Tracy Chapman’s 1988 hit song Fast Car has topped the US iTunes charts, nearly forty years since its release.
The 59-year-old singer performed the song at the 66th Grammys award ceremony as a duet with country singer Luke Combs, who was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for his cover of the tune.
The pair sung lines from the verse back and forth with one another and harmonised in the chorus, as Chapman plucked the iconic guitar riff. Whenever Chapman was singing, Combs mouthed the words along with her.
The performance of the song was met with a standing ovation from several attendees of the Grammys, including Taylor Swift, Oprah and Kelly Clarkson.
Following the duet, Chapman’s original version of Fast Car reached number one on the US iTunes charts. Combs’ cover sits at number four.
Fast Car, Chapman’s version, peaked at number one of the US Billboard 200 when it was first released 36 years ago. The song became popular when she last-minute stepped in for Stevie Wonder to perform at Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday concert.
Chapman won a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989 for Fast Car. It was also nominated for Song of the Year, and the self-titled parent album, Tracy Chapman, was nominated for Record of the Year.
When Luke Combs covered Fast Car and released it as a single in his 2023 album, Gettin’ Old, the song shot up in popularity once again. His cover of the hit peaked at number one of Billboard Hot Country Songs and was named Country Music Awards (CMA) Song of the Year last year.
The CMA’s accolade, however, went to Chapman, and she became the first Black woman to win the award.
Criticism
Combs’ cover of Fast Car and the fame he acquired from its release received significant backlash from music critics.
The criticism was founded on the idea that a white man was benefitting disproportionately from a song that originated from a Black, queer woman.
Emily Yahr, writer for The Washington Post, penned a piece that argued the chart-topping success of Fast Car, Combs’ version, was “clouded by the fact that, as a Black queer woman, Chapman, 59, would have almost zero chance of that achievement herself in country music”.
Likewise, Courtney Smith, music critic and author of Record Collecting for Girls, said she was “surprised that a white man in country music would have connected with a song that was released two years before he was born”.
“And even more surprised that he recorded it, and his label made it a single,” she said.
But Chapman reaching number one on US iTunes shows people still recognise her incredible work and know she is the reason the song exists.
Luke Combs pays tribute to Chapman
It’s not the first time Fast Car has been covered. In 2015, Swedish record producer Tobtok released a tropical house version of the tune, with vocals by British singer River. The same year, a similar version by British record producer Jonas Blue was released.
But unlike the house music versions, Combs’ version retained Chapman’s original lyrics, tempo and acoustic style, only adding his signature country flare.
Combs also acknowledges Chapman as a huge musical influence in his life and credits the success of the song to her songwriting.
“Tracy has written one of the best songs for a few generations,” Combs said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“You hear (the guitar riff) – and it’s already iconic before you’ve even heard the words.
“Tracy is such an icon and one of the best songwriters I think any of us will ever be around to see.”