(2/2) Everything there is to say about Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs' performance at the 2024 Grammys
There is so much to say about this performance that it requires 2 newsletters! Here's the second part. If you haven't read the first one, start there
(Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
After the performance
We shared tears and emotions
I think if we could create a word cloud of the most used words in the comments left by everyone online, it would be "tears" and "cried." There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, in the Crypto.com Arena where were held the Grammy Awards like in our homes. I had tears in my eyes too, a warmth, a sensation impossible to describe. Thousands of people then shared their memories, what the song evoked for them. Why did we cry? I asked the question on our social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X), thousands of answers were given.
Maybe you cried but don't know why ?
Tears welled up in my eyes because I missed her so much and here she was in her magnificence, performing her art like no one else does. We were all behind our screens, filled with emotions, and we hurried to shout it out on social media because it was a way to share that emotion and also to know that we were not alone.
Maybe you didn't cry. But you recounted the memories that came back to your mind, and you returned there, to that place, to that moment in your life when ‘Fast Car” was its soundtrack.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of comments about that performance were posted online. And how many didn’t post? It's crazy when you think about it. Did you also feel the need to talk about it on your social media platforms? I think we felt the need of a moment of communion, a moment that we could experience with Tracy during her concerts, for the luckiest among us, we found it again for a few minutes/seconds, and it felt so good.
Two worlds unity
Wouldn't I be criticized if I didn't mention the fact that many have emphasized the idea that this duo symbolizes the union of different musical genre, generations and races in today's America? The New York Times wrote a whole article on the subject: Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Gave America a Rare Gift: Harmony.
There were lots of comments about her look and appearance
And then there were the comments about her beauty, how the light radiated from her. Many of us were captivated by everything she emanated.
Comments about her flawless skin, showing no wrinkles and perfectly illuminated, were also prevalent. SharaDara Holmes, Tracy's makeup artist for the night, explains you how she gave her skin that glow using black, female-owned beauty brands). Beyond the somewhat surreal aspect of providing these details about Tracy (I've included the links because these comments have generated some buzz on social media), what I take away from it is that Tracy doesn't arrive at the Grammys with her own makeup artist. She doesn't arrive with the demand to use a specific brand, and it only took 15 minutes to prepare her. And her makeup was so subtle that many actually thought she wasn't wearing any!
Comments about her hair, which gradually turns naturally grey/white. The comments on this subject wouldn't have been as numerous, of course, if it hadn't been 4 years since she made a public appearance and we had seen the evolution happening. The shock was probably greater also because most people last saw her 9 years ago on the Letterman show. This also says so much about her personality, letting nature take its course and being thankful for the chance to live each day.
Comments about her outfit, styled by Candice Lambert McAndrews: Tracy was looking so casual, surely in comparison with the most extravagant and wild outfits of the star-studded audience in the room. Casual but still a custom Prada shirt designed especially for her. The shirt is available on Prada's shop, the beads were the plus. As written in GQ: "the glossy beads stitched onto the cuffs of her black, three-quarter-sleeved collared shirt danced in the light." And since you might want to know everything, the boots were also Prada.
Who would have imagined seeing Tracy Chapman in an Instagram post by Prada? Certainly not me!
There were also apologies to Luke Combs
Many people have apologized to Luke on social media since Sunday for not understanding his initial intentions with this cover. There was such controversy last year about it. But the Grammys did a really good job of showing this short video segment of Luke talking about why he covered 'Fast Car' (as of today, this video is not yet available online). We must thank Luke for introducing 'Fast Car' to a new audience, but above all, we should thank Luke for giving us this incredible moment, this return of Tracy Chapman to the spotlight... if only for one night.
Someone wrote on Twitter (or in a comment on Instagram or Facebook, i can't find it again) : "There were a lot of woke losers upset about a "white man" covering a black woman's song. They must feel pretty stupid right now.". It's so true!
Luke and the musicians shared their Thank Yous
The whole team was particularly talkative in sharing their impressions of the evening.
Luke Combs, singer:
“It’s still hard to process how amazing it really was to be up there on that stage. No doubt a defining moment of my career. Tracy, I want to send my sincerest thanks to you for allowing me to be a part of your moment. Thank you for the impact you have had on my musical journey, and the musical journeys of countless other singers, songwriters, musicians, and fans alike. I hope you felt how much you mean to the world that night. We were all in awe of you up there and I was just the guy lucky enough to have the best seat in the house.”
(Left to right: Larry Campbell, Kurt Ozan, Larry Klein, Joe Gore, Denny Fongheiser- Photo shared by Kurt Ozan on his Instagram)
That was so fun! Everything just clicked from the very first run-through, and rehearsals were a total love fest. I’ve worked with Tracy for many years, and I adore her. She‘s every bit as cool as you’d hope she’d be. But we all just met Luke on Tuesday. What a lovely guy! So friendly and down-to-earth. I am SOOOOO grateful to have been along for the ride!
When we got to the first rehearsal, we had tears in our eyes, I hadn’t worked with her since we made Our Bright Future in 2008.” (…) “‘Fast Car’ was what made him [Combs] want to become a musician. Life can make us a bit more numb every day. Kafka said, ‘A book should be an axe for the frozen sea within us.’ Great songs like ‘Fast Car’ re-awaken our humanity. There was something deeply meaningful about playing it in this setting at the Grammys.
Thank you Tracy for such a wonderful song. And for bringing so much feeling to the world.
This performance and all the prep for this performance has many beautiful elements tied to it!
Here’s just a few….
I was incredibly proud to join Tracy Chapman, David Kershenbaum and Larry Klein 35 years after our original recording. Which still holds high in great memories for me.
