Latest news with #TracyChapman
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Tracy Chapman's Historic Debut Album Hits The Top 10 For The First Time
Tracy Chapman returns to four U.K. charts, climbing into the top 10 on three, including its vinyl ... More debut, thanks to a thirty-fifth anniversary reissue. SAN FRANCISCO, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Tracy Chapman attends Cirque du Soleil "Kurios" - Opening Night - San Francisco, CA at AT&T Park on November 14, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Trisha Leeper/WireImage) Tracy Chapman's self-titled debut album is still regarded as one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking to come from a female singer-songwriter since women began telling their own stories to music. In the decades since it was released in the late '80s, the set has proved to be not just a commercial success, but the inspiration for so many other artists to begin putting pen to paper to share their own art. The singer-songwriter's self-titled first full-length is back, as it reenters several rankings in the United Kingdom. The project surges to new heights on multiple lists, marking yet another special moment for an already historic effort. The Tracy Chapman album finds space on four tallies in the U.K. this frame. It returns to most of them, and even manages to arrive on one for the very first time. The self-titled affair lands at No. 48 on the Official Albums chart, which ranks the most-consumed full-lengths across all formats in the country. The LP has previously hit No. 1 in the U.K. and has now spent nearly 300 frames on the consumption-based roster. This week's return is largely powered by a rush of purchases, and that boost helps Tracy Chapman climb to new heights on two other U.K. rosters. The full-length enters the top 10 for the first time on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts — a feat it didn't even manage during its initial heyday. On the Physical Albums list, which ranks only purchases of CDs, vinyl, and other tangible formats, the collection reappears at No. 4. Just one rung below, it returns to the Official Albums Sales chart on the all-genre list focused entirely on purchases of any kind. In addition to its three reentries, Tracy Chapman also hits a chart this week for the very first time. The collection debuts at No. 4 on the Official Vinyl Albums ranking, which tracks the bestselling titles available on wax in the U.K. This isn't just the title's first trip into the top 10 on that list, it's Chapman's first appearance on that tally in any position. The sudden resurgence of Tracy Chapman can be traced back to a fan favorite reissue. In early April, the full-length was made available once again on wax to celebrate its thirty-fifth anniversary. According to the record label behind the project, the album has largely been out of print on vinyl in recent years, so once it became available again, many longtime supporters of both Chapman and the title itself rushed to buy one. Originally released in April 1988, Tracy Chapman was a commercial and critical juggernaut. The set produced several classic singles, including the unforgettable 'Fast Car,' which recently returned to public consciousness thanks to a high-profile country remake by Luke Combs. The album won critical acclaim, commercial success, and was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards at the time it was new, even winning a pair.
CBC
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Tracy Chapman wrote her life-changing hit Fast Car in one night
In 1988, the world was introduced to Tracy Chapman when she performed her song Fast Car for a massive crowd of 90,000 people at Wembley Stadium. The concert, which was a birthday tribute to Nelson Mandela, was broadcast to 600 million people around the world, elevating Chapman as an important new American voice. Today, 35 years later, the story of that concert is legendary. Before getting drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Stevie Wonder, Chapman was a virtually unknown singer-songwriter whose background was in street performing. Though stepping out onstage at Wembley was a daunting experience, she credits her years spent busking on street corners for teaching her how to hold a crowd's attention with just her voice and a guitar. "I was clearly overwhelmed," Chapman tells Q guest host Garvia Bailey in a rare interview. "It was the largest audience I'd ever been in front of…. Because I was solo acoustic — it was just me and the guitar — they realized they could slot me in at any point in the show. And so we were just waiting in the green room and then they came and said, 'Look, you're on.' And that was it. There was no warning." WATCH | Tracy Chapman performs Fast Car at Wembley Stadium: Fast Car, the lead single off Chapman's self-titled debut album, shot her to stardom and won her a Grammy. It not only changed her life, but the life of countless fans, like the British novelist Zadie Smith, who recently wrote about Chapman's impact in a piece for The Guardian. While some life-changing hits take years to write, Chapman says she wrote Fast Car in a single night in 1986. "It was pretty late or early in the morning, maybe two or three in the morning," she says. "I was up, I was playing [guitar], my dog was sitting next to me on the couch — a miniature dachshund, extremely important to the story — and I started playing that line on the guitar and came up with the first line of the song. It developed from there. I think I wrote most of the song that night and then I went back and revised it throughout the week. So in a way, it was quick. There's some songs that take me years to finish, but that was not one."
