Her first hit in the United States is "Thunder and Lightning," released in May 1972. By August it reached #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #12 on the U.S. Record World top 100 record chart and U.S. CashBox top 100, #18 on the Canadian RPM magazine charts, and #4 on the German hit list. It drove her first album, "Chi Coltrane", to stay on the charts for three months. The song "Go Like Elijah" also received considerable airplay, and held the #1 position on the Holland hit list for one month.
After her first album was released, she released the album Let It Ride early in 1974 (on the Columbia label), Greatest Hits and Best Of albums in 1975, and in 1977 another album, Road To Tomorrow as well as Silk & Steel in 1981 . She subsequently moved to Europe where she lived for a few years. She was voted Best Female Artist for two consecutive years). She released several albums on the Teldec label during the 1980s,[1] including Live! in 1982 (it reached #12 on the European charts),and Ready to Roll (1983), and The Message (1986). In the European “100 Best Musicians of the Century” list, she was listed in the top 50.[citation needed] Golden Classics was released in November 1996 (Collectibles label). She has done TV soundtrack work, and collaborated with Tangerine Dream in 1991. She returned to Los Angeles in 1993, where she built a recording studio and worked with underprivileged groups.
In 2009 Coltrane resumed her music career, releasing a new compilation "The Essential Chi Coltrane - Yesterday, Today & Forever". The collection featured material from her 1980s albums "Live!", "Ready to Roll", and "The Message". It also contained three new recordings, including the title track which featured a Paul Buckmaster string arrangement.
Coltrane's first comeback performance was a concert in Vienna at the Donounselfest in 2009, where she drew 100,000 people. She then did a tour in Holland in October of 2009. Her CD went to #55 on the charts within two weeks. She then signed with Sony and did another tour in Holland as well as a highly successful tour in Germany. She is now preparing for additional touring in Germany, and another tour in Holland as well as a tour in Switzerland. She has committed to working next on a studio album of new material, to be released in 2012.
Goin' Round
Chi Coltrane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Friday night sittin' home
Guess the reason's dear
Don't you know that I'm dyin'
Waiting to hear something from you
Got me runnin' round in circles
Keep me waiting, too
I can't change you
But I can't leave you
What you tryin' to do?
Goin' round, goin' round
You've got me goin' around
There doesn't seem to be a reason why
You'd be so mean to me
You make me cry
I keep tryin' to forget you
But when I do, then you come through
Got me runnin' round in circles
Keep me waiting, too
I can't change you
But I can't leave you
What you tryin' to do?
Goin' round, goin' round
You've got me goin' around
Goin' round, goin' round
You've got me goin' round
The lyrics to Chi Coltrane's song "Goin' Round" are a reflection of the frustration and confusion of being in a relationship that is going nowhere. The opening verse sets the scene with the singer expressing her uncertainty about why she is alone on a Friday night. She acknowledges that there must be a reason, but she doesn't know what it is. The central message of the song revolves around the fact that the singer is miserable because she can't get any clarity from her partner. She's "dying" to hear something from him, but he keeps her "running round in circles."
The chorus amplifies her sense of frustration by repeating the phrase "goin' round," which can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, it's a reference to the cyclical nature of her interactions with her partner - they keep going in circles, never moving forward. On the other hand, it's a reference to the emotional turmoil she's experiencing - she feels like she's "going round," i.e., losing her mind, because she can't get any resolution from her partner. The chorus ends with the declaration that her partner has "got [her] goin' round" - in other words, he's the source of her distress.
The second verse describes the singer's attempts to extricate herself from the relationship. She's "tryin' to forget [her partner]," but every time she makes progress, he comes back into her life and throws her off balance again. The final chorus repeats the same message - her partner has got her "goin' round" - but this time it's emphasized by a guitar solo that mirrors the sense of twisting and turning that the lyrics describe. Overall, the song captures the sense of being trapped in an emotional whirlwind that can be all-consuming, and that's a feeling that many listeners will be able to relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know what in the world I'm doin' here
I don't understand why I am in this situation or what I should do about it.
Friday night sittin' home
I am alone at home on a Friday night.
Guess the reason's dear
I assume there is a good reason why I am alone.
Don't you know that I'm dyin'
I am struggling and feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
Waiting to hear something from you
I am hoping to receive communication or validation from someone.
Got me runnin' round in circles
I feel like I am going nowhere and stuck in a repetitive cycle.
Keep me waiting, too
I am being put on hold or ignored by someone, causing frustration and confusion.
I can't change you
I am unable to control or change someone else's actions or behavior.
But I can't leave you
Despite the difficulties, I am unable to break away from this person or situation.
What you tryin' to do?
I am questioning the motives or intentions of the person causing me distress.
Goin' round, goin' round
I feel like I am stuck in a never-ending cycle of confusion and frustration.
You've got me goin' around
The other person's actions are causing me to feel disoriented and lost.
There doesn't seem to be a reason why
I cannot understand or rationalize the other person's behavior towards me.
You'd be so mean to me
I am being treated unfairly or unkindly, despite my efforts to be understanding and patient.
You make me cry
The other person's actions are causing me emotional pain and distress.
I keep tryin' to forget you
I am attempting to move on from this situation or person.
But when I do, then you come through
Every time I try to distance myself, the other person reappears and causes me further distress.
Contributed by Samantha H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Peter Ruark
1981 and how far the mighty had fallen. None of the emotional or lyrical power of her first two albums.I’ll go back to Let It Ride. The 1980s were cruel to good 1970s artists.