Editing Harry Chapin (section)

==Career==
===Early music career (1971–1972)===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Harry Chapin Sniper and Other Love Songs Photoshoot.jpg|thumb|right|Chapin at a photo-shoot for his 1972 album, Sniper and other Love Songs]] -->
In 1972, there was a bidding war over Chapin between music business heavyweights [[Clive Davis ]] at Columbia and [[Jac Holzman]] at Elektra. Chapin signed a multi-million dollar recording contract with [[Elektra Records]]. The contract was one of the biggest of its time. It granted him free recording time, along with many other perks.<ref name=coan>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Hd9PZyV7-HQC | title = Taxi: The Harry Chapin Story|pages=204–207| isbn = 9780806521916| last1 = Coan| first1 = Peter M.| date = January 2001| publisher = Citadel Press}}</ref>

The same year, Chapin released his debut album, ''[[Heads & Tales (album)|Heads & Tales]].'' The album was an international success, selling over one million units. Its success was due to the top-25 [[Billboard Hot 100]] hit single "[[Taxi (Harry Chapin song)|Taxi]]." The song also became a top-5 hit in Canada. The success of the song in America is credited to American radio personality Jim Connors, who helped promote the song on the radio despite its length, and helped it to stay on the charts for 16 weeks. It became the number-one requested song for 10 weeks in a row. The song was performed on ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]],'' which received so many calls that Chapin returned the next night. It was the first time in the show's history that a performer had been called back the next night. It was also one of the first performances on ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]'', with [[John Denver]] hosting.

When asked if the song was true, Chapin said "It's emotionally true, if not literally true. I've been in the film business on and off for a lot of years and wasn't doing well at one point. So, I went out and got a hack license for bread, and during the month that I was waiting for it to come through, I heard an old girlfriend of mine had gotten married and instead of becoming an actress, she married a rich guy. I envisioned some night I'd be driving a cab in the big city streets and this lady would get in the back, and I'd turn and look at her and she'd look at me and know we both sold out our dreams."<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itkwPhZFAHQ&t=38m01s |title = Harry Chapin Midnight Special, Taxi; intro| date=6 March 2023 |publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Billboard ranked "Taxi" as the 85th song of the year. "Taxi" also earned Chapin a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of the Year.

The follow-up album, ''[[Sniper and Other Love Songs]],'' was also released in 1972. The album's title song, "[[Sniper (song)|Sniper]]," is a semi-fictional account of the [[University of Texas tower shooting]]. The single release from the album, "[[Sunday Morning Sunshine]]," charted on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] and became a top-40 hit on [[Billboard Adult Contemporary]]. The album was less successful than the last, selling 350,000 units. The album also contained the Chapin anthem "Circle." In 2004, the double album ''Sniper and Other Love Songs and Heads & Tales'' was released. It contained previously unreleased tracks from both albums.

===Career peak (1973–1975)===

In 1973, Chapin released his third album, ''[[Short Stories (Harry Chapin album)|Short Stories]].'' The album sold over 1 million units and produced another international hit, "[[W.O.L.D.]]," a song about an aging disc jockey who has given up his entire life and family for his career. The song is sung from the point of view of the disc jockey, who is singing to his ex-wife. It was inspired by American radio personality Jim Connors. Chapin wrote the song when he listened to Connors calling his ex-wife in the [[WMEX (AM)|WMEX]] studio in Boston. <ref> Gary Deeb, "WOLD Tells Disc Jockey's Station in Life," ''Chicago Tribune'', February 22, 1974, Section 2, p. 13. </ref>  The song became a top-40 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], a top-10 hit in Canada, and a top-10 and -20 hit in various other countries. Other notable songs from the album not released as singles are "[[Mr. Tanner]]," "Mail Order Annie," and "They Call Her Easy." The song "Mr. Tanner" was loosely based on a pair of ''New York Times'' concert reviews of baritone Martin Tubridy&nbsp;– once in 1971<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/28/archives/tubridy-makes-song-debut.html | title = Tubridy Makes Song Debut| newspaper = [[The New York Times]]| date = March 28, 1971 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170920100446/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/03/28/archives/tubridy-makes-song-debut.html | archive-date = September 20, 2017 | url-status= unfit | access-date = June 16, 2022}}</ref> and once in 1972.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/17/archives/tubridy-a-bassbaritone-performs-in-2d-recital-here.html | title = Tubridy, a Bass-Baritone, Performs in 2d Recital Here| newspaper = The New York Times| date = February 17, 1972}}</ref>

