She’s got her ticket. I think she gonna use it. I think she gonna fly away. // Tracy Chapman
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One Interesting Read. The upcoming SCOTUS case that’s consuming most of my thoughts and could mean a step backward in protections for domestic violence victims.
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard Luke Combs cover of “Fast Car.” The Tracy Chapman original has been on my Top 5 list since I was six, and I haven’t been able to put into words why it bugs me to see a cover rising higher on the charts than the original (which is epic, btw). Luckily, someone else did it for me.
“[It’s] great to see that someone in country music is influenced by a Black queer woman — that’s really exciting. But at the same time, it’s hard to really lean into that excitement knowing that Tracy Chapman would not be celebrated in the industry without that kind of middleman being a White man.”
Listen to her entire first album on Spotify. So what’s my favorite song? Another Tracy Chapman hit, “Give Me One Reason.” I played it on repeat from a burned CD during my senior year until the disc gave out.
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Love that WP article – thanks for sharing it. So much popular music right now is either a cover or a sample, I couldn’t put my finger why this one in particular irked me. Now I can.
+1 for Tracy on repeat. Throughout school, her music worked as both background track during study time and as an anthem while getting ready to go out.
The Supreme Court article is terrifying.
Thank you for the reminder to listen to Tracy Chapman. I wore out my cassette tape of that album, lol. Her voice is so fantastic.
I love the 3 navy pieces from Quince that you chose. Is it too much to wear all navy for all 3 pieces? Should I get a different color sweater blazer or stick with all 3 navy?
Unlimited vacation can be a real boon or a scam; unfortunately I think there are probably more companies in the latter category than the former. I interned at a startup with unlimited vacation where more than half of the eng team disappeared for 2 weeks at the same time during the summer (they were all on a backpacking trip together) and it worked very well for work-life balance. But my husband also worked at a company with “unlimited” vacation that, when he asked for time off, came back and told him he’d already taken 2 weeks off that year.
I don’t know that I’m board with bringing my, “whole self,” to work. The position doesn’t resonate with me. For example, I am snarky and sarcastic, which isn’t always a great fit for work settings. I also like having a separation between, “modes.”
At work, I’m there to find solutions for things. A friend or partner who is always solutioning when you just need them to listen is frustrating. So the, “one persona/way of presenting yourself to rule them all,” argument just falls flat.
There’s a solid argument for being able to be *human* at work, though, which is where I think these sentiments probably started. But there’s a difference between displaying humanity (“Team, unfortunately I’ll be out for the rest of the week; I just learned my MIL passed away, and I need to prioritize time with my family”) and just bringing your whole personality to work (“I just got news my MIL passed away. I don’t know how to feel; our relationship was really complicated and sometimes uncomfortable, and… etc.”)
I feel like, “bringing your whole personality,” invites many people to overshare – and oversharing at work is not helpful. Not to your boss, team, or you.
I felt similarly when I heard that Tracy Chapman cover and couldn’t put my finger on what I found so irritating and also sad about it. Now I think it’s that that song is written about such a specific yet prosaic set of hardships and joys as experienced by a Black queer woman, and it feels hollow to have a white man who has not had those experiences singing it. It feels like he has wrung the actual meaning out of the words.
As a black queer woman who loves country music and Tracy Chapman, I initially bristled at this new version of Fast Car. But I also know Tracy does not take kindly to people using her likeness without permission, so I wondered if this version was endorsed by her.
“On July 6, the reclusive Chapman told Billboard, “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”
Thanks for sharing.