The whole band on stage was incredible to play with. Along with an anazing crew!!
This collaboration with Tracy and Luke was an honor to experience.
Seeing so many people touched in their own way is why we all love music.
Proud to have been a part of Tracy Chapman's and Luke Combs' Grammy performance last night.
Had the absolute honor of playing with Luke Combs, Tracy Chapman, and her awesome band last night at the Grammys. This was easily the most important show of my life and I am still in disbelief.
Tracy Chapman's incredible comeback in the charts
Besides in our hearts, the impact in the charts were immediate. During two days, Tracy Chapman's Debut Album AND the single 'Fast Car' both topped US iTunes charts following Grammys performance. For the single, this represents an increase of (+38,000% in sales).
Her Greatest Hits album took the No. 2 spot for albums and 'Give Me One Reason' claimed the No.9 spot. While Luke Combs' 'Fast Car' cover was the No. 3 song on the iTunes Top Songs chart AND No.9 of the iTunes Top Country Songs. And her 'Fast Car' music video (directed by Matt Mahurin) topped US iTunes video charts, while Luke Combs waq No.3 with his 'Fast Car' (Live) and 'Give Me One Reason' (directed by Julie Dash) is No.6.
People wanted to prolong the Grammys effect by rushing to the streaming platforms to listen to Tracy's other songs, while others dug out their CDs, vinyls, even cassettes! We call this "the Grammy effect"!
Her Wikipedia page gained over 1 million views the night of the 2024 Grammy Awards. And it's precisely on the evening of the biggest media buzz that Tracy Chapman will probably never experience again that my hosting provider chose to do maintenance, and my site wasn't accessible for 48 hours. I was completely dismaye!
Our social media accounts skyrocketed, experiencing a significant growth in subscribers, reaching millions of people with our posts. However, we'll come back later with precise numbers on this subject. It deserves a detailed analysis for those interested.
We almost felt like she was our little secret and then she was everywhere! Each time we'd open our social apps, new posts would show up on our feeds... Thousands and thousands of posts. It was the same for your, right? Unbelievable!
In closing…
I hope this performance encourages all those who really only know Fast Car to deep dive into Tracy Chapman’s catalogue, because her art is not just 'Fast Car'.
Some people used a word that I found interesting well thought out: we witnessed the Tracy Chapmanaissance.
Although he was nominated, Luke didn't win any awards that night, but he did win everything: the respect and admiration of millions of people in the space of 5 minutes. Plus the fact that he gave a performance that will be remembered for decades to come. Because it was obviously the best thing that happened at the Grammys, even Taylor Swift announcing TS11 (her upcoming album) didn't had this impact. It was not just an award show performance, it was epic! And while we pressed the video replay button over and over again all week long, we remember Tracy’s and Luke’s smile that said it all, the genuine spirit radiating from both of them (and from the musicians too).
Tracy just did her thing (and what a thing!). As usual, very discreet, she commanded the stage, did the job wonderfully with the maximum dose of talent, sincerity and emotion. AND she was nowhere to be seen on the red carpet before of course (since she was supposed to be a surprise guest) but we didn't see her after either! She was not seen chatting backstage with anyone, sipping champagne with the other guests or posing for photographers. No, Tracy Chapman remained true to herself that night, like she always did, and just flew back home in San Francisco the following day.
Now what? What's next?
It's not confirmed whether the 'Fast Car' duo will be released as a single and be available on streaming platforms. We don't have any information on that yet, but the fact that there hasn't been any denial suggests that it might be released. Just my two cents! They can't miss this opportunity to immortalize that performance and revive the emotions we felt by allowing us to add it to our playlists, especially in the American market where Tracy isn't as popular as in Europe. We'll see, fingers crossed!
Will Tracy return to the forefront by releasing a new album and going back on tour? If she wants to, she will. The Rolling Stone article leaves the doors open, wide open: "As for future appearances, we’ll just have to wait and wonder". Let’s just give her some time, all the time she needs. And we’ll be here, just like we were last Sunday, right?
Listen to our Talkin’Bout Tracy Chapman podcast episode
To delve even deeper into this Grammy performance, listen to Stefan Evans’s podcast episode that we recorded the day after the performance, on Monday, February 5th, 2024.
Feel free to share your reactions to this unforgettable performance. I know some of you have already done so in the previous newsletter and I want to thank you for that. Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed reading this one!
And also, some of you believe my writing is worth paying for and pledged few dollars to subscribe. I haven't decided yet to activate it as there are plenty of things about Tracy we can write, but I may prefer a longer form of writing ;) Tell me what interests you the most about her…
Written by AURÉLIE M:
Editor, researcher, and founder of about-tracy-chapman.net. I’ve been curating Tracy Chapman’s legacy since 2001—online, in print, and through this newsletter. Co-manager of the Tracy Chapman Online (2.7M followers).
Thank you for this newsletter. I, along with Tracy Chapman, was born in Cleveland, and while I think Clevelanders generally have low self esteem --coming from "the mistake on the lake"--Tracy has proven that determination, hard work, a little bit of luck, and immense talent can be used create a successful life for oneself. I hope that Tracy's new audience will see her and be inspired. I hope so.
Thank you for sharing this. I just watched the performance for the first time today. It really did bring tears to my eyes. When I first heard the Luke Combs version, I had mixed feelings. Mainly because a lot of people my age doesn't know Tracy Chapman by name, and they only knew the song from him. My opinion changed quickly when I heard that he still used "checkout girl". And seeing them perform together was amazing! Like you said, you can tell how much he looks up to her and it was heartwarming to see that. I hope more people will explore the rest of her work. And I know I will be looking in to Luke Combs more!