In 1974, Chapin released his most successful album, ''[[Verities and Balderdash]]'', which sold 2.5 million units because of the number 1 hit "[[Cat's in the Cradle]]." The song is about a father who does not find time for his son during the boy's childhood; ultimately the son grows up to be just like his father, not making any time for his dad. The song earned Chapin another Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and Chapin was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]]. ''Verities and Balderdash'' peaked at number four on the [[Billboard 200]]. The album's follow-up single, "[[I Wanna Learn a Love Song]]," charted at number 7 on [[Billboard Adult Contemporary]]. The song is a true story of how Chapin met his wife, [[Sandra Chapin]]. "[[30,000 Pounds of Bananas]]" was included on the album and became the number-one requested song for a few weeks, despite not being released as a single. It is a semi-fictional account of a truck crash that occurred in [[Scranton, Pennsylvania]], transporting bananas—based loosely on a March 18, 1965, accident involving truck driver Gene Sesky.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/11891601/eugene_sesky_35_killed_in_scranton/ | title = Runaway Truck Kills Driver; 16 Persons Hurt| newspaper = The Daily Courier| date = March 19, 1965| page = 17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://wnep.com/2015/03/18/the-banana-truck-crash-50-years-later/ | title = The 'Banana Truck' Crash: 50 Years Later|website=Wnep.com| date = March 19, 2015}}</ref> Other notable songs from the album include "Shooting Star," "Halfway to Heaven," and "[[Six String Orchestra]]."

In 1975, Chapin released his fifth album, ''[[Portrait Gallery (album)|Portrait Gallery]]'', which produced a top-40 [[Billboard Adult Contemporary]] hit, "[[Dreams Go By]]." However, it was less successful than the last, selling 350,000 units. Chapin also wrote and performed a Broadway play, ''[[The Night That Made America Famous]]'', which  earned two [[Tony Award]] nominations and two [[Drama Desk Award]] nominations.

===Later years (1976–1981)===
By 1976, Chapin was established as one of the most popular singers of the decade. He released his first live album, ''[[Greatest Stories Live]].'' The album sold 2.1 million units. However, [[Elektra Records]] underwent a management change and gave almost no promotion for his later albums with Elektra, but they all sold at least 250,000 units each and charted successfully.

By the end of the decade, Chapin concentrated more on touring than producing hit singles, but still released one album a year. He earned an estimated $2,000,000 per year ({{Inflation|US|2000000|1981|r=-4|fmt=eq}}) until his death in 1981, making him one of the highest-paid artists in the world. Chapin's album ''[[Dance Band on the Titanic]]'' sold poorly, but it was voted Album of the Year by ''[[The Times]]'' of London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-GgDccwnSg|title=Harry Chapin Behind the Music|access-date=August 19, 2021|publisher=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> In 1980, his recording contract with Elektra expired. Chapin signed a one-album contract with [[Boardwalk Records]] and released his ninth studio album, ''[[Sequel (album)|Sequel]]'', which was described as his fastest-breaking album. Three singles were released, with all of them becoming hits. The first single, [[Taxi (Harry Chapin song)|"Sequel,"]] became a top-25 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]]. The song is a follow-up to “Taxi.” The second single, "[[Remember When the Music (song)|Remember When the Music]]," became a top-50 hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart. The last single, "[[Story of a Life (song)|Story of a Life]]," became a hit on the Bubbling Under chart. The album sold 500,000 units.