What Surprised Tracy Chapman About Luke Combs' "Fast Car" Cover: "I Never Expected..."
The country star has said Tracy Chapman's chart-topping song "deserves to be around forever."
In 1988, Tracy Chapman released “Fast Car,” a stirring and timeless song that would go on to win her a Grammy Award. Over the years, several artists have covered the hit single Chapman wrote in her 20s, including Luke Combs, who gave “Fast Car” a country twist that led to an iconic duet featuring both musicians.
Combs — one of many Opry members and country music stars on the Opry 100: A Live Celebration’s performance lineup, NBC’s three-hour live broadcast hosted by Blake Shelton — has described “Fast Car” as one of his favorite songs. “I always thought it was one of the best songs of all time,” he told People, adding that “there’s nothing like Tracy’s version.”
Chapman performed “Fast Car” for the very first time at The Nelson Mandela 70th Tribute Concert in 1988 and has previously said she wrote the song about her parents. When it was first released over three decades ago, “Fast Car” reached No. 6 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and today just about anyone can recognize the song’s lyrics, starting with, “You got a fast car.”
“Fast Car” has since reached an even wider audience following Combs’ cover. Read on to find out Chapman’s reaction to his version, their duet, and more.
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Luke Combs released his cover of Tracy Chapman’s song “Fast Car” in 2023
The “Beautiful Crazy” singer released his version of Chapman’s “Fast Car” in 2023 on his album Gettin’ Old. By that point, he hadn’t yet met Chapman but has fond memories of listening to her 1988 self-titled debut album in his dad’s pickup truck.
“We’d play it all the time,” Combs told iHeartCountry. “‘Fast Car’ was just one of the first songs really that I ever remember hearing, listening to, loving, being one of my favorite songs. It’s always just been one of my favorite songs for my entire life.”
The country star told Billboard he’d performed his cover of “Fast Car” at shows for several years before he professionally recorded it, and audiences would always sing along. “Tracy Chapman wrote this perfect song that I first heard with my dad, and it has stayed with me since,” he said, describing Chapman as a “supernatural songwriter.”
Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman performed a duet of “Fast Car” at the Grammys
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in 2024, Chapman joined Combs on stage for a rare duet of “Fast Car,” which received an emotional standing ovation from the audience.
During their performance, the two musicians swapped singing the song’s verses before joining their vocals in the chorus: “So I remember when we were drivin', drivin' in your car / Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk / City lights lay out before us / And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder / And I had a feeling that I belonged / I had a feelin' I could be someone / Be someone, be someone.”
Following their moving performance, Combs said on social media it was “hard to process how amazing” it was, calling their duet a “defining moment” of his career, and thanked Chapman for welcoming him.
“Tracy, I want to send my sincerest thanks to you for allowing me to be a part of your moment. Thank you for the impact you have had on my musical journey, and the musical journeys of countless other singers, songwriters, musicians, and fans alike. I hope you felt how much you mean to the world that night,” he wrote. “We were all in awe of you up there and I was just the guy lucky enough to have the best seat in the house.”
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Tracy Chapman is “happy” Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” has been so successful
In 2023, after Combs released his cover of “Fast Car,” Chapman said she’s grateful his version reached country fans. “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman told Billboard in a statement. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”
Combs’ cover of “Fast Car” stayed at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for several weeks following its release, and also rose to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 list.
“It has been so cool to see everyone enjoying this song over the past few months, whether it was people who were hearing the song for the first time or people [for whom] it brought back memories of Tracy’s timeless recording,” he told Billboard. “I’m just glad this song got another life because it deserves to be around forever; it will always be one of my favorites.”
