sure you know it and love it. Why does this one work when the first one doesn't? Because it's personal. Tracy lets you meet this woman, gives you details about her life, and lets your heart break accordingly, although this woman isn't a victim. She is looking for a way out, and she'll take any road offered. Is her way out with this man who still doesn't have a job? Who sees more of his friends than he does of his kids? She doesn't know. But she's still hoping.

I know things will get better - you'll find work
And I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs

That last line kills me. She doesn't want a ton of money, a huge house, and a cleaning staff. She just wants a house in the suburbs. That's where I live. Do I take it for granted? Yes. Does this song cut to the core of my selfishness? Yes. And does it make me feel guilty? Absolutely. But it also moves me deeply, and does a nice job as a wake-up call when I start to make arrangements for a pity party, you know? Without a doubt one of the most important songs ever written, and one of the most stunning in its honesty.

There could be different interpretations for Across The Lines. To me it's about the pointlessness of fighting fueled by racism. Tracy talks about a little black girl being assaulted without reason. Newspaper puts it on the front page, and racist tempers fly. And then the rioting starts. What's the end result? Two black boys get killed, one white boy goes blind.

Tracy doesn't sound angry here, so much as she sounds resigned, frustrated, maybe shaking her head. On the back streets of America, they kill the dream of America.
She doesn't spell out who "they" might be, but I think it's fairly obvious. It's all of us.

How many white people were ashamed to be white when the Rodney King beating was aired? How many white people are ashamed to be white when another white cop is acquitted in the beating/shooting death of a black man? How many people are terrified by the "pack mentality" that overtakes neighborhoods, cities, and even countries? Right now, hate crimes are being committed against Muslims who have as much to do with Osama bin Laden as you and I had to do with the Oklahoma City Bombings. This song is about hatred, and its aftermath, and it's scary, both to think about and to hear. God help us all.

Behind The Wall is an a capella song about hearing a woman being beaten through the walls of an apartment, and having the police come out and say that they can't interfere with domestic affairs. Well, you probably know what happens next.

For many critics, this song was the be all and end all. I'm afraid it doesn't move me to the degree in which it's intended. Taking away the music and making it a cappella says to me, "pay attention," when I would have paid attention anyway. And the point she's trying to make here is made, it's just not written well enough to really touch my heart. Listen to Me And A Gun by Tori Amos, and then this. See the difference in the power of the writing? I'm not comparing the two artists, I'm comparing their writing. Great writing is about details. Look at "Fast Car." This song could have been great.

Baby Can I Hold You... now this one's got details, and it's a very beautiful song. About a lover who has trouble saying sorry, forgive me, and I love you. But said lover can say, Baby can I hold you tonight? Does this ring true for anyone? Nah, me either. Just thought I'd ask. And the real problem here, is that this relationship isn't new. Years gone by and still, words don't come easily. Like forgive me... forgive me. So simple, so powerful.

I kind of get a chuckle out of Mountains O' Things because I always flash back to George Carlin's old monologue about "stuff." We get rid of old stuff to get new stuff. It's all about stuff. And it is. Don't we spend most of our lives wanting a better car, a bigger house, and more money to buy more stuff? Sure we do. Is there anything wrong with that? I think it's human nature, unless of course it's an extreme.

But don't you sometimes look at the homes of athletes, movie stars etc., and wonder what in God's name you're going to do with 44 bedrooms and 50 bathrooms?

Tracy's stab here is at excess. Specifically excess gained by exploiting other human beings. What makes me laugh, too, is how she nails it. If you've ever worked for rich people, you know they think differently than you and me.

I was a nanny for a couple who had a million dollar house, and a three-year old son. The child wore hand-me-downs, while they thought nothing of spending $7,000 on a small, hand-made rug and a coffee table. (I hated them. Ssshhh...) Very catchy song, and I love lines like, I won't die lonely, I'll have it all prearranged. A grave that's deep and wide enough for me and all mountains o' things. *grin*

She's Got Her Ticket sounds a little autobiographical. She's talking about a woman who has found a way out, and says no one should try and stop her.
Some folks call her a runaway, a failure in the race. But she knows where her ticket takes her, she will find her place in the sun. This is a wonderful song of hope, with a very catchy melody and tiny hints of joy (every now and then) in Miss Tracy's voice.

