Tracy Chapman

One of the highlights of this year’s Grammy Awards was undoubtedly Tracy Chapman’s performance of her 1988 hit Fast Car with Luke Combs, whose country version of the song reached number one on the country charts. Indeed, Combs’ version won Song of the Year at the 2023 Country Music Awards, making Tracy the first black songwriter to receive the honor. Her Grammy performance was met with roaring applause and a standing ovation and left me feeling a little emotional. It was such a touching moment, not only because it was so special to see and hear her perform (she sounded amazing), but also because of the respectful way that Combs honored her and her impact on his own musical career. The outpouring of love for Tracy and the song continued after the show, with Billboard reporting a spike in sales of the original of more than 38000%. Combs had the following to say after the performance: “We knew we were working towards something rare and special, but the performance was everything we hoped it would be and more, and the subsequent response has been incredible, exceeding our expectations in so many ways.”

Tracy and I go way back - in terms of my relationship with her music I mean. Back when I was completing my English Honours degree (in South Africa this is a post-graduate degree completed before starting a master’s), I chose to use Tracy’s discography as the basis of my thesis, titled “Telling Stories: Tracy Chapman’s Socio-economic and Cultural Narratives”. I used several literary theories to delve deeper into her lyrics to examine how they “function as social and cultural commentaries while simultaneously creating a voice for the oppressed within the canon of popular culture”. Although I was looking at the music through an academic lens, I really enjoyed the research as it allowed me to appreciate her songwriting prowess on a different level and engage with her music in new and more meaningful ways.

So I would definitely say that I am a huge Tracy Chapman fan and she is high up on my live performances bucket list (though it seems unlikely that she will tour but hopefully an intimate concert is not out of the question) . Her music is moving, soothing and thought-provoking; there’s something for just about every mood . And if you’re looking to expand your Tracy knowledge beyond Fast Car, I have compiled a list of my three favorite songs from each of her eight studio albums to get you started:

Tracy Chapman (1988)

Side note, this album is flawless from start to finish so it is very difficult to narrow down my favorites to only three. The album earned her three Grammys, namely Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for Fast Car). Definitely an album to include in your collection (if you still collect physical music)