Tracy Chapman
- Hayeon Kwak
- Aug 9, 2024
- 3 min read
“I think it’s important, if you are an artist, to use your music to stand up for what you believe in.”
- Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American folk singer born in Cleveland, Ohio, 1964. A three-time Grammy winner and socially active figure, she has left a real lasting mark on the American music scene. Chapman discovered her love for music at a young age, picking up the ukulele at only 3 years old and moving on to guitar at 11. She then began to write protest songs, weaving the turbulent environment she was raised into ballads of social injustice. Following a recent cover of her song by Luke Combs, the late 80s phenomenon continues to be celebrated 30-in odd years after her fledgling debut.
The singer’s “Fast Car” on her first album, “Tracy Chapman”, (released 1988) instantly became a global hit. The release won her the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989, with many others to follow. The song brought Chapman to a position no black woman had been in before - creating a “chart-topping” country song with a sole songwriting credit. It’s not surprising then that she was somewhat of an enigma to many of her listeners at the time. After all, the musician had stepped into a genre predominantly led by white men and used it to voice her political views.
Of Chapman’s childhood, she tells The Guardian - “The city had been forced to integrate the schools, so they were bussing black children into white neighbourhoods, and white children into black neighbourhoods, and people were upset about it, so there were race riots.” She had actually found herself held at gunpoint during one of these riots and was threatened to be shot at unless she ran. This culpable America exists as a recurring theme in her discography. Notably, her song “Across the Lines” (Tracy Chapman, 1988) asks the question “Who would dare to go? / Under the bridge / Over the tracks / That separates whites from blacks.” Others, like “Behind the Wall” tackle the nation’s legal system, with Chapman confessing that “The police/ Always come late/ If they come at all”. Chapman’s blues infused sound carries her unique voice into a smooth, undulating harmony, composing heart-wrenching tales of an intolerant and flawed America. Her oeuvre is not, however, limited to this, and ranges from commentaries on capitalism to religion.
Spreading awareness through song is one thing, but taking action is another. Tracy Chapman does not shy away from this. The folk singer has been known to perform at events raising money for humanitarian causes, such as fundraising for South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement in 1988 by playing for activist Nelson Mandela’s birthday, performing for the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, or performing and riding in the AIDS/LifeCycle event (to name a few). Other than performing, she has used her fame to teach children in her hometown about African American history, either via creating an educational music video or by sponsoring an essay writing contest. Chapman’s efforts have been commemorated by the South African Presidency on April 16, 2023. She was bestowed the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo, which is granted by the South African President to foreign dignitaries, an “order of peace, co-operation, and active expression of solidarity and support.”
Though she has since been slowly stepping out of the spotlight, her lyrics will still have a profound effect on anyone who decides to listen. From her charitable endeavours to her songs praising love and acceptance, there is a lot to appreciate and learn from Tracy Chapman.
Written by Julia Szymańska
Links to other resources:
Comments