Maps of Music

Tracy Chapman (1988)

Where the lyrics of Tracy Chapman take you, and where it was really made.

Many producers turned Tracy Chapman down, and the producer originally chosen for the album was killed in a car accident.

Key places

Recorded at Powertrax in Hollywood (1988)

Recording site The Music Grinder (Hollywood) — The album was recorded at the Powertrax studio in Hollywood, California, over eight weeks. The point sits at the city centre of Hollywood, not at the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Tracy Chapman: debut album by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman
• Released 5 April 1988 by Elektra Records
• Recorded at the Powertrax studio in Hollywood, California
• Most of the writing is based on political and social causes
• Three singles released; "Fast Car" was the most successful
• Critics praised the album's simplicity, vocal ability and lyrical content

Background

• 1987: discovered by Tufts University student Brian Koppelman
• His father Charles Koppelman was then a co-owner of SBK Publishing; Chapman did not take the offer seriously
• Koppelman promoted a demo of "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" to radio stations, which led to an Elektra contract
• Many producers turned Chapman down because they did not favor her musical direction
• Dance-pop and synthpop were popular at the time

Recording

• The originally chosen producer was killed in a car accident
• Elektra then picked a producer with less experience; Chapman called the sessions horrible and bombastic
• David Kershenbaum agreed to produce, as he wanted to make an acoustic album
• Recorded in eight weeks at Powertrax, Kershenbaum's Hollywood studio
• Every song except "Fast Car" was on the demo; "Fast Car" was one of the last recorded
• Digitally recorded and mixed at Powertrax, mastered at Masterdisk

Cover

• Photography by Matt Mahurin
• Art direction by Carol Bobolts

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · discogs.com · 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

At release

• Rolling Stone: Chapman caught everyone's ear in the hair-metal late Eighties with this album
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice found "Fast Car" and "Mountains o' Things" very perceptive
• Christgau called Chapman an innately gifted singer but was disappointed by begged questions and naive left-folkie truisms
• Critics praised the album's simplicity, Chapman's vocal ability and her political and social lyrical content

Reappraisal

• AllMusic retrospective review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
• Erlewine: the album arrived with little fanfare in spring 1988 and became one of the key records of the Bush era
• Erlewine said the mix of contemporary themes and classic production is what makes the album distinctive
• Erlewine highlighted it as the best album in her entire discography

Records

• Billboard 200 debut at No. 122 for the week of April 30, 1988
• Reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 for the week of August 27
• Reached the top of the charts in many countries, including Austria, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Denmark and the United Kingdom
• Certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, with US sales over six million copies
• Sales over 20 million copies worldwide
• Three Grammy Awards at the 31st ceremony in 1989
• Rolling Stone 1989 list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 80s: No. 10
• Rolling Stone 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: No. 261
• Inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in April 2025

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

Trivia

• Chapman's live televised performance at Wembley Stadium in June marked a shift in album sales; 250,000 copies had sold before it
• Koppelman's demo of "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" was first recorded at Tufts radio station WMFO for copyright purposes
• "Fast Car" was performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute
• Boyzone's 1997 cover of "Baby Can I Hold You" reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom
• Luke Combs's 2023 cover of "Fast Car" reached No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay, making Chapman the first African-American woman to solely write a country number one

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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