On This Day in 2023, Tracy Chapman Made History With a Song She Released 35 Years Earlier

On July 1, 2023, Tracy Chapman made history with a song she released over three decades earlier when she became the first Black woman to top the country charts as a sole songwriter. Years after she was dominating the airwaves as a solo artist in the 1990s, Luke Combs reintroduced Chapman’s music to a new audience when he released a cover version of “Fast Car” on his 2023 album, Gettin’ Old, in April of that year.

By the first week of July, Combs’ rendition of Chapman’s award-winning 1988 single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. The track would prove to be historical for both artists, giving Combs his first crossover hit when “Fast Car” made it to the top ten of the Adult Pop Airplay chart.

First, Let’s Go Back To 1988, When Tracy Chapman Released Her Debut

The late 1980s and 1990s were an especially fortuitous time for solo female singer-songwriters, and Tracy Chapman was certainly no exception. Chapman released her eponymous debut in April 1988 with the lead singles “Fast Car,” “Talkin’ ‘bout a Revolution,” and “Baby Can I Hold You.” As far as debuts go, the album was a smash success. Chapman won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best New Artist in 1989. Her first single, “Fast Car,” also garnered her a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The self-titled album topped the Billboard 200 and album charts in the U.K., Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Canada, Austria, and Argentina. It also enjoyed top-ten placements in several other countries. The record propelled Chapman to international fame, and “Fast Car” became synonymous with folk music coming out of the last decade and change of the 20th century. While Chapman released other successful albums post-Y2K, including one as recent as 2008, the majority of her audience remembered and recognized her from the 1990s. That changed in 2023, thanks to Luke Combs.

Although one could argue folk’s adjacency to country music, Chapman had never actually made it onto a country chart until Combs’ version of “Fast Car” came out. When the track hit No. 1, Chapman became the first Black woman in U.S. history to top the country charts as a sole songwriter. The monumental moment surprised even Chapman. “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” she told Billboard. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced “Fast Car.””

Luke Combs Wasn’t Doing The 1990s Icon a Favor By Making History

On the contrary, Tracy Chapman was doing Luke Combs a favor by allowing him to cover the song that skyrocketed Chapman to global stardom. Combs, like so many other music lovers in the 1990s, listened to “Fast Car” on repeat. Specifically, Combs used to listen to the Chapman classic while riding around with his dad in a 1988 Ford F-150. “I was probably the cheapest model you could get,” Combs told the crowd at a Pittsburgh concert in 2023. “I remember it had a cassette player in it. [My dad] played me all kinds of music, and one of the first songs that I remember hearing…one song that really stuck out to me…was called “Fast Car.” That song meant a lot to me since then.”

“I always think about my dad when it comes on and us spending time together,” Combs continued. “As soon as I could play guitar, I tried to learn how to play this song, and it took me so long to learn how to play it ‘cause I was so bad. Last year, I got to record my own version, and about a month ago, I got to put it out.”

Combs’ release of “Fast Car” was a type of musical kismet we don’t often see in the industry. For songwriter Tracy Chapman, the 2023 track allowed her to break social and racial barriers and make history as the first Black woman to top the country charts as a sole songwriter. For Combs, his first crossover hit was also one that arguably meant the most to him on a deeply personal level. If there were ever an instance in pop and country history that highlights the enduring power of music, it would be this one.

Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy