Tracy Chapman “grateful” for Luke Combs cover of ‘Fast Car’
After years of being a staple of soft rock, the Tracy Chapman classic ‘Fast Car’ has been given a country twist thanks to Luke Combs. As Combs’ cover version of the tune is lighting up the charts, Chapman has expressed her gratitude for the song returning to radio.
When asked about her feelings on the latest version of her song, Chapman talked about feeling honoured about the cover, telling Rolling Stone, “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car’”.
Since its release, Comb’s version of the song has hit number one on the country charts. This marks the first time in the history of country music that a song solely written by a black woman has reached the top of the charts.
Combs had originally started performing the 1990 acoustic tune back in 2020, remarking the “the guitar part on that song is super iconic, and everyone knows the song as soon as you start playing it. They know it, and they sing along. It’s like ‘Free Bird’ or ‘Jolene’”.
Singer-songwriter Tayla Parks also talked about the power behind the Chapman classic, continuing, “With a great song, you can take it and make it sound like seven different genres, so that says a lot about what type of song ‘Fast Car’ is: it can be a pop song, a country song, it can be whatever, because it’s just a great song”.
This marks the latest in a string of songs Combs has notched on the country charts over the past few years, including tracks like ‘Forever After All’ and ‘Love You Anyway’. His latest album Gettin’ Old was released on March 24th, 2023.
The original version of the song was given multiple accolades upon release, earning Chapman awards for ‘Best New Artist’, ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’ and ‘Best Contemporary Folk Album’ for her eponymous debut release. It also spawned two other singles, including ‘Baby Can I Hold You’ and ‘Talkin About a Revolution’.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.