Fast Car
Does Luke Combs鈥� success undermine the genius of Tracy Chapman?
This opinion piece by Professor Kate Rushin was first published Nov. 28, 2023, in The Denver Post.
Luke Combs won Single of the Year at the 2023 Country Music Awards for Fast Car; and Tracy Chapman won Song of the Year, the first time for an African American in the organization鈥檚 57-year history. Some folks argue that Combs reaching the top of the country charts and winning this award is exploitative, because Chapman wouldn鈥檛 have made it onto the country charts in 1988.
I鈥檝e loved Chapman鈥檚 music for a long time. I was present that 鈥渇ateful night鈥� on May 3, 1985, at The Strand Theater in Boston鈥檚 Dorchester neighborhood, when, as producer Polly Laurelchild recounts, she opened for Casselberry-Dupree, opening act for headliner Linda Tillery. Chapman, an undergrad who had done some singing around Harvard Square, blew the audience away. The bashful 21-year-old stepped from the wings with her acoustic guitar, stood in the corner of the stage, in front of the curtain, sang two songs, and earned a spontaneous standing O.
In 1988, not long after Chapman graduated from Tufts University, she burst onto the national music scene having made connections to a major record label through a college friend. The world would hear the power of her music through her self-titled debut album. Later that same year, Chapman performed Fast Car for Nelson Mandela鈥檚 70th birthday celebration at London鈥檚 Wembley Stadium and went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist. Many of us in the overlapping progressive circles of the Greater Boston/Cambridge Women鈥檚, LGBTQ, academic and folk music communities, were, and are, proud of her success.
To those who argue that Luke Combs鈥� version of Tracy Chapman鈥檚 Fast Car winning Single of the Year is, somehow, an affront to African American music makers and Black women in particular, I say that the context of history is important when we talk about appropriation and discrimination in the recording industry.
People, this is 2023, not 1893.
We鈥檙e not talking about Anton铆n Dvor谩k, the director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York and composer of The New World Symphony, being so influenced by the African American Spirituals that he asked Harry T. Burleigh to sing for him.
This is 2023, not 1928.
We鈥檙e not talking about Lesley 鈥淓sley鈥� Riddle, the young musician who accompanied A.P. Carter around Virginia and Tennessee to gather songs from rural homes and churches and who played a key, largely unsung role in the development of The Carter Family and the genre we now call Country Music.
This is 2023, not the 1950s and 鈥�60s.
We鈥檙e not talking about Willie Mae 鈥淏ig Mama鈥� Thornton鈥檚 original version of Hound Dog being eclipsed by Elvis Presley; we鈥檙e not talking about the fact that Big Mama didn鈥檛 own the copyright to Ball and Chain. We鈥檙e not talking about Pat Boone watering down Little Richard鈥檚 Tutti Frutti to make the song acceptable for a 鈥渕ainstream鈥� audience and simultaneously charting higher.
People, it鈥檚 2023 and we鈥檙e talking about Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs.
Tracy Chapman is an educated, millionaire businesswoman who doesn鈥檛 authorize samples. (Just ask Nicki Minaj, who settled a lawsuit for $450,000 for a leaked 鈥渋nterpolation鈥� of Baby Can I Hold You.)
Reportedly, she is estimated to have received close to a half-million dollars, to date, in royalties from Luke Combs鈥� rendition of Fast Car. Of course, we still have miles to go, but thanks to the ongoing courage, creativity and persistence of many, 2023 is a new day.
Because Luke Combs loved the song as a kid, we are all reminded, or learn for the first time, what a beautiful song Fast Car is鈥攁 heartbreaking reminder of all young people, in general, and young women, in particular, across our country and our world who are not in a position to 鈥渓ive their best (social media) lives,鈥� but who want to find love and 鈥渂e someone.鈥� We鈥檙e reminded of the power of music, the power of art and creative genius.
Are we really going to waste time and energy arguing that the road to success for Tracy Chapman should鈥檝e been different? No. If we want to see more people of color in country music and hear more of their music on the radio, we need to learn about them and support them.
See what Darius Rucker has been doing since his Hootie & the Blowfish days. Buy a couple of tickets to a Mickey Guyton show. Check out the Mississippi trio, Chapel Hart. Donate to Rissi Palmer鈥檚 Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund to support Black, Indigenous and people of color in country music.
In the meantime, I think that Ms. Chapman is doing just fine, thank you.
Kate Rushin, professor of English and distinguished poet in residence at 糖心TV, is an award-winning author. Her work includes the iconic The Bridge Poem featured in the 1981 collection This Bridge Called My Back.