Tracy Chapman (album)

In 1987, Chapman was discovered by fellow Tufts University student Brian Koppelman. In an interview, Koppelman said, "I was helping organize a boycott protest against apartheid at school, and [someone] told me there was this great protest singer I should get to play at the rally." He went to see Chapman perform at a coffeehouse called Cappuccino, adding, "Tracy walked onstage, and it was like an epiphany. Her presence, her voice, her songs, her sincerity—it all came across." After this, Koppelman told Chapman that his father, Charles Koppelman, was at the time a co-owner of SBK Publishing and that he could help her make a record. She did not consider the offer seriously. Koppelman was still very interested in Chapman, and he attended most of her shows. Chapman finally agreed to talk to him, but she did not record any demos for him. He later discovered that she had recorded demos at the Tufts' radio station WMFO for copyright purposes in exchange for the station's right to play her music. Koppelman smuggled a demo tape of her song "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" from the station, which he showed to his father. According to the interview, "He immediately got the picture and flew up to see her". Her demo led to her signing a contract with Elektra Records. Chapman said, "I have to say that I never thought I would get a contract with a major record label [...] All the time since I was a kid listening to records and the radio, I didn't think there was any indication that record people would find the kind of music that I did marketable. Especially when I was singing songs like 'Talkin' 'bout a Revolution' during the Seventies [...] I didn't see a place for me there." Producer David Kershenbaum said that the album was "made for the right reasons," adding, "There was a set of ideas that we wanted to communicate, and we felt if we were truthful and loyal to those ideas, then people would pick up on the emotion and the lyrical content that was there." ==Recording==

Chapman immediately started writing songs when she was signed to Elektra. Koppelman started finding producers for the album with the demo tape of her single "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution". However, she was turned down, due to the popularity of dance-pop and synthpop at the time. They then found Kershenbaum, who later recalled, "I'd been looking for something acoustic to do for some time," adding, "There was a sense in the industry of a slight boredom with everything out there and that people might be willing to listen again to lyrics and to someone who made statements." Chapman's greatest concern during her meetings with Kershenbaum was that the integrity of her songs remain intact, because she wanted to record "real simple". Kershenbaum said, "I wanted to make sure that she was in front, vocally and thematically, and that everything was built around her." Every song that was featured on the resultant studio album had been featured on her demo tape, except for "Fast Car", which was one of the last songs recorded for the album. Kershenbaum recalled that the first time she sang and performed it for him, he "loved it the minute I heard it." Chapman was also interviewed and talked about the background of the album, stating, "The first record [Tracy Chapman] is seen as being more social commentary... more political. But I think that's just all about perspective." ==Reception==

Critical According to Rolling Stone, Chapman "caught everyone's ear in the hair-metal late Eighties" with the album. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice found "Fast Car" and "Mountains o' Things" very perceptive and Chapman an innately gifted singer but was disappointed by the presence of "begged questions" and "naive left-folkie truisms", such as "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" and "Why": "She's too good for such condescension ... Get real, girl." The following week, it reached No. 77 By June 22, it was awarded gold record status by the RIAA. By July 27, it was awarded platinum status, having sold 1,000,000 copies. Ultimately, it sold over 20 million copies worldwide and is one of the first albums by a female artist to have more than 10 million copies sold worldwide. Awards 31st Annual Grammy Awards ==Legacy==

In 1989, the album was rated No. 10 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 80s". No. 263 in a 2012 revised list, and No. 256 in a 2020 revised list. Slant Magazine listed the album at No. 49 on its list of "Best Albums of the 1980s". The album was critically acclaimed and helped to revive the singer-songwriter tradition. Additionally, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, higher than Chapman's original version. Chapman and Combs subsequently performed the song together live at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024. In 2025, the album was inducted into National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant". ==Track listing==

All songs written by Tracy Chapman. ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the album's booklet. Musicians • Tracy Chapman – all vocals; acoustic guitar (1–3, 8–10), electric guitar (1–2, 6–7), percussion (1–2, 10), rhythm guitar (5) • Denny Fongheiser – drums (1–3, 5, 7–10), percussion (1, 5, 8, 10) • Larry Klein – bass guitar (1–3, 5, 7–10) • Jack Holder – Hammond organ (1, 5, 7–8), electric guitar (1, 7–8), hammer dulcimer (3), electric sitar (5), dobro (9), acoustic piano (10) • Ed Black – steel guitar (2, 9) • Bob Marlette – keyboards (5–6) • David LaFlamme – electric violin (5) • Steve Kaplan – keyboards (6–7), synth harmonica (9) • Paulinho da Costa – percussion (6–8) Technical • David Kershenbaum – producer • Don Rubin – executive producer • Brian Koppelman – executive producer • Kevin W. Smith – engineer, mixing • Carol Bobolts – art direction • Matt Mahurin – photography ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts All-time charts ==Sales and certifications==