With a back catalogue boasting such gems as 'Rainmaker' and 'Fully Qualified Survivor' (featuring Mick Ronson, Rick Kemp, and others), it remains a mystery to all why he wasn't afforded more mainstream recognition. With his often quirky songs and vocal style sometimes eerily reminiscent of David Bowie, one can only assume that Chapman's hardy reluctance to bow to the commercial pressures of his record companies served only to afford him scant recognition from the record-buying public. With a muse falling somewhere between Kevin Ayers and Warren Zevon, Chapman was a folk-rock, psychedelic-jazz troubadour.
Chapman first appeared on the London and Cornwall folk music circuits in 1967, including the Piper's Folk Club in Penzance, alongside John Martyn and Roy Harper. His first album was "Rainmaker" in 1969.
His 1970 second album, "Fully Qualified Survivor", again produced by Gus Dudgeon with lush strings arranged by Paul Buckmaster, received much critical acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and featured his best-known track, "Postcards of Scarborough".
After a tour of the United States with Rick Kemp, Chapman signed to Decca's subsidiary, Deram, recording an increasingly rockier set of albums. Championed by Charles Shaar Murray and John Peel, he continued to have a high profile, being a lively draw on the college circuit in the UK and across mainland Europe.
1977 saw the end of Chapman's Decca deal, and the beginning of an association with Criminal Records in 1978; both record labels released versions of The Man Who Hated Mornings. He continued to gig and record consistently, varying styles and sounds, sometimes working with a full group, more often working with Rick Kemp alone.
The 1980s was a quieter time for Chapman. He continued to make recordings that straddled musical genres and pushed his guitar playing to the fore, but had neither the profile nor sales of the previous decade.
The late 1990s onwards represented a period of continued rebirth for Chapman. He embraced the 'elder statesman' role and enjoyed critical acclaim for albums like Navigation, Dreaming Out Loud and Still Making Rain (a wry pun title that looked back to his debut album). With the 1997 release of Dreaming Out Loud, Chapman was releasing albums at the rate of one every two years, and still attracting high praise, if not great sales.
The 21st century saw Chapman exploring his guitar player roots and releasing instrumental albums alongside his song-based sets. Americana and Words Fail Me feature soundscapes that recalled travels in America, and featured a dexterity and inventiveness on the guitar equal to the classic Harvest and Decca periods.
A tribute album titled Oh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman was released in 2012 on Tompkins Square Records. It includes contributions from Lucinda Williams, Maddy Prior, William Tyler, Hiss Golden Messenger and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.
In 2016, Chapman celebrated fifty years as a professional musician. Towards the end of his life he still played professionally and regularly toured in the UK, Europe and US.
Theme from the Movie of the Same Name
Michael Chapman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(feat. Trevor McNevan)
What, soothing, bizzare world
It was over when you woke up
The bleach stains on the fingers
Move over and let me through
I won't play your pictionary
Take me, break me to inflare me
Watch me take these trips that scare me
If I surrender here and defy time, so sorry, come on
Would you leave me, leave me to die?
Would you leave me, chase me in the sky around?
There comes a time where you're so sorry
Here...
Filming, the long moan
Stretch your legs over me
This horror movie
Was over when you woke up
All your useless words don't scare me
I won't play your pictionary
Take me, break me to inflare me
Watch me take these trips that scare me
If I surrender here and defy time, so sorry, come on
Would you leave me, leave me to die?
Would you leave me, chase me in the sky around?
There comes a time where you're so sorry
Here...
All your useless words don't scare me
I won't play your pictionary
Take me, break me to inflare me
Watch me take these trips that scare me!
All your useless words don't scare me
I won't play your pictionary
Take me, break me to inflare me
Watch me take these trips that scare me!
The lyrics of Michael Chapman's "Theme from the Movie of the Same Name" are rather cryptic and open to interpretation. The song seems to be about a particular experience or memory that is difficult to process or understand. The opening lines describe a strange, surreal world that the singer has entered, only for it to end abruptly when they woke up. The mention of bleach stains on the fingers adds a bizarre detail and creates a sense of unease.
The chorus repeats the lines "All your useless words don't scare me / I won't play your pictionary / Take me, break me to inflare me / Watch me take these trips that scare me." The phrase "useless words" could refer to the inadequacy of language to capture the singer's experience, or perhaps to the attempts of others to explain or rationalize it. The suggestion to "take me, break me" implies a desire to be pushed to some limit, to experience something extreme in the hopes of gaining some deeper understanding.
The final lines suggest a certain level of resignation or acceptance, with the singer asking "Would you leave me, leave me to die?" and acknowledging "There comes a time where you're so sorry." It's unclear who is being addressed here or what is meant by "defy time," but the sense of vulnerability and uncertainty is palpable throughout the song.
Line by Line Meaning
What, soothing, bizzare world
The world is bizarre yet calming at the same time.
It was over when you woke up
The nightmare ended when you opened your eyes.
The bleach stains on the fingers
Evidence of trying to clean up the mess, but failing.
Move over and let me through
Make way, I need to get past this obstacle.
All your useless words don't scare me
Empty threats are not intimidating.
I won't play your pictionary
I won't succumb to your mind games.
Take me, break me to inflare me
Push the limits until I ignite.
Watch me take these trips that scare me
Observe as I choose to face my fears.
If I surrender here and defy time, so sorry, come on
Although I may lose to the inevitable passage of time, I refuse to give up.
Would you leave me, leave me to die?
Will you abandon me to my fate?
Would you leave me, chase me in the sky around?
Or will you follow and support my dreams?
There comes a time where you're so sorry
At some point, regret will catch up to you.
Filming, the long moan
Capturing the agony and despair in a single moment.
Stretch your legs over me
Lay your vulnerability on display for me to see.
This horror movie
This terrifying experience.
Was over when you woke up
Ended as soon as you regained consciousness.
All your useless words don't scare me
Undeterred by empty threats.
I won't play your pictionary
Won't be manipulated by mind games.
Take me, break me to inflare me
Push me to my limits until I ignite.
Watch me take these trips that scare me!
Observe as I choose to face my fears.
All your useless words don't scare me
Once again, empty threats hold no power.
I won't play your pictionary
Refusing to be manipulated or swayed by mind games.
Take me, break me to inflare me
Pushing past boundaries to ignite passion.
Watch me take these trips that scare me!
Fearlessly overcoming fear and taking on new experiences.
Contributed by Isaiah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.