In 1976, Chapman played with a rock and pop group called "Harmony" in Montgomery, Alabama, effectively replacing Tommy Shaw who had just left to join Styx. She played acoustic guitar and piano as well as providing vocals for the group in a locally-popular bowling alley bar called Kegler's Kove and has returned to play in the area on an infrequent basis ever since.
Chapman has had several popular songs on the Adult-Contemporary charts in the 1990's, such as "I Keep Coming Back To You", "Walk My Way", "The Moment You Were Mine" and "All I Have". In 1993, she sang a popular duet with Paul Carrack, "In The Time It Takes". In early 2010 Chapman's "Back To Love" album was #1 on the UK itunes country charts.
Co-songwriter of Faith Hill's hit song, "This Kiss", many other singers have interpreted her songs: Trisha Yearwood ("Down On My Knees"), Martina McBride ("Happy Girl"), Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About it Now”), Tanya Tucker (“Strong Enough to Bend”), Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes”), Mary Chapin Carpenter (“Almost Home”), Bette Midler ("The Color of Roses") and others.
Bonnie Raitt has sung background vocals on several songs, including "Shake My Soul".
Chapman's husband Ernest Chapman died of cancer in 1994. In 2000, Beth experienced her own battle with breast cancer. The song "Sand And Water" was written after Ernest's death; Elton John performed this song during his 1997 World Tour.
Discography
* Hearing It First (1980)
* Beth Nielsen Chapman (1990)
* You Hold the Key (1993)
* Sand and Water (1997)
* Greatest Hits (1999)
* Deeper Still (2002)
* Hymns (2004)
* Look (2005)
* Prism (2007)
Happiness
Beth Nielsen Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And rang its bell above the din
Long enough to change the spin
And turn my wheels around
I had driven past my last regret
Down the side road of despair
Where the answers don't come off the rear
All my fears disguised as truth
Danced the dark night of my soul
But the light of day revealed no proof
If God would let me down
Happiness showed up today
Drunk again and full of wit
Singing, let's see how far we can spit
And leave those tears to dry
Well, the past is gone and often not
The future cannot be controlled
And the only moment we can hold
This one going by
All those lies I told myself
All those brutal [incomprehensible]
Makes the heart feel like a concrete slab
Well, kiss those days goodbye
Happiness showed up today
A silver throated mockingbird
With the sweetest song I ever heard
It flashed across the sky
The lyrics of Beth Nielsen Chapman's song "Happiness" speak about the arrival of happiness in the artist's life. The song begins by saying that happiness has shown up and has rung its bell above the noise long enough to change the spin of her life and turn her wheels around. The artist then talks about how she has left behind her last regret and moved past all the despair and unanswered questions that were holding her back. She also talks about how her fears disguised as truth danced the dark night of her soul, but the light of day revealed no proof that God would let her down.
The artist then talks about the arrival of happiness as a drunk, full of wit and singing to see how far they can spit. The artist then goes on to say that the past is gone, and the future cannot be controlled. Thus, the only moment that matters is the present. She also talks about how she made up lies to herself and how those lies felt like a concrete slab on her heart. However, she then proclaims to kiss those days goodbye and how happiness showed up in the form of a silver throated mockingbird, with the sweetest song she ever heard and flashed across the sky.
Overall, the song is about an individual who has left behind their regrets and despair, and instead, seized the moment to welcome happiness into their life. The lyrics encourage people to focus on the present, let go of the past, and be open to the possibility of happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Happiness showed up today
Today, I experienced happiness
And rang its bell above the din
It stood out amidst the noise and chaos
Long enough to change the spin
It lasted long enough to change the direction of my emotions
And turn my wheels around
It made me look at life in a new way
I had driven past my last regret
I had left my past mistakes behind me
Down the side road of despair
I had been on a path of hopelessness
Where the answers don't come off the rear
Where I couldn't find any solutions to my problems
And grace just can't be found
Where I couldn't find any comfort or solace
All my fears disguised as truth
All the things I was scared of that I thought were real
Danced the dark night of my soul
Tormented me in my darkest moments
But the light of day revealed no proof
But when reality hit, my fears seemed unfounded
If God would let me down
If my faith in a higher power would falter
Drunk again and full of wit
Happiness made me feel euphoric and witty
Singing, let's see how far we can spit
Making light of the situation and seeing the humor in it
And leave those tears to dry
Moving on from the sadness and letting it go
Well, the past is gone and often not
The past is something we can't change and is often not accurate
The future cannot be controlled
We can't predict or control what happens in the future
And the only moment we can hold
The only thing we have control over is the present moment
This one going by
This moment is fleeting and we should savor it
All those lies I told myself
All the falsehoods I convinced myself were true
All those brutal [incomprehensible]
All the harsh things I told myself
Makes the heart feel like a concrete slab
Made me feel heavy-hearted and burdened by my own thoughts
Well, kiss those days goodbye
It's time to move on from the negativity and embrace happiness instead
A silver throated mockingbird
A bird with a beautiful voice
With the sweetest song I ever heard
Whose song was the most delightful I had ever listened to
It flashed across the sky
It appeared suddenly and left just as quickly
Contributed by Claire A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.