Luke Combs had a big hit with “Fast Car,” a cover of the 1988 Tracy Chapman hit that was included on his 2023 Gettin’ Old album. The No. 1 song won the CMA Award for Single of the Year, and was nominated for a Grammy, accolades Combs never expected when he decided to release “Fast Car.” Combs was thrilled to shine a spotlight on Chapman, whom he performed the song with at the 2024 Grammy Awards, although he now reveals he accidentally messed up part of the lyric.
In a TikTok video, one concertgoer shares how Combs told the crowd the embarrassing way he realized he changed one line of the song, and how Chapman gently pointed out his mistake to him.
“So when you recorded the song, you said, ‘Still gotta make a decision’ instead of ‘We gotta make a decision,'” Combs recalls her saying. “And that was the first time that I knew that I recorded the song incorrectly. It was her telling me that. Because I remember, when she said it, I wanted to crawl into a hole. 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. But she was so cool about it.
“So the version you know is, ‘Still gotta make a decision,'” he continues. “Not the words. It’s just not the words. I made that up in my head. It’s ‘We gotta make a decision.’ So tonight, I will probably sing ‘We gotta make a decision, because Tracy Chapman told me to, and dammit, I’m gonna do it.”
The 34-year-old remembers listening to “Fast Car” as a child, which is why he wanted to record his own version.
“I’ve had a million favorite songs, from the time I was born until now, at any given time,” Combs explains. “But that was one of the first, ‘Oh, that’s like my favorite song right now.’ My dad had this old pickup truck that had a cassette player in it, and I have the actual cassette that me and my dad used to listen to, the exact one of that album.
“That song just always stuck out to me,” he adds. “That was probably one of my first experiences, subconsciously, even knowing what a hit song was, because I didn’t know at the time that that was a hit song.”
Chapman, who has stayed largely out of the limelight in recent years, praised Combs when “Fast Car” landed at the top of the charts.
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman previously told Billboard. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”
Combs just opened his Nashville bar, Category 10. The four-story, 67,000-square-foot venue is located at 120 Second Avenue North. Combs opened Category 10 in partnership with Opry Entertainment Group.
“This is a dream come true, and I am excited to share it with y’all,” Combs said at the grand opening. “This a fan-first venue with a little something for everybody.”
Find more information on Category 10 at Category10.com. All of Combs’ music and upcoming shows is available at LukeCombs.com.