Country artist Luke Combs recorded a cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car that recently earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance. He admitted that he flubbed a lyric, and it was Champman herself who pointed out his mistake.
In the middle of his recent concert, Combs recalled the error that would haunt him forever. In a TikTok video posted by a concertgoer, the singer revealed that instead of singing the lyric “We gotta make a decision,” he mistakenly recorded it as “Still gotta make a decision.” He told the crowd that realization hit him amid his conversation with Chapman.
“That was the first time that I knew that I recorded the song incorrectly,” he recalled. “It was her telling me that. Because I remember when she said that, I wanted to crawl into a hole.” Fortunately, she was cool about it, yet he couldn’t help but think about it every time he sang the song. “I will think about it every single time I sing this song for the rest of my whole life,” he added.
Combs then informed the attendees that he would sing the original version and chuck his recorded version. “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,” he added. The Grammy-nominated singer released his cover of the 1988 iconic country song in April 2023, and it quickly became a fan favorite.
It reached no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped the country music charts, and earned the singer several accolades. At the 66th annual Grammy Awards in February, Combs—who was nominated that night—performed the song with the OG creator, Chapman. Speaking to Billboard before their performance, the latter said she was happy to see that people are enjoying the song 30 years later.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” she said at the time. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car,’” Chapman added.
