Tracy Chapman And Eric Clapton Perform Rendition Of "Give Me One Reason" At Intimate Concert
Mar 27, 2020 by apost team
It's always a pleasure to see a musician performing their music live –– nothing beats the raw energy of hearing a song up on the stage. But when two unexpected musicians perform together, it's really something special. That happened when Tracy Chapman joined Eric Clapton onstage in 1999, to perform a duet cover version of her track "Give Me One Reason". What's more, they both played the guitar side by side in this epic live performance.
The video starts with Clapton on-stage, dressed up in a suit and tie with his guitar strung across his body. He leans into the microphone and announces, "Ladies and gentlemen please, Tracy Chapman." The video gives us a shot of the intimate concert venue, where the audience is seated at tables. Chapman takes to the stage, similarly dressed up in a suit and shirt, but no tie, also with a guitar in tow. She immediately begins playing the opening chords to her hit song "Give Me One Reason", released in 1995.
It takes the audience until she begins singing to realize what song it is, but soon after they begin clapping and cheering. Meanwhile, Clapton is playing lead guitar beside her, with his trademark twang adding flair to this special version of "Give Me One Reason". Clapton then sings the second verse himself, in what is a very wonderful coming together of two great musical talents.
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As they both sing, play guitar, and the rest of the band joins in, the stage presence is incredible, and they only seem to get more comfortable playing together. Halfway through Clapton plays an amazing guitar solo, which really makes this version a beautiful combination of their styles –– Tracy's original blues-inflected rock song with Clapton's artistic flair coming via his signature guitar solos.
When the song ends, Clapton kisses Chapman on the cheek and it's clear the two have great working chemistry. Meanwhile, the audience gives them a giant applause. It's obvious that the duet was a special moment that will undoubtedly be remembered in years to come. It's not surprising then that the video of the performance has since gone viral and been viewed over 13 million times!
Released on her 1995 album New Beginning, "Give Me One Reason" was very successful, in fact it's Chapman's biggest hit in the US to date, where it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. It won her the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, while also being nominated in a number of other categories.
The duet version with Eric Clapton was later released as part of the record A Very Special Christmas Live –– an album recorded live at a benefit party held by then-President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton to celebrate the Special Olympics' 30th Anniversary.
Witnessing musicians do what they love through a live performance is always a special experience, but to see two incredible talents from the history of rock'n'roll join forces and take an already great song and elevate it to something special that's shared between them is truly a rarity.
What did you think of the performance by Tracy Chapman and Eric Clapton? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass on to your family and friends.