Maps of Music

New Beginning (1995)

Where the lyrics of New Beginning take you, and where it was really made.

A track written and recorded for this album, 'Unsung Psalm', was cut and later surfaced on her 2000 album Telling Stories.

Key places

Recorded at The Site in San Rafael (1995)

Recording site Tarpan Studios — The album was recorded at The Site in San Rafael. The map point sits at city-centre level, so the exact building is not confirmed. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at NRG Recording Studios (1995)

Recording site NRG Recording Studios (Hollywood) — The album was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixed at Scream Studios (1995)

Recording site Scream Studios — The album was mixed at Scream Studios in Studio City. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fourth album by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1995
• Sound: her trademark acoustic folk-rock, mainly slow low-key tunes with a few upbeat tracks
• The blues piece Give Me One Reason is the notable exception
• Eleven listed tracks plus one hidden track, all written by Tracy Chapman
• Apart from the single Give Me One Reason, every song runs at least 4:56
• Produced by Tracy Chapman and Don Gehman
• Released on Elektra Records

Background

• Extensive use of backup singers, very rare in Chapman's earlier works
• Unsung Psalm was originally written and recorded for this album but cut, and later appeared on her 2000 album Telling Stories
• The didgeridoo used on the New Beginning track became a source of controversy
• Chapman learned to play the didgeridoo at the Didgeridoo University in Alice Springs

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born March 30, 1964 in Cleveland; raised by her mother, who bought her a ukulele at age three.
• Began playing guitar and writing songs at age eight.
• Attended an Episcopal high school through the A Better Chance program, graduated from Wooster School in Connecticut.
• Studied anthropology at Tufts University, busking in Harvard Square and on MBTA Red Line platforms while a student.

Career

• Signed to Elektra Records in 1987 after Charles Koppelman of SBK Publishing signed her in 1986.
• Debut album Tracy Chapman (1988) became a commercial success, certified 6× platinum by the RIAA and winning three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist.
• "Fast Car" rose after her performance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in June 1988.
• Later albums include Crossroads (1989), Matters of the Heart (1992), New Beginning (1995), Telling Stories (2000), Let It Rain (2002), Where You Live (2005) and Our Bright Future (2008).
• Greatest Hits, a compilation she curated, was released in 2015.
• In 2023, Luke Combs' cover of "Fast Car" made her the first Black woman to score a country number one with a solo composition and the first Black songwriter to win the CMA Song of the Year.

Activism

• Politically and socially active, with a particular interest in human rights; performed for Amnesty International and at charity events such as Make Poverty History and amfAR.
• Received the South African Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo in Silver in 2023.

Reception

Reappraisal

• Give Me One Reason won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
• The same track was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 1997 Grammys
• German Wikipedia: the album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 1997 Grammys

Records

• Nielsen SoundScan: her biggest seller since 1991, with 3.8 million copies sold
• RIAA: five million copies shipped in the United States
• US Billboard 200: number 4
• Single Give Me One Reason: number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Chapman learned to play the didgeridoo at the Didgeridoo University in Alice Springs, yet women playing it is taboo in many aboriginal nations, which fed the controversy around the New Beginning track.
• According to Billboard, the New Beginning single was the first disc with a sticker on the back of the packaging listing the system requirements for playing its multi-media footage.
• Unsung Psalm was written and recorded for this album, then cut, and later included on the 2000 album Telling Stories.
• Apart from the single Give Me One Reason, every song on the album is at least 4:56 long.
• The album uses backup singers extensively, a practice that was very rare in Chapman's earlier works.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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