Tracy Chapman’s original rendition of ‘Fast Car’ raced to the top of the iTunes charts following her emotional performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
The legendary singer-songwriter, 59, left viewers in tears after making a rare appearance on stage with Luke Combs, whose cover of her 1988 song was a smash hit after its release in April 2023.
The 33-year-old country singer’s version of her song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in November 2023, the track won two Country Music Awards – for Single and Song of the Year – making Chapman the first Black woman to succeed in the latter category.
Chapman kicked off her performance by playing the first few bars on her guitar, sparking vigorous cheers from the star-studded audience, which included Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, and Kacey Musgraves.
Watch Chapman and Combs’ performance below:
The ‘Give Me One Reason’ artist and the ‘Beautiful Crazy’ singer then sang back and forth before harmonizing for the iconic chorus. After they finished, the crowd jumped to their feet to applaud the two stars, hailing from different generations and musical genres, for their beautiful collaboration.
Many viewers took to their social media to share their awe-struck reactions to the surprising performance, as one emotional user penned on X (formerly Twitter): “Not sure when I’ll stop crying over Tracy Chapman singing Fast Car again, but won’t [be] anytime soon.”
Another also shared: “As a young queer woman I will never forget hearing Tracy Chapman singing Fast Car the first time. It imprinted me forever. Cried real tears watching her perform at the #GRAMMYs.”
“How beautiful was that? For millions of people, I bet watching Tracy Chapman perform once again was to unlock profoundly powerful memories and be transported to some very raw places. Savor every second. Tracy is Eternal,” a third user reacted.
A fourth added: “Award shows are tedious and crass, but the smile on Tracy Chapman’s face when the auditorium goes nuts for her before she takes everyone to school with no lip sync, no auto-tune, and no in-ear monitors is a pretty sweet moment to capture live.”
Tracy Chapman performs onstage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty
The iconic musician’s return to the big stage came several years after she released her last album, Our Bright Future, in 2008 and officially retired from touring the following year.
After the broadcast of her duet with Combs, Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ promptly claimed the Number 1 spot on the iTunes Top Songs chart – 36 years after its release.
Her eponymous debut album, 1988’s Tracy Chapman, also skyrocketed to the Number 1 position and was followed by her Greatest Hits (2015) album in second place.
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs embraced after their emotional performance at the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 04. Credit: John Shearer / Getty
Last July, Chapman opened up about her thoughts on Combs’ cover in a statement to Billboard after the song reached Number 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” she expressed. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.'”
The ‘When It Rains It Pours’ artist reflected on his big success with the record and revealed to PEOPLE that the song reminded him of his father, Chester Combs.
“When I was 5 years old, my dad and I would be in his truck, and he would always play music for me. He had a Tracy Chapman cassette tape, and ‘Fast Car’ is one of the first songs I remember,” he said. “I’ve always been a huge fan of it and think of my dad and our time together when I hear it.”
“I always thought it was one of the best songs of all time, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised,” Combs continued, adding that “there’s nothing like Tracy’s version” so he decided to release his own rendition as “a nice complement to the original”.
