Nine years since then her final live television appearance, Tracy Chapman made a rare appearance at the 2024 Grammy Awards to sing her 1988 hit “Fast Car” with Luke Combs, the country star who turned a new audience on to Chapman's song with cover of it and earned a Grammy nomination. during.
In a video before the show, Combs talked about the song's memorable guitar lick, a passage that deftly telegraphed the performance that was to follow: A tight shot of Chapman's hands playing her acoustic guitar slowly rose to reveal her face and a wide smile. Chapman took the first verse, before Combs – standing at a microphone without a guitar – joined in with his verse and a big smile of his own.
It was an undeniably emotional and moving performance, both for those on stage and in the audience. Taylor Swift stood and sang along. Brandi Carlisle and her wife Kathryn held each other and swayed. And the husband and wife duo, War and Treaty pumped their fists.
Chapman and Combs sang the final chorus together, before Combs gave the last verse to the woman who wrote the song. The country star watched her intently, mouthing the words under his breath, before bowing to Chapman as “Fast Car” reached its destination.
The performance of “Fast Car,” which featured two of the musicians who played on the original studio recording — drummer Denny Fongheiser and bassist Larry Klein — arrives 35 years to the month since Chapman first performed the song at the 1989 Grammy Awards.
Chapman's last live TV appearance was in 2015 when she sang “Stand By Me” on Late Show with David Letterman during the host's last show on CBS. Since then, the songwriter has been far from isolated.
In 2020, Combs posted a video of him playing a solo acoustic cover of “Fast Car”. The cover caught fire with his fans and he recorded a studio version for inclusion on his 2023 album I'm getting old. Released as a radio single in April of that year, “Fast Car” exploded and hit Number Two on the Hot 100. It also went to Number One for multiple weeks on Billboard's Country Airplay chart — making Chapman the first black woman to have the only songwriting a number one country hit.
Combs' version of “Fast Car” won Song of the Year at November's CMA Awards in Nashville, giving Chapman another place in history: the first Black songwriter, male or female, to win CMA Song of the Year in history of the CMA. Chapman sent a statement to be read at the time. “I'm sorry I couldn't be with you tonight,” Chapman wrote. “It's really an honor for my song to be recognized recently after 35 years since its debut. Thanks to the CMAs and special thanks to Luke and all the 'Fast Car' fans.”
On stage Sunday night in Los Angeles, Chapman did not speak or read any comments. But she didn't need to: her looks alone — and that smile — spoke volumes.
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