"What I Get Paid For" does not appear on North American pressings of the album, therefore reducing the number of tracks to 12.Colvin then began her speech, remarking, "I'm confused now!" Track listing As Colvin was about to begin her speech after winning Song of the Year, rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard stormed the stage protesting his loss of an award that same night, saying, ".I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children." leading him to be escorted off stage. She won both awards (sharing Song of the Year with Leventhal).
At the next year's Grammy Awards, Colvin was nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Sunny Came Home". In the 1997 Grammy Awards, she was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for "Get Out of This House" and Best Pop Album for A Few Small Repairs. Grammy success came to Colvin two years after the release of A Few Small Repairs. She performed the song on the show.Ī Few Small Repairs peaked at number 39 on the Billboard 200 chart. Colvin appeared on the show in the second season episode Ready. The song was also used on Suddenly Susan as its theme song from 1997 to 2000. The single peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 7, and topped the Adult Contemporary, Adult Top 40, and Top 40 Adult Recurrents charts the same year.Īnother notable song from the album was "Nothin' on Me", which peaked at number 24 on Billboard 's Adult Top 40 chart. The album cover consists of a painting by Colvin's friend Julie Speed of a three-eyed woman with a lit match, which inspired Colvin to write the song.
The album's biggest single, released in 1997, was " Sunny Came Home". Singles Ī Few Small Repairs was supported by four singles. At the time of the album's release, she had relocated to Austin, Texas. Performed by Shawn Colvin.A Few Small Repairs is a concept album about divorce, as Colvin's marriage was ending. “Diamond in the Rough” Written by Shawn Colvin and John Leventhal. Please check out Colvin’s live performance of “Diamond in the Rough.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along… The artist will be starting a coast-to-coast, eight-month tour on September 29, with appearances in 25 states. Colvin toured with Vega, opening the door for a contract with Columbia Records.Ĭolvin is best known for her 1997 smash hit, “Sunny Came Home,” which won the 1998 Grammy Awards for both Song and Record of the Year. As a college student performing at bars near Southern Illinois University, Colvin would earn $30 for four 45-minute sets.Īfter moving to New York City and performing in off-Broadway shows, Colvin was featured in Fast Folk magazine, which led to a gig singing backup on the song “Luka” by Suzanne Vega. She performed in all of her school’s musicals and started singing in clubs as an 18 year old. “Diamond in the Rough” also became the title of the artist’s painfully honest 2012 memoir, in which she recounts her bouts of self-doubt and depression.īorn in Vermillion, SD, in 1956, Colvin learned to play the guitar at the age of 10 and honed her vocal skills as a member of her church’s choir. Written by Colvin and John Leventhal, “Diamond in the Rough” appeared at the second track of Colvin’s debut studio album, Steady On. She compares that dream to a diamond in the rough: “You’re shining I can see you / You’re smiling that’s enough / I’m holding on to you / Like a diamond in the rough” In the end, she finds her voice and achieves her dream of becoming a successful singer/songwriter. She sings, “Heaven only knows what went wrong / There is nothing so cruel than / to bury that jewel / When it was mine all along / I’m gonna find it.” She sings, “As a little girl I came down to the water / With a little stone in my hand / It would shimmer and sing / And we knew everything / As a little girl I came down.”īut then self-doubt set in and Colvin’s dreams became shrouded in darkness and despair. Today, Grammy Award-winning Shawn Colvin overcomes self-doubt and finds her voice in the 1989 autobiographical release, “Diamond in the Rough.”Ĭolvin uses jewelry and diamond imagery to describe an epiphany moment when she regained the confidence to pursue a music career.Ĭolvin begins the song by describing herself as an upbeat, self-assured, ambitious youngster. Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title.