Why I Couldn't Listen to Tracy Chapman for Years
My Worst Date Ever
#MyWorstDate
I met her at an open mic, at the Red Light Cafe, which was virtually my living room. I spent practically all of my time there, either playing my guitar, or listening to others play music. Her name was Jennifer. I had just played my set, which happened to include a song I had written, called "Jennifer." I had written it a few years ago, while living in Winter Park, Florida, attending audio engineering school. I would call prospective students and talk to them about the program. One night, I called a girl named Jennifer, and soon we were engaging in a hours of conversations. So I wrote her a love song, which I played several years later, at an open mic in Atlanta, where another Jennifer (this Jennifer) heard it... and was quite taken by it, and by me. We started dating. I soon learned that she suffered from clinical depression. And this played a big part in the worst date ever, which left me not able to listen to Tracy Chapman, for years.We showed up at a concert in Atlanta—Charlie Hunter Quartet with Tracy Chapman opening. They were supposed to have comp tickets at the door for her, but when we got to the window, they didn't have her name or any record of this. She burst into tears. That started things on a downward spiral. I actually bought two tickets for twenty bucks from someone in the parking lot. She refused to go to the show and began walking off into the hood, into one of the worst parts of town in Atlanta. Being concerned for her safety, I followed her. This she did not like at all, and she let me know as much. Then, as if things couldn't have gotten any worse, it began to rain. I could hear Tracy Chapman singing from a distance, from the concert we should have been at. It began to get dark. Still, I followed her at a distance, as she just blindly walked off in no particular direction. Eventually, after what seemed like hours, we made it back to where the buses were as the concert ended. I rode with her all the way back to Decatur, and even made sure she made it safely home. As we passed Eddie's Attic, she ripped some flowers from pots and threw them at me, not to mention all the lovely verbal comments being directed at me throughout the evening.
It was one of the absolutely worst nights of my life. I can listen to Tracy Chapman now. It doesn't bother me anymore... but for years, I associated her with feeling completely miserable. Several days later, I received a call from her on my answering machine, in a weak voice, pleading for me to come rescue her—from the mental ward. I immediately went to go see her. But when I got there, she acted as if she barely knew who I was. In the following weeks, I wrote her this song.
Happy
(c)1997 by Victor Johnson
You could never stay very happyIn fact you weren't happy at allEverything that was beautifulJust seemed to bring you downSometimes you'd laugh with a windy smileBut most of the time you'd just cryHoping that this darknessWould come take you away
Chorus:
I wish I knewHow to paint a better picture for youThe colors are all wrongHow come the sun isn't blueMaybe he's sad, just like you
Heard the music play at the festivalPeople danced all aroundFilled the air was songs and melodiesBut they drove you to tearsThen you tried to escape the worldYou curled up in a ballI called your name and touched your handBut you weren't really there
As we walked down this twisted pathThe darkness of your eyesSwallowed up all that I could feelWas just the tip of your soulAnd I knew as you sank beneathSome place I could not goYou fought something so terribleYou never wanted to be
About the Creator
Victor Johnson
Victor Johnson is a singer/songwriter based in Bend, Oregon. Johnson has an eclectic style, characterized by unusual chords (colors and textures), strong, engaging vocals, and gorgeous, inspired lyrics, inspired by nature.
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