Tracy Chapman is set to perform her 1988 hit “Fast Car” with Luke Combs during the 2024 Grammys on Sunday, February 4. The performance will mark the first time Chapman has performed on stage outside three appearances since the close of her Our Bright Future Summer Tour in 2009.
“Fast Car” is also nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 66th Annual Grammys, which will air live on CBS from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
The song had a resurgence in 2023 after Combs released a cover of the song, which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay chart making Chapman the first black woman to get a No. 1 country song with a solo composition. It also made Chapman the fourth Black woman with a songwriting credit with a No. 1 song on the Country Airplay chart, following Tayla Parx, Ester Dean, and Alice Randall. Combs’ version of “Fast Car” also topped the Radio Songs and Top 40 charts, and went to No. 2 on the Hot 100.
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When originally released by Chapman from her 1988 eponymous album, “Fast Car” went to No. 6 on the Hot 100 and picked up three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance—the latter of which she won.
The country singer and songwriter explained his connection to Chapman’s song. He first heard it growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina when he was 5 years old, while listening to music with his father, who would play cassettes when they went for drives in his 1988 Ford F-150.
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“My dad listens to everything,” shared Combs on Instagram in May 2023. “My dad grew up in central Ohio, outside of Akron. I think his first concert was Pink Floyd and The James Gang the night we landed on the moon, which I thought was a lot cooler than my first concert. He played me all kinds of music and one of the first songs [‘Fast Car’] that I remember hearing, he popped a cassette in, and I loved this whole album.”
Combs said he was immediately captured by “Fast Car” from the first time he heard it. “That song meant a lot to me since then—for my whole life,” said Combs. “I always think about my dad when it comes on and us spending time together.”
In 2023, Combs won two Country Music Association (CMA) awards for “Fast Car,” including Song of the Year and Single of the Year. The win also made Chapman the first black woman to pick up a CMA.
“It opened up new doors for me that I had never had opened before, but I’m honestly just glad the song moved back in the spotlight and got introduced to a new audience that may have never heard it before,” said Combs in 2024. “It’s one of those songs that should be around forever, so I’m thankful it got a new life.”
Chapman also responded to the newfound interest in her song and hitting the country charts. “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” said Chapman. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.'”
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
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