The Grammys Gave Tracy Chapman the Standing Ovation She's Long Deserved

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 5, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | February 5, 2024 |

I wrote about my connection with Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” last year and the mixed feelings I had about Luke Combs covering it. Ultimately, I mostly appreciated it because Chapman’s song is a quintessential country song, and it was a musical bridge between the white-trash side of the street I grew up on and the poor, Black neighborhood on the other end of the same street.

Luke Combs’ version of the song reached number two on the Billboard charts last year, as well as number one on the Country charts, making Tracy Chapman the first Black woman to reach number one on the Country charts. Chapman, meanwhile, had mostly remained mum, aside from a single quote last year. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”

Last night, the mostly reclusive Chapman appeared at the Grammys to sing “Fast Car” along with Combs. It was a rare television appearance for Chapman, her first since appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers in 2020. She hasn’t toured since 2009. All the same, she and Combs blew the roof off the dump with one of the most stirring performances in Grammy history.

The performance elicited the standing ovation Chapman has long deserved, not to mention more than a few tears. (Unfortunately, the only place it’s currently available in full is Twitter):

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs - Fast Car#GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/WWztcov2tJ

— Craig R. Brittain (@RealBrittain) February 5, 2024