Posted on 02/05/2024 12:41:37 PM PST by Rummyfan
Using only her art, the legendary Tracy Chapman took to the Grammy stage Sunday night and made the most American of statements.
The story behind Chapman’s iconic, Grammy-winning hit “Fast Car” dates back 36 years to 1988, when it was first released. She was only 23 then, but in the synthesized-saxophoned eighties, “Fast Car” was something all its own.
The Clevelend-born Chapman was lucky. America was still a young country then, a country eager to embrace The New, an anxious culture always glancing over the shoulder of the latest superstar, eager for whatever was next.
The stagnant America we live in today, a culture crippled by nostalgia that still watches Law & Order, anticipates the next Star Wars movie, attends Rolling Stones concerts, and pays to see an 80-year-old play Indiana Jones was inconceivable then. And so, during a year that gave us “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Milli Vanilli, and Tiffany, seemingly from nowhere came this beautiful, moving, and vivid folk-rock song, a young woman’s desperate lament to escape the quicksand of poverty and “be someone, be someone.”
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Throughout her life, Chapman was having none of it when it came to fame. She kept her personal life personal, quietly supported her causes, and turned down untold riches from rap artists who sought to sample her music — and when Nikki Minaj did so without permission, Chapman sued and won $450,000.
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But in the realm of “having none of it,” nothing will ever top the moment when Tracy Chapman’s humanity met America’s modern-day culture — this obscene, cancerous, ignorant, smug, divisive, oversharing, narcissistic, mean-spirited glob of hate and stupidity.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
It sort of is a sad song. But there is also a message of hope and empowerment and, to some degree, conservatism. She wants to take care of her drunk dad who gave up on life. She dreams of leaving to pursue a better life. They work hard and want to achieve and eventually climb out of the hole. Her husband ends up being neglectful of the family (they say women marry their fathers!) and she asks him to leave because it’s a cycle of destruction she cannot allow to repeat.
My interpretation. But it’s pretty plain by the lyrics.
I love her smooth and easy going voice. Thats a great song
Never heard of her.
If you liked THAT you’ll LOVE this.
Rich Men North Of Richmond by Oliver Anthony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro&ab_channel=radiowv
Me too.
Oh look I missed another woke self award show
It was apparently inconceivable last year too. It bombed spectacularly.
Chapman's a legit artist in the old school.
If you liked THAT you’ll LOVE this.
Andra Day - Rise Up [Official Music Video] [Inspiration Version]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwgr_IMeEgA&ab_channel=AndraDay
I didn’t watch it either. The only reason I knew about it was because it was heavily advertised during the Pebble Beach golf broadcast.
Yeah, why did she have to stand up and make it about her. She’s simply lame.
Stop right there...
Best Country Vocal Performance for “Fairytale” (1974) was won by the Pointer Sisters, which Emily Yahr probably doesn’t know
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Idiotic that he kept “work in the market as a checkout girl.” Then again, it’s a song about how much men suck and should never be sung by a man at all.
Yeah, I never thought a guy would ever cover that song, for that very reason.
What could be better than that. Literally choked me up. That hearkens back to a better time where artists made music not corporations. Thank you for the link.
It was a unique and very good song that was popular for a long time back in the late 80’s. The writer is correct that it was very different from music at the time. Love the song—lots of memories. Loved the performance last night. Other than Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel the music was absolutely horrible along with the people singing it.
Man, that was amazing.
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