Why? goes back to being more global, with Tracy asking the sort of questions that make politicians squirm, and the rest of us think harder about we don't ask "why" enough? Questions like, why do babies starve, when there's enough food to feed the world? Why are missiles called peace keepers when their sole job is to kill? Or more pointedly in the world today, how can our government come up with hundreds of millions of dollars on the spot to feed the Afghan refugees, when they won't put out money like that to feed hungry Americans? (And I'm not against feeding the Afghan refugees, I'm just making a point.) We can seem to do alot of things when it's in our best interest, and the whole world is watching.

Tracy's take on the state of affairs of the world? Love is hate, war is peace, no is yes, and we're all free.
Yeah...

For My Lover is one of the scariest, most provocative songs I have ever heard. Why? It's a very vivid portrait of a very disturbing relationship.

Ever seen a man go to jail, and take his woman down with him? He's maybe transporting drugs across state lines, they get pulled over, and off to jail the two of them go. Is she angry? God no. Which is part of what makes this scary.

Starting out with, two weeks in a Virginia jail, for my lover, for my lover... twenty thousand dollar bail, for my lover, for my lover... she goes on to justify herself against her critics. And everybody thinks that I'm the fool. But they don't get any love from you. The things we won't do for love... I'd climb a mountain if I had to. Risk my life so I could have you.

And on that last "you," it's repeated seven or eight times, to where you feel this woman's obsession. I have never tired of this song, it has never lost its effect on me, and to this day it still just takes me aback. This one is a must hear.

If Not Now is a soft song about a lover who won't quite commit, hence the title. If not now, then when? She is growing tired of waiting, and threatens, you can wait and lose this heart, you can wait and soon be sorry. This song isn't bad but again, what's it lacking? You got it. Pretty generic fare.

As is the closer, For You. This song, lyrically, is about a love so deep that there are no words to convey it, and that really must be true, as there's nothing here that's new, profound, moving, or even really heartfelt. But Tracy is singing it, so it's not a complete waste.

Overall Summary

Exceptional:

Fast Car
For My Lover

Excellent:

Baby Can I Hold You
Mountains O' Things
She's Got Her Ticket

Very Good:

Across The Lines
Why?

Average/She Can Do Way Better:

Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution
Behind The Wall
If Not Now
For You


Tracy Chapman and Mary Chapin Carpenter have a lot in common. They both have one-of-a-kind, somewhat limited voices. When you have a great voice, you can make a good song great, or an average song good. When your voice is special in tone, but not in range or power, you're pretty much dependent on how well the song is written.

That's why each of these artists have gone years between hits. There's too much pressure to write well, and you run out of things to say, or ways in which to say them.

I said earlier that I am missing Tracy's "Crossroads" CD, but hearing all the others, and having just bought her new one, "Telling Stories," I can tell you I haven't heard any great Tracy Chapman, other than Give Me One Reason, and that was just too catchy not to get everyone's attention. The new one has no greatness. Chapin, on the other hand, has a winner in her new one. Why? She's back to writing great songs.

Tracy Chapman, the debut, really set people's expectations for Tracy's future rather high, and with reason. Unfortunately some artists never rise above their debuts.

I love Tracy Chapman. I love the sound of her voice. I think she's a good person. I respect the road she's taken. I just really doubt she'll ever write another song as good as five of these eleven, and I don't like saying that, but she's had a long time to prove me wrong. And I hope she does.

But thirteen years ago, this brave young woman came out and made us all sit up in our seats. And whether we squirmed, tapped our toes, shouted obscenities or fell in love with her, I'm not sure we had ever heard this much courage on a debut CD. And for that I will always love her.