I woke up with a smile on my face a few weeks ago, when I was told that the legendary Tracy Chapman had the Number 1 spot on the US iTunes chart. It happened a day after she performed her song Fast Car at this year’s Grammy Awards, and she was reportedly as amazed as the rest of us who happened to be paying attention. It was beautiful, not just because the song itself is timeless, but because of how devoid of embellishment her performance was. It was just Chapman and a guitar, with back-up vocals from an artiste who recently found success by covering her song.

It feels like another lifetime when I try and remember the first time I heard Fast Car on a cassette purchased at a small music shop in Malad. I remember the album vividly though, and how seriously I sang along to its lyrics printed on the liner notes. Listening to it again after all these years made me nostalgic not just for the music, but for the way so many of us once used it as an important touchstone to every aspect of our lives.