Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ Returns to the Hot 100

35 years after its release, the song “ Fast Car » is at number 42 on the charts, following Tracy Chapman’s performance at the Grammy Awards.

The song ” Fast Car » by Tracy Chapman returned to the Hot 100 rankings Billboard at No. 42 this week, following a surge in sales and streams after she performed the track with Luke Combs at the Grammy Awards a week ago. This is the first time that Chapman’s version has been on the chart in more than 35 years, according to the publication: the latest appearance of ” Fast Car » on the Hot 100 dates back to the week of October 22, 1988.

The song’s resurgence can be primarily attributed to an astronomical jump in traditional sales following the Grammy performance, with 35,000 last week, an increase of more than 8,000% from the previous week. But the number of streams has also increased significantly, with more than 6 million last week, more than double the previous week. Streams of the song more than tripled the day after the Grammys, as reported WECB last week.

Chapman’s version was of course brought up to date after Luke Combs released his cover last April. Her version reached No. 1 on the country charts last year, making Chapman the first black woman to have a number one country song as a sole author.

Combs’ version spent most of the year hovering near the top of the Hot 100, peaking at #2. Her version moved up to eighth place after her duet with Chapman, reported Billboard Monday. That performance was one of the most beloved moments of this year’s awards show, one that was months in the making and began with a 30-minute private conversation between Chapman and Combs in November.