Folk icon Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ duet on “Fast Car” was a very special moment at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, and it’s definitely going down in history as one of the greatest performances at the event. Chapman released the song all the way back in 1988, but you wouldn’t know it as her voice is exactly the same as it was on the original legendary recording.
Chapman opened the song with her acoustic guitar and sang the first verse, while Combs sang the second verse. The country star added a very different flavor to the song with his soulful drawl, and of course, he just knocked it out of the park. The video was an instant hit on the Grammy’s YouTube channel and has already blown up to 6.8 million views, making it one of the most popular performances on the channel.
The band stretched their legs on “Fast Car”, adding subtle changes to the original arrangement. A lap steel guitarist and violinist traded exquisite melodies on the song, giving it a tasteful country edge. This is Luke Combs that we’re talking about after all – it’s bound to have a bit of a redneck charm up in here.
You may also like...
- Article Continues Below -
Combs was clearly hugely honored to sing a duet with Chapman, and at several points, looked over at her with a little grin on his face, as if he couldn’t quite believe he was up there doing it. Chapman certainly knows how to pick a duet partner, as seen in her classic performance of “Give Me One Reason” with none other than Eric Clapton, which got really funky.
Fans watching online recognized that the Grammys performance was one for the ages, adding comments such as “Probably one of the best performances of the Grammys ever. They didn’t need a lot of musicians, dancers, or backup singers. Just the two of them singing from their hearts was all that was needed” and “You can see in Luke’s face that he is living his childhood dream. Singing his favorite song with Tracy Chapman at the Grammys. Good job kid, you made it.”
Last year, Combs released his own version of “Fast Car” as the second single from his fourth album, Gettin’ Old. The song peaked at the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which actually made it a bigger hit than the original, which peaked at number six.
On Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen, Combs said that “Fast Car” was his favorite song, and that one of his first memories is hearing the song in his dad’s truck. “We rode around in that thing, and he had a tape cassette player in there,” he said. “And I have the original cassette — my dad brought it to me a couple of years ago.”
Combs explained that he didn’t change the gender of the protagonist in the lyrics because of his reverence for the original. “You want to just be mega respectful of the original song,” he said. “That’s why in that song, it’s, ‘work in the market as a checkout girl.’ I didn’t change that in my version. I really wanted to just do the original version of the song.”
If you enjoyed the Grammy-winning performance of Tracy Chapman and want to explore more of her music, don’t forget to follow her on her YouTube Channel. From powerful ballads to unforgettable performances like “Fast Car”, you are sure to find something that you enjoy.