Songfacts®:

• In this song, Tracy Chapman is addressing a love interest following a separation. She'd like to patch things up, but needs this person to make a commitment - give her just one reason to stay. The last lines hint at what went down:
  
  Said, I told you that I loved you
  And there ain't no more to say
  
  Chapman rarely does interviews and when she does, she's loath to explain her songs, but in 2005 she did a "conversation with music" performance where she told the story behind "Give Me One Reason," as reported by The Sidney Morning Herald.
  
  "This is autobiographical," she said before performing the song. "I left it on someone's answering machine, and it worked. I wrote it late one night hanging out with my dog, a mini dachshund."
• This was Chapman's first big hit since her debut single, "Fast Car," in 1988. Both songs are driven by compelling lyrics and her tremulous voice, which is instantly recognizable. Chapman keeps the arrangements spare to tighten the focus.
  
  In 1988 there was more room for variety in pop music - "Don't Worry Be Happy" and "Kokomo" were #1 hits.
  
  The mid-'90s were a tougher time for female singer-songwriters with stories to tell, but Melissa Etheridge, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Jewel all got their piece of the pie even as the airwaves were dominated by R&B and dance singers, mostly guys. "Give Me One Reason" fell into this bucket, skewing to an older audience averse to hip-hop and modern rock.
• After releasing three albums, Chapman took a sabbatical from 1993 to 1994, returning in November 1995 with New Beginning and the lead single "Give Me One Reason." Fans and media welcomed her back; she performed the song on various programs, including the Tonight Show With Jay Leno, and by the summer of 1996, the song was hit, reaching #3 in the US in June.
• Chapman started playing this song live in 1988, seven years before she released it. In 1989, she performed it on Saturday Night Live when she was the musical guest. At this point, it was titled "Gimmie One Reason."
• "Give Me One Reason" posed a problem for the Grammy people, who clearly wanted to honor it but had a hard time placing it in a category. It's really a blues song, but that category isn't televised, so the win came for Best Rock Song, beating out "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "Stupid Girl" by Garbage. In a nod to the blues, Chapman performed the song at the ceremony with Junior Wells on harmonica.
  
  This was Chapman's fourth Grammy, adding to the three she won in 1988, including Best New Artist. "Give Me One Reason" received three other nominations it didn't win: Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
• The music video was directed by Julie Dash and finds Chapman performing the song at an upscale honky-tonk, if there is such a thing. It did very well on VH1.
• Kelly Clarkson covered "Give Me One Reason" at a SiriusXM session in 2015. In 2021, she performed it on her talk show in her "Kellyoke" segment.
• The song was used in the 2018 episode of Atlanta, "FUBU."