Tracy Chapman's original recording of her 1988 song "Fast Car" has reached number 1 on iTunes over 35 years after it was first released.
The song's rapid chart-climbing began after Chapman performed the song with country singer Luke Combs (who released a successful cover of it) at the 2024 Grammys on Sunday.
The performance was nothing short of breathtaking, with one social media user after another sharing how moved they were over it.
Full performance of Fast Car by Tracy Chapman with Luke Combs at the Grammys. Her smile at the beginning is the best. pic.twitter.com/Eo8aw15SnfFebruary 5, 2024
36 hours later, people are still discussing Chapman, Combs, and "Fast Car," and they're clearly listening to it as well.
For example, one person called out some of the song's lyrics in a viral tweet.
They wrote, "Thinking again about 'Fast Car' and how the lines 'I know things'll get better / You'll find work and I'll get promoted / And we'll move out of the shelter / Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs' convey more meaning than entire novels sometimes do."
Keke Palmer responded to this, writing, "Yes.
"'You got a fast car is it fast enough so you can fly away? You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way'
"Some people don’t realize they can fly.. so they stay on the ground until it buries them."
Yes. “You got a fast car is it fast enough so you can fly away? You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way” Some people don’t realize they can fly.. so they stay on the ground until it buries them. https://t.co/Qu5IKVVsMmFebruary 6, 2024
This isn't the first time Combs has given Chapman a renewed place in the spotlight. Back in November, "Fast Car" won song of the year at the CMAs thanks to the country singer's hit cover.
When Combs' version was first hitting the charts last July, Chapman put out a statement that read, "I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced 'Fast Car.'"
Following the two artists' Grammys duet, people also commented at length on Combs' respectful performance, as he centered Chapman—the song's writer and original performer—throughout.
In December, Combs voiced his unshakable respect for Chapman in an interview with People, as he expressed his surprise that his version had found success.
He said at the time, "I always thought it was one of the best songs of all time, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. But there’s nothing like Tracy’s version, so I thought it would just be a nice complement to the original but never really expected mine to take off quite the way it did."
Yet here we are!
