Tracy Chapman Pointed Out Lyric Error in ‘Fast Car’ Cover

In 2023, Luke Combs earned a No. 2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 last year with his rendition of Tracy Chapman‘s 1988 pop hit “Fast Car.” Combs’ version was named single of the year at the CMA Awards, and netted a Grammy nomination for best country solo performance.

But according to Combs himself, he actually recorded one of the song’s lyrics incorrectly — and it was pointed out to him by none other than Chapman herself, who is also the sole writer on “Fast Car.”

During one of his recent concerts, Combs told the crowd that it was a conversation with Chapman that made him realize that he had recorded the song’s final line — “we gotta make a decision” — as “still gotta make a decision.”

“That was the first time I knew I had recorded the song incorrectly,” Combs told the crowd, as seen in videos captured by fans. “I remember when she said it, I wanted to crawl in a hole. Luckily, she was awesome about it. I think about it every single time I sing this 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.”

He continued, “So the words you know as ‘Still gotta make a decision’ is not the words … not the words … I just made that up in my head … so tonight I will probably sing ‘We gotta make a decision’ because Tracy Chapman told me to and damn it, I’m gonna do it.”

Combs and Chapman performed the song together during the 2024 Grammy Awards. Chapman previously told Billboard of Combs’ version, “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”