Quote of the Day (Tracy Chapman, on Questions and Songwriting)

“In some ways, writing a song is about asking and answering questions: ‘Who is this character, why are they doing this and where is the story going?’ When I was young, I thought all these questions could be answered with the first iteration of the song. I’m not as enamored with this idea that the very first thing that comes to mind is what I have to remain committed to.”—Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, interviewed by Lovia Gyarke, “Origins,” T: The Style Magazine of “The New York Times,” Apr. 21, 2024

The image accompanying this post, of Tracy Chapman at the 2009 Cactus Festival in Bruges, Belgium, was taken July 10, 2009, by Hans Hillewaert.