Tracy Chapman vs. Luke Combs | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 32^nd edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs contend for the best rendition of “Fast Car.”  

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 32^nd edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 Tracy Chapman and 🎙 Luke Combs contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Fast Car”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”

💿 Tracy Chapman • 🏷 Elektra • 🗓 1988

“You got a fast car / I got a plan to get us outta here / I been working at the convenience store / Managed to save just a little bit of money.” Just those excerpted lyrics from 🎵 “Fast Car”, the sensational 🎙 Tracy Chapman masterpiece, which she composed herself, encompass ambition, escaping from an unideal place, and narrativize a couple seeking a better life that feels incredibly authentic and relatable.  In the second verse of her top-10 hit (no. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100), Chapman adds, “You and I can both get jobs / Finally see what it means to be living.” That statement truly hits home, speaking to the plight of the working class. That’s just one excerpt from this 🏆 Grammy-winning song (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female). Chapman would also win 🏆 Grammys at the 31^st Annual GRAMMY Awards for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Folk Recording, while she was nominated for Record, Song, and Album of the Year for 💿 Tracy Chapman (1988). “See, my old man’s got a problem / He lives with a bottle, that’s the way it is,” Chapman continues singing, continuing to be authentic to the n^th degree.

Vocally, Chapman exemplifies the singer/songwriter sound.  She’s expressive and nuanced, but she never forces things or over-sings. Her tone is pure from the onset.  There’s a sense of poise throughout the courses of the verses, yet, simultaneously, Tracy sounds commanding and firmly in control – it’s hypnotic to a degree.  The chorus provides a welcome change of pace, finding her upping the intensity.  The drums contribute to this temporary dynamic burst, prior to the return of the even-keel verses.

“So, I remember when we were driving, driving in your car

Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk

City lights lay out before us

And your arm felt nice wrapped ’round my shoulder

And I-I, had a feeling that I belonged

I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.”

It’s not just the lyrics, narrative, theme, or vocals that make “Fast Car” a surefire classic.  The production (🎛 David Kershenbaum) and instrumental, although relatively simple, is perfect for this folks, soft rock gem.  Guitars, bass, drums, and percussion is more than enough to fuel the fire. 🎵 “Fast Car” is a truly a once in a lifetime song, one that remains beloved more than three decades later.

Appears in 🔻:

• Tracy Chapman, Fast Car: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 115 (2023)

2. Luke Combs, “Fast Car”

💿 Gettin’ Old • 🏷 River House Artists LLC / Sony Music Entertainment • 🗓 2023

“You got a fast car / And I want a ticket to anywhere / Maybe we can make a deal / Maybe together we can get anywhere.” 🎙 Luke Combs is among the most successful musicians in country music in the 2020s.  His original songs have paid dividends for him, earning multiple 🏆 Grammy nominations.  However, on his 2023 album, 💿 Gettin’ Old, Combs revisits a 1988 classic by 🏆 Grammy winner 🎙 Tracy Chapman, 🎵 “Fast Car”.  Combs surpassed Chapman’s mark on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Furthermore, Luke racked up a no. 1 on the Country Airplay charts. Given the fact that Chapman penned “Fast Car,” she made some history too, 35 years after “Fast Car” arrived, becoming the first black woman with the sole writing credit on a no. 1 country song. That, ladies and gentlemen, is big.

The accolades that Luke Combs is receiving himself are remarkable. Most remarkable, however, in the case of this cover, is how well Combs executes it.  The original wasn’t too far removed from country music, given its folky, singer/songwriter leanings.  Countrifying it, with the perks of modern recording technology, works seamlessly (production by 🎛 Chip Matthews and Jonathan Singleton).  The guitars are idiomatic of modern country, while also retaining the sanctity of the original. The most dramatic difference, of course, is the shift from a female to a male vocalist.  Combs sounds incredibly natural on the lead, as if this could’ve been his song.  Via Apple Music, Combs asserts:

I really want to just do the original version of the song. It’s weird, because you’re doing a cover of it and you say, ‘I don’t want to make it my own, because I just really want to shine a light on the original version.’

Hearing him sing so expressively, it’s clear that this classic means something to him – it’s special.

Appears in 🔻:

• Luke Combs, Fast Car: Covers No. 31 (2023)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

🎙 Tracy Chapman or 🎙 Luke Combs?  I’d suspect younger folks will be convinced that Mr. Combs owns 🎵 “Fast Car” like vroom-vroom! Those of us familiar with Chapman’s critically acclaimed original will undoubtedly applaud Combs’ for an impressive remake. Still, even with Luke’s marvelous cover, Chapman earned additional accolades for her 🏆 Grammy-winning classic, becoming the first black woman with the sole writing credit on a no. 1 country song. So, in my humble opinion, the definitive version of “Fast Car” remains in the hands of Tracy Chapman.

Tracy Chapman vs. Luke Combs: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 32 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Elektra, River House Artists LLC / Sony Music Entertainment; Hernán Toro, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]