Tracy Chapman's 1988 hit “Fast Car” and her self-titled debut album just scored another climb on the charts thanks to their Sunday performance at the Grammy Awards.
The original “Fast Car” singer wowed the audience inside Crypto.com Arena as she sang a duet with Luke Combs, the country star who covered the decades-old classic on his 2023 album “Gettin' Old.”
The intergenerational couple (she's 59, he's 33) swept the Grammys amid a royal storm in Los Angeles as the second in the night's lineup of star-studded performances.
“Very kind and generous of Tracy Chapman to come out and do 'Fast Car' with Luke Combs. “After all the criticism about who has the right to make money off that amazing song, Combs is looking forward to performing it live with the author of it, and Chapman is getting the flowers from her again in a whole new context here,” the Times staff said. . wrote writer August Brown, adding that even country star Jelly Roll was “losing his mind singing in the crowd too.”
“Score one for genuine intergenerational admiration,” he wrote.
“Combs sounds great, but I love watching him sing without a microphone while watching Chapman take the lead,” wrote Times music critic Mikael Wood.
And Times columnist Lorraine Ali described Chapman's singing with Combs as beautiful.
On Monday morning, the “Give Me One Reason” singer, a four-time Grammy winner and winner of the Recording Academy's Best New Artist award in 1989, returned to the top of the charts, and the new duo boosted his album sales again.
His folk anthem, which Combs waxed poetic about during an introductory package for the show, hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs chart moments after his performance. Chapman's 1988 self-titled debut album also reached the number one mark.
“That song, 'Fast Car,' was my favorite song before I even knew what a favorite song was,” Combs said in the introduction. “All kinds of people around the world can feel it and relate to it.
“It's just a great moment to come full circle for me,” he added. “Just to be associated with her in any way is very humbling for me.”
Notably, Combs kept Chapman's original arrangement of the song intact for his version, which tells the heartbreaking story of a woman trying to escape poverty and create a life different from the one she's always known. Her version was nominated for country solo performance, but lost to Chris Stapleton's “White Horse” during the Grammy pre-show ceremony.
By Monday, Chapman's “Fast Car” had parked at No. 1 on the iTunes chart and was followed by other winners and notables from the Grammy ceremony, including Miley Cyrus' “Flowers,” “Turn the Lights Back On” by Billy Joel and Combs’ version of “Fast Car” and “What Was I Made For?”
When Combs released a cover of the 1988 folk-soul hit, “Fast Car” reached the top of Billboard's Country Airplay chart. Combs' cover also reached No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 during the summer, becoming the first pop cover to top the country charts in 15 years. (Blake Shelton's country rendition of Michael Bublé's “Home” was the last to reach the top spot.)
Chapman's original release peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 at the time, and at the 1989 Grammy Awards, Chapman took home three trophies, including Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Fast Car,” the folk recording contemporary of “Tracy Chapman” and the new artist. . “Fast Car” was also nominated for record and song of the year, while her debut album received a nomination for album of the year.
Combs' version generated more than $500,000 in worldwide publishing royalties since its release on March 17, according to a Billboard estimate. And Chapman, the sole songwriter and publishing rights owner, is raking in a significant chunk of a surprise payday 35 years after the song's original release. According to a Billboard report last June, the majority of royalties come from the more than 154 million on-demand audio streams in the United States from music apps like Spotify and Apple Music.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I'm honored to be there,” Chapman told Billboard at the time. “I'm happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced 'Fast Car.'”
In August, Chapman's song peaked at number 16 on Billboard's US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
In November, Chapman's “Fast Car” took home the award for song of the year at the 2023 Country Music Association Awards, becoming the first Black person to win the category in the show's 57-year history. of prizes.
Chapman did not attend that ceremony, but accepted the award in a message read by the presenters. She has also been named the winner of the lifetime achievement award at the 2024 International Folk Music Awards, which will take place later this month.
Sunday's unexpected duet left Grammys viewers enthralled, even those waiting to get to their seats after getting stuck in traffic due to rain.
“At least we can say we heard it live. “I love this for her!” a person inside the arena was heard saying. Meanwhile, she saw others, including Jelly Roll and Taylor Swift, singing and swaying, often with their eyes closed.
Times staff writers Emily St. Martin and Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
