# Anyone else here watching the 2024 Grammys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** talk-variety-show, music\ **Created:** [February 5, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111 "2024-02-05T01:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/61 "2024-02-07T06:04:19Z")
I just watched the clip from the Grammy Awards. It was fine, I guess. I would have much rather heard Chapman sing the whole thing with just her guitar. That’s all the song needs to be magical, in my opinion. Nothing worthwhile was added in the cover version, because nothing else was needed. It’s a perfect song. I felt that way the first time I heard it many years ago. And while I’m sure this wasn’t the case - When Tracy kept smiling, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking to herself, “I can’t believe this doofus is famous.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/62 "2024-02-07T06:21:12Z")
I heard Chapman was thrilled Combs did a version of _Fast Car_, genuinely loved it, independent of the fact she profited greatly and got new recognition from a younger generation. If she is happy with it, who am I to spout nonsense? I like both versions. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/63 "2024-02-07T06:40:41Z")
More info on Chapman. > **[Where Has Tracy Chapman Been?](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/arts/music/tracy-chapman-career.html)** > > Her triumphant performance at the Grammy Awards left fans wondering what she has been doing since she left the music world, and whether she might return. ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/64 "2024-02-07T07:14:46Z")
My problem with it is that people didn’t seem to care as much when Tracy Chapman originally created and performed the song back in the day. Sure, it was well known, but not to this level. And then suddenly a random white guy comes along and covers it and it seems to become more famous than it originally was. Reminds me of back in the old days when a lot of black artists could barely get any airplay, with their songs only becoming popular when white artists record them instead. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/65 "2024-02-07T07:54:07Z")
Hmmmmm. These days I’m not a regular enough radio listener to know, but Fast Car and the album from which it came were HUGE. I think we’ve established that Luke Combs is not some random white guy but I’d be interested to know if his version’s popularity has surpassed the original. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/66 "2024-02-07T08:06:22Z")
> [@Boudicca90](#): > > Sure, it was well known, but not to this level. Really? Because I remember the song as a big hit back in the day (although “Talkin’ 'bout a Revolution” was still Chapman’s signature song), and I never heard of the Luke Combs version - or of Luke Combs himself - until the Grammys. Maybe it’s just because I’m not in the States; country music, as a rule, does not travel well. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/67 "2024-02-07T12:59:01Z")
> [@Boudicca90](#): > > My problem with it is that people didn’t seem to care as much when Tracy Chapman originally created and performed the song back in the day. That’s not correct. It would be very difficult to get bigger than it was. > [the song became] a top-ten hit in the United States, reaching number six on the [_Billboard_Hot 100](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100). In the United Kingdom, it initially reached number five on the [UK Singles Chart](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart) in 1988. > > “Fast Car” received three [Grammy Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award) nominations: [Record of the Year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Record_of_the_Year), [Song of the Year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Song_of_the_Year), and [Best Female Pop Vocal Performance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Female_Pop_Vocal_Performance), the latter of which it won. It also received an [MTV Video Music Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Award) nomination for [Best Female Video](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Award_for_Best_Female_Video) in 1989. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/68 "2024-02-07T14:06:44Z")
Right, and also: > [@](#): > > _[Rolling Stone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone)_ ranked “Fast Car” number 167 on their list of the [500 Greatest Songs of All Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/500_Greatest_Songs_of_All_Time). It is Chapman’s only song on the list, and the highest-ranking song performed and written solely by a female artist. When _Rolling Stone_ updated the list in 2021, “Fast Car” was promoted to the 71st spot So it had very high critical acclaim well before Combs released his version. Combs version peaked a bit higher on the Hot 100 (#2 v. #6), but it’s really hard to compare eras. I know Chapman’s version is (and was prior to Combs) ubiquitous on streaming platforms that highlight the 80s and 90s, so it’s never been out of the consciousness either (so you can’t really say it was “forgotten” or “ignored”). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/69 "2024-02-07T17:06:43Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Combs version peaked a bit higher on the Hot 100 (#2 v. #6), but it’s really hard to compare eras. I know Chapman’s version is (and was prior to Combs) ubiquitous on streaming platforms that highlight the 80s and 90s, so it’s never been out of the consciousness either (so you can’t really say it was “forgotten” or “ignored”). Indeed, I think it seems like Combs version is more praised because we live in the era of the internet. But I remember Chapman’s original was massive in its era. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/70 "2024-02-07T18:03:38Z")
They are both great. Chapman’s is better sung and the groundbreaking original. But Combs, changing not one note, adds some real character. Chapman is well known by the gray beards and deserves wider recognition from those unfamiliar with her music. Indeed, due to Combs, she was recently the first black woman to win a major country music award (which she declined to accept in person). ---
**Author:** ![Boudicca90](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boudicca90/32/16818_2.png) [@Boudicca90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boudicca90)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/71 "2024-02-07T19:44:02Z")
It may have been my impression then. Back then I was a fan of hers and I hardly ever seemed to come across other people who knew who she even was. It is hard to gauge those kinds of things when you are a teen and the other kids in school don’t share your tastes in music. Still don’t like Luke Combs version, but that’s because I don’t care for country. Which is why I didn’t know who he was before his cover. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/72 "2024-02-07T21:08:47Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Chapman is well known by the gray beards Ironic use of excluding the half of the audience without beards. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/73 "2024-02-07T21:17:48Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Ironic use of excluding the half of the audience without beards. Gray pubes? ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/74 "2024-02-07T21:30:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Gray pubes? Ironic use of excluding the … never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/75 "2024-02-07T21:33:39Z")
I take your point, but beards are not always facial. But from now on, perhaps I will use the phrase “greybirds and greybeards”. Like a lot of these phrases, inclusivity sometimes comes at the cost of being mellifluous. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/76 "2024-02-07T21:47:07Z")
I just want to take a moment to let everyone know that Tracy Chapman is from Cleveland. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/77 "2024-02-07T21:48:21Z")
Just use “grizzled”. Chapman was grizzled. So am I. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/78 "2024-02-07T21:59:20Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > but the terms under which he got the rights to _record_ the song specified that he could make no changes to the lyrics. I heard the reason he made no changes was so she could get all the royalties for writing the song. Did I hear wrong? ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/79 "2024-02-07T22:29:52Z")
My two cents: I’ve loved Chapman’s original since it was first released. I’d never heard of Luke Coombs until this duet, nor had I hear his version of the song. To my ears, her version is deeply moving, and his version sounded like bog standard c&w glurge to me. He made the song less interesting. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111/80 "2024-02-07T22:39:58Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > > [@SunUp](#): > > > > but the terms under which he got the rights to _record_ the song specified that he could make no changes to the lyrics. > > I heard the reason he made no changes was so she could get all the royalties for writing the song. Did I hear wrong? I hope I put a sufficient note of unsureness in my post. Which is to say you may be right, and I may be wrong, or we may both be correct in slightly different ways, or simply using different terminology. From what I understand, Luke Combs recorded “Fast Car” using a compulsory license, which gives him (or anyone) the right to record it as long as no lyrical changes are made. Since he’s recording a song he hadn’t written, he gets no songwriting royalties - they all go to Tracy Chapman. So, what you heard is correct. If he were to make a small change to the lyrics, he would no longer be able to take a compulsory license, and then the fun begins. Chapman would have been able to demand any royalty rate she wanted or to simply forbid him from recording such an obviously derivative work. She probably would have been able to take the songwriting credit, even if he wanted to keep only part of the credit, as well - consider the fight over the sample from “The Last Time” used in “Bitter Sweet Symphony”, not to mention the more modern “Blurred Lines” / “Got to Give it Up” controversy. All from what I’ve heard - I’m not a lawyer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-here-watching-the-2024-grammys/997111.md?page=5)