How Tracy Chapman Told Luke Combs' He Was Singing the Wrong Lyrics on ‘Fast Car’
Tracy Chapman’s revelation about his version of the song haunts the country singer.
by Stephanie Holland · The RootWhen country star Luke Combs released a cover of “Fast Car,” we were thrilled to see the track’s original singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman get her well-deserved flowers. The hit has become a popular part of Combs’ setlist, but it turns out his rendition isn’t as perfect as everyone thought. Before performing it at a recent show, he revealed a behind-the-scenes mistake that he still can’t get over.
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In the version he recorded, the “Gettin’ Old” artist sings “Still gotta make a decision.” But Chapman informed him that the actual lyrics are “We gotta make a decision.”
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“That was the first time that I knew that I recorded the song incorrectly,” he told the audience in a fan video from the show. “It was her telling me that. Because I remember, when she said that, I wanted to crawl into a hole.”
Can you imagine feeling awesome about your No. 1 hit, then having the song’s legendary writer tell you that you’ve been singing it wrong this whole time? That’s a fail that will definitely haunt you for the rest of your career. Fortunately for Combs, she was a class act about the situation.
“Luckily, she was awesome about it. And I think about it every single time that I sing the song, and I will think about it every single time I sing this song for the rest of my whole life,” he said. “But she was so cool about it.”
He confirmed that going forward he’ll be singing the right version of the song, telling the crowd, “So tonight, I’m going to sing ‘We gotta make a decision.’ Because Tracy Chapman told me to, and dammit, I’m gonna do it.”
It’s been really nice to see how much respect and admiration Combs has shown Chapman. She surprised fans when she performed “Fast Car” with him at the 66th GRAMMY Awards in February. She received an emotional ovation from the audience, and had social media celebrating her lasting musical legacy. It shouldn’t have taken this long, but give Tracy Chapman all the flowers.