‘Fast Car’ Soul Music podcast

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs’ mesmerising performance of 'Fast Car' at the Grammys reminded me of this episode of Soul Music.

Soul Music is a BBC podcast series that focuses on one piece of music in each episode, inviting us to listen to different people talking about their relationship to it; the memories it holds, why it is important to them, how it makes them feel.

Perhaps it's inevitable that certain episodes hold my attention more than others, perhaps those about pieces of music that mean something to me personally. So maybe this episode won't stop you in your tracks the way it does me, though the reaction of the audience at the Grammys suggests otherwise.

BBC Radio 4 – Soul Music

What strikes me about the stories people tell about 'Fast Car' is that they all feel a connection to the story, to the characters in the song and to Tracy Chapman herself, the same connection I can see in the faces and reactions of the audience at the Grammys. I felt that connection when I first heard ‘Fast Car’ as an 18-year old, when it was first released. I felt it again when I was spell-bound by her duet with Luke Combs.

Tracy Chapman's unwavering story-telling skill allows for multiple stories to be possible and true; each person’s story about ‘Fast Car’ aligns absolutely with the narrative of the song, despite all their differences; it allows for connections to be made across those differences and for personal stories to speak to collective experiences.

You can listen to the ‘Fast Car’ Soul Music podcast from 1st July 2023 on BBC Sounds.