I loved seeing that Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car—released 35 years ago in 1988—win this year’s Country Music Song of the Year award.
The song became a country music favourite following Luke Combs cover, and makes Chapman the first black songwriter to win the award in the ceremony’s 57-year history.
The song is a “haunting folk-rock rumination on trying to escape poverty” and deserves a focused listen whilst reading the lyrics. Half the song is verses with a mellow guitar motif underpinning the vocals, and then the upbeat chorus is an excellent auditory metaphor accompanying the change in narrative.
Have fun listening to both the original and the cover. It’s well worth it.