I will never get over this performance.
Last Sunday, Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs took the stage at the Grammy Awards for a stunning performance of “Fast Car,” a song originally written and recorded by Chapman in 1988, but that both of them have found a ton of success with.
The fan reaction was extremely positive, and in my very humble opinion, it was easily the performance of the night and one we’re going to be talking about for decades to come. The admiration the two artists have for each other was apparent as Chapman looked genuinely happy to be there and kept smiling at Luke throughout the entire thing (and vice versa).
The coolest part about it, though, is that Tracy has seen an incredible jump in the sales of her music. As of a few days ago, download sales for “Fast Car” were up by an astronomical 38,000%.
And last night, Luke took to Instagram to share a heartfelt thank you message for one of his musical heroes, saying that he’s still processing how amazing it was to share the stage with her.
He eloquently explained that “we were all in awe of you up there,” saying that he “was just the guy lucky enough to have the best seat in the house,” in addition to thanking his wife and team for all of their help in getting him to this point in his career.
Luke called the Grammy performance “a defining moment” of his career, and I have to say, I agree with him wholeheartedly:
“What an unreal Grammy week to say the least. There were so many laughs, tears, hugs, and cheers that it almost doesn’t seem real. From the hotel hangs and rehearsals, to the dinners and post show pizza, the vibes were HIGH.
I want to thank my whole team for working tirelessly to make this happen and my wife for always being by my side, I love you. When it comes to the performance it’s still hard to process how amazing it really was to be up there on that stage.
No doubt a defining moment of my career. Tracy, I want to send my sincerest thanks to you for allowing me to be a part of your moment. Thank you for the impact you have had on my musical journey, and the musical journeys of countless other singers, songwriters, musicians, and fans alike. I hope you felt how much you mean to the world that night.
We were all in awe of you up there and I was just the guy lucky enough to have the best seat in the house.”
Tracy also shared Luke’s post on Twitter, saying:
“The kindest words from Luke Combs.”
And in case you somehow missed it, please do yourself a favor and watch it now:
Like everyone else, I was moved by Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs at the Grammy’s
Tracy’s an anti-celebrity:
-uncomfortable in the public eye
-doesn’t own a smart phone
-not on socialThere isn’t a lot of info on her
But here’s what I found on her and the history of Fast Car 🧵 pic.twitter.com/uVzV6H8108
— AJ Chan (@mrajchan) February 5, 2024
Luke included his cover of “Fast Car” on his 2023 Gettin’ Old record, and it organically became a massive hit and juggernaut at country radio, flying up the country charts at an insane pace, so much so that his label actually sent it to Top 40 pop and Hot Adult Contemporary radio, as well.
Released in 1988, it was the lead single from Chapman’s aforementioned self-titled debut studio album. At the 31st annual Grammy Awards in 1989, she won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Fast Car,” best contemporary folk album for Tracy Chapman and best new artist.
The song was nominated in the Best Country Solo Performance category this year, but Chris Stapleton ultimately took home that trophy for “White Horse.” And actually, Chapman’s performance last Sunday marked the first time she’d appeared live to sing for the first time in nine years, and it’s hard to put into words just how incredible it was.
She sounded exactly the same as she did on the original recording from 1988, and there was a palpable magic between them that I cannot get enough of.
Like Willie Nelson says, “If a song was ever good, it’s still good,” and this is an all-time great one that works in any decade, genre and always will. Congratulations to Tracy on a really amazing achievement with this song, and to both artists on pulling off what was one of the greatest Grammy performances of all-time.
Now we just need a studio duet…
Luke’s cover:
And of course, the timeless original: