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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 BillboardHot 100. In the United Kingdom, it initially reached number five on the UK Singles Chart in 1988.
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”).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.