Releasing “Fast Car” in April 1988 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album, which dropped that same year, Tracy Chapman instantaneously solidified herself as one of the best singer/songwriters of her generation, creating a tune that earned itself three GRAMMY Award nominations — one of which resulted in a win — and still topping the charts decades later.
What is the legacy of “Fast Car,” and how did it manage to fall into the hands of artists like Jonas Blue, Luke Combs, and more? See below for the full story.
How Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” came to be
Chapman was simply an aspiring singer/songwriter when she sat down to write “Fast Car,” playing covers at local bars and cafés around Tufts University to make a living. Despite releasing the track in 1988, she actually wrote it two years prior, sharing the story on the BBC World Service back in 2010.
The Ohio native dished, “I had a small dog, a Miniature Dachshund, and the dog was staying up with me. She didn’t always stay up if I stayed up late. I think she was sitting on the couch right next to me, when I first started writing the music and the first few lyrics, and I think the first part of the song that came to me was the first line ‘You’ve got a fast car.’” After singing this little tune, her dog’s ears perked up, and Chapman instantaneously knew that she was writing a winner.
Finishing the soon-to-be hit song and performing it at one of her local cafés, Brian Koppelman, a Tufts University student who happened to be the son of a music publisher named Charles Koppelman, stumbled across her set. Being absolutely blown away, Koppleman connected Chapman with his father, and the rest is history.
With the help of both Brian and Charles Koppleman, the then 23-year-old signed with Elektra Records, and after loads and loads of deliberation, Tracy Chapman convinced the label to release “Fast Car,” despite the fact that they thought the “coffeehouse aesthetic” was out of date.
Lyrics and meaning behind Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”
As for what “Fast Car” actually entails, Chapman shared on the BBC World Service that she was trying to capture how she saw the world while growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as its “community of people who were struggling.” Metro Weekly critic Chris Gerard dove into the details even further as well, explaining that “Fast Car” tells a realistic story of a working woman trying to escape the cycle of poverty, which is exactly what Chapman was trying to get across within the track’s lyrics.
“You got a fast car / And I want a ticket to anywhere / Maybe we make a deal / Maybe together we can get somewhere / Any place is better / Starting from zero, got nothing to lose / Maybe we’ll make something / Me, myself, I got nothing to prove,” she sings to open up the single, beautifully capturing this longing feeling and yearning for a bigger and better life.
Success of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”
Aside from receiving three GRAMMY Award nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance — ultimately winning the later — “Fast Car” also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video, reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reached number five on the UK Singles chart, and more.
Nowadays, the song is still making waves, with covers from artists like Jonas Blue, Luke Combs, and more keeping the legacy of both Tracy Chapman and “Fast Car” alive.
Continued success of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” — Jonas Blue, Luke Combs, and more
Since its release in 1988, the song has had success in versions by Swedish DJ Tobtok and British DJ Jonas Blue, and in more recent years, it has had success in a version by two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs. It has also been covered by artists like Hundred Reasons, Mutya Buena, Kelly Clarkson, Jasmine Thompson, Sam Smith, and more in the past, however, nothing beats Chapman’s original.
Swedish DJ Tobias Karlsson — known professionally as Tobtok — had his rendition of “Fast Car” reach number 19 in Australia, while British DJ Jonas Blue had his rendition of “Fast Car” reach number one in Australia and number two in the United Kingdom.
Combs made waves on the country music charts within the United States instead, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in 2023, as well as winning Chapman the CMA Award for Song of the Year, ultimately making history as the first Black woman to take home the trophy.
In the year 2024, Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is still available to stream on all platforms, as well as the versions by Jonas Blue, Luke Combs, and more.
