Chupacabra

Chupacabra is the debut album by American singer-songwriter and violinist Imani Coppola, released on October 28, 1997. The title refers to the legendary chupacabra, a creature believed through some parts of the Americas to drink the blood of livestock. The album achieved some success upon its release, receiving positive reviews from some music critics and entering album charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. The album's lead single, "Legend of a Cowgirl", gained popularity in 1997, becoming a top 40 hit in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. The song also charted throughout Europe, and went into strong rotation on MTV. The album's second single, "I'm a Tree," was far less commercially successful, peaking outside the top 200 in Australia and failing to chart anyplace else. The song later appeared in several movies. Background Coppola was still in school when she wrote much of the album. Her sister's boyfriend introduced her to Michael Mangini, a record producer known for his work with Digable Planets. Coppola and Mangini recorded a demo album together, which caught the attention of several record labels; a bidding war ensued. When naming the album, Coppola believed that "chupacabra" meant "alien," and was dismayed to discover that her debut album's name actually meant "goat-sucker." Release "Legend of a Cowgirl" was released as the first single from the album. It peaked within the top 40 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. According to Coppola, the rap song, which includes a sample of Donovan's "Sunshine Superman", started as an idea she had for a movie about women who "love 'em and leave 'em and ride off into the sunset." Part of Coppola's marketing included a music video for "Legend of a Cowgirl" that went into rotation on MTV, MTV2, and VH1 in October 1997.