Tracy Chapman “Give Me One Reason” single released

Give Me One Reason Tracy Chapman

Writer(s): Tracy Chapman, Don Gehman (see lyrics here) Released: November 19, 1995 First Charted: January 20, 1996 Peak: 3 BB, 2 CB, 2 GR, 12 RR, 3 AC, 18 A40, 3 AA, 35 RB, 95 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.1 US, -- UK, 1.17 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.7 radio, 177.3 video, 284.83 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Tracy Chapman burst out of the gate so strongly with her 1988 debut album that it seemed clear the Ohio-born singer/songwriter would never reach such heights again. The album, which featured the iconic top-ten hit “Fast Car,” reached #1 in the United States and went six times platinum. Her next outing, 1989’s Crossroads, peaked at #9 and sold a million copies. By her third album, 1992’s Matters of the Heart, she was starting to look like an also-ran. The album went gold but stalled at #53. She’d also failed to crack the Top 40 again after “Fast Car.” Matters of the Heart didn’t even produce a charting single. Chapman, however, was not done. In 1995, she released the album New Beginning, which Pitchfork’s Eric Torrest said “brightened the corners of her folk music with an eye toward renewal and environmentalism.” PF It peaked at #4 in the U.S. and went five times platinum. Even more startling, however, was the success of single “Give Me One Reason,” the album’s “bluesy highlight.” PF The platinum-selling single actually outdid “Fast Car” commercially, getting to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and going platinum. In Pitchfork magazine’s ranking of the 250 best songs of the 1990s, Eric Torres said, the song was about “the push and pull of loving someone who can’t give you what you need.” PF In the UK magazine Music Week, Alan Jones said the song was “less intense and somewhat looser” MW than “Fast Car.” He also said the song “perfectly mixes her folksy style with traditional R&B qualities, intelligent lyrics and that edgy distinctive voice.” MW The song won a Grammy for Best Rock Song and received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Resources: MW Music Week (3/22/1997). “Talking Music” by Alan Jones. Page 8. PF Pitchfork (9/27/2022). “The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s” by Eric Torres. Related Links: First posted 1/12/2025.