Do you know Luke Combs? I ask because before he released his cover of “Fast Car”, I must admit I didn’t know him before I heard of him through the media. Excuse me, but in my native France, country music is not a very popular genre of music. I see that this fall 2023 he will perform in Paris at La Cigale, a venue that can accommodate a maximum of 1389 people, or only 954 if the audience is seated while he performs in stadiums in North America. It gives you an idea of his popularity on this side of the ocean and excuse for not knowing him yet. But now, I do!
So Luke Combs is an American country music singer and songwriter who already released 4 albums, the latest being the one on which the Fast Car cover is featured. His music has earned him three Grammy Award nominations, two iHeart Radio music awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards and six Country Music Association Awards.
He released a cover of “Fast Car” and I don’t like it. Yes, I know, I’m direct and honest. But in my opinion, very few artists are able to cover a Tracy Chapman song and make a completely different interpretation of the original while making it their own. I have to admit that, for me, the only one who succeeded in doing so for Fast Car is the Portuguese artist Maro, whom I particularly like. Here is her partial cover, because unfortunately, she has not (yet?) released a full version of the song.
Why did Luke Combs release a cover of Fast Car ?
But let’s get back to Luke. So apparently, over the years, Fast Car has been frequently included in his set lists and he recently declared in an interview with Zane Lowe on New Music Daily on Apple Music 1, what the song means to him:
“That song’s just always been a huge part of my life, really. I’ve always loved it and I think it’s the more and more I hear it, especially the older and older I get, it just gets better and better every time. I loved it when I was five years old and me and my dad used to listen to that album on a cassette tape in the truck. So I loved that whole album, but that song stood out to me. And I would say it was like that song stood out above all the others even. But that’s probably the first “hit song” that I ever heard. I didn’t even know that that’s what that was, what that even meant at that time. But for some reason, that song stood out even more than everything else on that album, which was really great, too.”
I said that I didn’t like his cover because I don’t see the point of covering Fast Car if he’s going to sing it the way Tracy sings it, and do it less well, obviously, since he doesn’t have her voice, and not bring anything musically to the way it’s played on the guitar.
But apparently, that’s intentional. That’s what he said to Lowe:
“I think that was always the goal was just not to change it at all, really, in the sense of staying true to keeping it rooted in where it always was, I think was important,” he continued. “Letting the riffs be kind of the star of the show. I mean, that’s how the original track is. And I think the main differences in mine and the original is just the quality of equipment that it was recorded on, I think would be the main difference. I don’t think mine would sound markedly different. Obviously, there’s some electric stuff going on that probably wasn’t there. The chorus feels a little bit bigger, just filled out drums and things of that nature. But I think it comes down a lot to the equipment. That song was recorded in probably 1988, I would imagine. This one was recorded in 2022. So obviously there’s been huge leaps in all sorts of technology when it comes to audio engineering and recording music since then. So I would say that was probably the biggest difference”
But Luke Combs’ Fast Car is a huge success
Whether I like it or not, who cares? His Fast Car cover is a HUUUGE success. Indeed he sent it to U.S. Pop Top 40 and as of April 18, the song has racked up 46 million streams worldwide, currently sits in the 14 spot on the US Spotify Chart and #9 on the US Apple Music chart. It has also charted in Ireland, the UK, and New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
If you haven’t listened to it yet, you can do it on Youtube or Spotify 👇
Opinions about Luke Combs cover are divided
I see on Twitter that I’m not the only one to dislike it. Some tweets are really 😅
Someone on fb said Luke Combs sings Fast Car better than Tracy Chapman so I unfriended them
— mergan (@itsmergan_) April 25, 2023
Why in the world do they keep playing the Luke Combs version of fast car on the radio. PLAY THE TRACY CHAPMAN ONE nobody wants to hear the yeehaw version it’s not even good
— Cam ♡ (@camrynnrussell) April 24, 2023
just found out luke combs covered tracy chapman’s fast car….. sick to my stomach…. dazed and confused…. send thoughts and prayers pls
— Marciana 👽🛸 (@anhoelica) April 26, 2023
But ALOT of others do
Luke Combs cover of Fast car is soooooo good lol 🔥🔥🔥
— Troy Hunter (@ballertroy22) April 26, 2023
Luke Combs’ rendition of “Fast Car” is a gift from God
— Caleb Denorme (@caleb_denorme) April 25, 2023
Luke Combs “Fast Car” while it doesn’t hit as hard as Tracy Chapman’s version (because of nostalgia) is pretty damn good. . .and captures the essence of the song.
— Chris Kleene (@ckleene) April 21, 2023
And just because he has allowed a new generation to discover this song, we should thank him. Though, some think he’s the one who wrote “Fast Car” 🙄 And that is not acceptable 😂
