Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” blew me away.
From his recently released fourth studio album Gettin’ Old, it’s been a long time coming, as Luke first sang it back in 2018 in a low-quality acoustic preview from his hotel room, and fans had basically been begging for a studio version ever since.
Of course, Luke finally delivered with a fantastic rendition that I have not stopped listening to over the last two weeks.
Originally written and recorded by Tracy Chapman, the song was released in 1988 as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album. The Grammy-winning song has been regarded as one of the greatest songs of all time by a number of different publications.
And over on social media yesterday, Luke asked fans for a little help picking out his next single for country radio, as he recently scored his 15th #1 hit with “Going, Going, Gone”:
“Starting today through next Wednesday, if you go to lukecombs.com, you can vote on my next single at country radio. The choices are between ‘5 Leaf Clover’ and ‘Love You Anyway.’
I look forward to seeing what you guys think. I’m gonna announce the winner at my show next Saturday at Nissan stadium here in Nashville…
Always just believed in the songs that you guys love and this is just a way for you guys to pick my next single. Look forward to seeing what y’all decide.”
But in my very humble opinion, it should be his rendition of “Fast Car.”
It’s true to the original arrangement, his vocals of course sound great, and who wouldn’t wanna hear that on the radio (the caveat here being that you actually still listen to the radio, but I digress…).
This past week, it actually debuted at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, so it’s certainly resonating with a younger generation of fans already:
While of course, radio singles certainly don’t determine what a “good” song is, even if it takes the top spot, and a lot of it in the country genre has to do with how much a label is willing to spend to get their song to #1.
And honestly, I couldn’t tell you the last time I rode around town for a few hours listening to country radio, but I do think Luke’s rendition of this song deserves a real shot to be heard by the masses.
Plus, we all know basically anything he touches turns into a hit, and this song is an easy standout and perfect cover.
Take a listen to all three and see what you think…
“5 Leaf Clover”
“Love You Anyway”
“Fast Car”
