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Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ Grammy duet of “Fast Car” is going to go down in history as one of the most iconic performances ever. For Tracy, who lives a quiet life out of the spotlight, it was her first live performance since 2015 (her 2020 performance of “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” on Seth Meyers was pre-taped). Combs’ cover of the song was a smashing success on country music radio, which (understandably) caused some controversy. Tracy made a statement in support of the cover and since she has the sole songwriting credit, its success made her the first Black woman to have a #1 song on the country music charts and to win a Country Music Award for Song of the Year. She also made at least $500K in royalties, woot!
For his part, Combs has always been respectful of Tracy and the original song. His version is slightly different to match his style but he never changed any of the lyrics and has spoken about how he’s loved the song since he was a little kid. The duet itself was respectful and you could see it in Luke’s face that he was fulfilling a lifelong dream. This past weekend, he once again showed his respect for Tracy in an Instagram post about his Grammys experience. In the post, he thanked Tracy for allowing him to be a part of her moment, saying that he had the “best seat in the house.”
On Friday, the country star reflected upon Sunday’s whirlwind awards ceremony and his moving duet of “Fast Car” with the singer-songwriter, 59, on Instagram.
The carousel featured two photos of the 33-year-old Grammy nominee beside Chapman. The first included a photo of the two widely beaming the night of their performance. The second photo included the musicians embracing on stage after they concluded their duet.
“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,” wrote Combs. “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,” the post continued. “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.”
Along with thanking Chapman, Combs also thanked his team ”for working tirelessly to make this happen” and thanked his wife, Nicole, “for always being by my side.”
Beforehand, Combs recalled memories of listening to Chapman’s original version of “Fast Car.” He explained the hit was his “favorite song before I even knew what a favorite song was.”
That was really classy of him. So many artists would make the moment about themselves or take equal credit, but throughout it all, Combs has always made it clear that “Fast Car” is Tracy’s song and that he was singing it as a fan. While I had heard his cover before, I didn’t know anything about Luke except that he did a panel at a conference alongside Maren Morris in 2021. I’m impressed and grateful that he’s done right by Tracy and given her the respect she deserves. I really, really hope they release their live performance as a single.
Also, if you’re interested, Rolling Stone has a great account as to how the duet came to be. Some tidbits include that Tracy and Luke met in person for the first time during their first rehearsal, which was five days before the ceremony. Combs wanted Tracy to have full creative control, so she brought in her own musicians who had performed “Fast Car” with her back in the day and came up with the arrangement. He merely abided by her vision. It’s worth a read if you’re interested.
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… pic.twitter.com/9UiTkJawLH
— Luke Combs 🎤 (@lukecombs) February 10, 2024