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Nuisance' buskers banned from Leicester Square
Buskers have been banned from performing in Leicester Square after a judge ruled their performances were a 'nuisance' and amounted to the 'psychological torture' of nearby workers. Westminster City Council said it had 'no choice' but to indefinitely suspend performance pitches from all street acts following the ruling. Last month, a judge found in favour of Global Radio, whose staff complained repeated renditions of Adele and Tracy Chapman songs made some of them work from cupboards. But the council has complained the ruling has put it in an 'impossible position'. It said that street performers were 'much loved' and an 'iconic part of the city's tourist scene', which it had tried to manage in order to minimise disruption. Now, all buskers have received a letter, setting out the council's decision that from April 17, all licensed and unlicensed performers – as well as street entertainers – will have to comply with the suspension. Those who flout the rules could be hit with a fine, their licence being taken off them or even their equipment getting seized. Councillor Matt Noble said: 'Street performers are a much-loved part of our city's identity, but we also have to balance this with a duty to protect residents and businesses. 'The court ruling gives us no choice – we now have a legal obligation to act.' He said it was 'categorically not a ban on street performers in Westminster' and that the council would be looking to find a fair solution. The local authority added that it was 'keen' to ensure buskers can continue 'adding to the wider city's cultural heritage'. The action follows an abatement order that was issued against the council by the City of London Magistrates Court. Global Radio, which counts Heart, Capital and Classic FM among its stations and has office spaces nearby, took the local authority to court for the noise created by the buskers. Staff played recordings of Adele's Someone Like You and Fast Car by Tracy Chapman in court to show the volume and how bad some performances were. Ruling in its favour, District Judge John Law said the council had failed to take action against the 'nuisance'. 'While the volume is the principal mischief it is clear that the nuisance is exacerbated by the repetition and poor quality of some of the performances,' he said. He added that the sounds were 'a well-publicised feature of unlawful but effective psychological torture techniques' and ordered the council to stop the 'nuisance'. Westminster City Council is exploring its grounds of appeal. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Nuisance' buskers banned from Leicester Square
Buskers have been banned from performing in Leicester Square after a judge ruled their performances were a 'nuisance' and amounted to the 'psychological torture' of nearby workers. Westminster City Council said it had 'no choice' but to indefinitely suspend performance pitches from all street acts following the ruling. Last month, a judge found in favour of Global Radio, whose staff complained repeated renditions of Adele and Tracy Chapman songs made some of them work from cupboards. But the council has complained the ruling has put it in an 'impossible position'. It said that street performers were 'much loved' and an 'iconic part of the city's tourist scene', which it had tried to manage in order to minimise disruption. Now, all buskers have received a letter, setting out the council's decision that from April 17, all licensed and unlicensed performers – as well as street entertainers – will have to comply with the suspension. Those who flout the rules could be hit with a fine, their licence being taken off them or even their equipment getting seized. 'The court ruling gives us no choice' Councillor Matt Noble said: 'Street performers are a much-loved part of our city's identity, but we also have to balance this with a duty to protect residents and businesses. 'The court ruling gives us no choice – we now have a legal obligation to act.' He said it was 'categorically not a ban on street performers in Westminster' and that the council would be looking to find a fair solution. The local authority added that it was 'keen' to ensure buskers can continue 'adding to the wider city's cultural heritage'. The action follows an abatement order that was issued against the council by the City of London Magistrates Court. Global Radio, which counts Heart, Capital and Classic FM among its stations and has office spaces nearby, took the local authority to court for the noise created by the buskers. Performances compared to 'psychological torture' Staff played recordings of Adele's Someone Like You and Fast Car by Tracy Chapman in court to show the volume and how bad some performances were. Ruling in its favour, District Judge John Law said the council had failed to take action against the 'nuisance'. 'While the volume is the principal mischief it is clear that the nuisance is exacerbated by the repetition and poor quality of some of the performances,' he said. He added that the sounds were 'a well-publicised feature of unlawful but effective psychological torture techniques' and ordered the council to stop the 'nuisance'. Westminster City Council is exploring its grounds of appeal.
The Guardian
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump's crash course: inside the 11 April edition
Donald Trump's 'liberation day' US tariffs on imported goods from a long list of international territories – including some inhabited only by penguins – sparked market turmoil and fears of a global recession. As the chaos continued into this week, the question loomed of how the world, from China to Europe, would respond. An increasingly dark-looking spiral with China of tariff threats and counter-threats this week led Beijing to vow to 'fight to the end', while vice-president JD Vance again showed his lack of class by referring to 'Chinese peasants' in an interview. But Trump is also coming under growing scrutiny from his own parish, as some of his wealthy US supporters survey the wreckage of their own damaged fortunes. From Vietnam's factories to Europe's corridors of power, Guardian and Observer reporters survey the reaction to a week that some feel could be an end to globalised trade as we know it. And from the economics perspective, Heather Stewart and Richard Partington explain why the tariffs make little fiscal sense. Get the Guardian Weekly delivered to your home address Spotlight | Families' shock at IDF's killing of paramedics in GazaRelatives who waited an agonising week before the bodies were found speak of the passion that drove Red Crescent workers. Malak A Tantesh, Julian Borger and Bethan McKernan report Science | Is ratings culture changing our brains?We live under mutual surveillance, asked to leave public ratings for every purchase, meal, taxi ride or hair appointment. What is it doing to us, asks Chloë Hamilton Feature | The huge, unsellable public art of Jeremy DellerJeremy Deller can't really draw or paint. Instead of making things, he makes things happen. Charlotte Higgins spends time with one of Britain's best-known but unlikely artists Opinion | Donald Trump won't stop me visiting the US – a country I loveFor John Harris, the United States means music, progress, hope. Whatever their president does, he argues, plenty of Americans continue to believe in those too Culture | How Tracy Chapman captured a moment and inspired a generationZadie Smith was 12 years old when she saw Tracy Chapman captivate a massive crowd at 1988's Free Nelson Mandela concert. Her astonishing debut album has mesmerised the novelist ever since Spare a thought for Evan Johnston, an American student who this week accidentally boarded what he thought was a London sightseeing boat but was in fact a vessel carrying Southend United football fans. As a (longsuffering) fan of the club I'm delighted to hear that Johnston has taken the Shrimpers to his heart. I also offer him my sympathies. Neil Willis, production editor Ever wondered how a parking warden came to be the subject of the Beatles' Lovely Rita – or, along with the Kinks, wished you could be like David Watts? This homage to the everyday people who inspired some of pop's greatest hits could enlighten you as it did me. Graham Snowdon, editor Audio | How the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice – podcast Video | It's complicated: how philanthropists are destroying African farms Gallery | Suspended in time: ethereal photos that look like landscape paintings We'd love to hear your thoughts on the magazine: for submissions to our letters page, please email For anything else, it's Facebook Instagram Get the Guardian Weekly magazine delivered to your home address
