POP SONG REVIEW: "Fast Car" by Luke Combs
Added 2023-07-03 18:34:20 +0000 UTCWelp. Yes, that "Fast Car."
As always, please tell me if you see any major errors.
And as always, please vote in the Song vs. Song poll. We're doing "Come On Eileen" vs. "Take on Me." But the ska versions. Save Ferris vs. Reel Big Fish. https://www.patreon.com/posts/new-poll-come-on-85370690
Comments
I doubt that Luke Combs could pull off "Fast Song" from In Living Color.
Russet Burbank
2023-07-11 20:34:08 +0000 UTCI actually am two hundred years old so my main memory of Chapman is seeing her at the first Lilith Fair (where she was the only act on the main stage who was not super white and super straight but that's a different musing). "Fast Car" had been around a while and I knew the song, but didn't know any of her other work. My friend and I were sitting way back on the lawn but even so, her set was so simple and raw that it actually made both of us cry.
Maura Burns
2023-07-11 15:14:25 +0000 UTCFrom the interview with Combs that you posted talking about the song, he spends a lot of time talking about her father. I get the impression he thinks the narrator is addressing the entire song to her dad, and it's him she's still living with. Which would seem to be a massive missing of the point that she tried her best but ended up with a lousy man (I also interpret the partner as a man for similar reasons) just like her mother did, and why it is absolutely DEVASTATING when she says "I ain't got no plans, I ain't going nowhere."
Maura Burns
2023-07-11 15:06:36 +0000 UTCI'm probably the opposite, I always assumed it was a 90s song before I found out it was from 1988 (I felt the same about What I Am by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, come to think of it are they a qualification for OHW or does the song from Born on the Fourth of July count as a second hit)
MikeVG
2023-07-11 01:36:48 +0000 UTCAfter listening to the Luke Combs version and finding it to be fine, I went on a kick and watched tons of covers of Fast Car on Youtube. They were all pretty bad (Justin Beiber was the worst), except for Sam Smith's... I appreciated that they at least did SOMETHING different, did some nice string orchestration, and of course their voice is beautiful. It's still not as good as the original but it was nice to see a version that wasn't just "person with acoustic guitar trying to sound deep"
Kim Stiens
2023-07-06 15:09:34 +0000 UTCThe biggest surprise from this video is that the song is like, at least 20 years more recent than I thought it was. I genuinely am shocked that Fast Car is younger than I am; it feels like a song that has been around for all time.
Lanth
2023-07-05 20:50:13 +0000 UTCYeah, insofar as it's a lesbian anthem, I think part of it is because it's such a stark portrayal of what the alternative can be.
Lanth
2023-07-05 20:48:53 +0000 UTCAgreed; I can't complain about any cover that gets people introduced to Traci Chapman.
Lanth
2023-07-05 20:18:43 +0000 UTCI might be projecting a bit here but it's hard for me to read this as anything but a straight woman's story (as in, the narrator is a straight woman even if Chapman isn't). The overarching theme is her big dreams being dragged down by responsibilities which the men in her life just shrug off. Her father doesn't take care of himself, so she has to drop out of school to do it for him. Her boyfriend can't (won't?) find work, so she gets a crappy job to support them both. She's the one that cares for the kids while he hangs with his friends. The irony is she falls for him because of his carefree attitude and her craving for freedom, but in the end his carelessness is what costs her her freedom. She sees him as a way out but in the end she's trapped just like her mother before her. I'm not bothered by Combs covering it though, since thankfully he didn't try and change the narrator into himself. I don't think this is autobiographical for Chapman either - more like she's looking at the straight women around her and shouting "stop hitching your dreams to shitty men!"
Alyssa
2023-07-05 17:59:48 +0000 UTCThe entire female singer/songwriter movement of the 90s may have its nucleus with Tracy Chapman and her original "Fast Car," and you can draw a straight line from there to Little Earthquakes, Lillith Fair, and those Sarah McLachlan commercials. I can't blame people for still chasing that high, even crusty ol' country dudes. His version is, uh, fine. It's there. It's serviceable. A true 5/10. 👍
Wyatt
2023-07-05 17:33:03 +0000 UTC"can we get a real NEW hit song".. olivia came in with a bang
duke86fan
2023-07-05 04:38:54 +0000 UTCSo this is basically the musical equivalent of the Psycho remake-it's so similar to the original that there's basically no reason for it to exist. I agree with you on Watchmen though.
RedBedroomRecords
2023-07-04 21:24:03 +0000 UTCI honestly like that one way better then this one.
RedBedroomRecords
2023-07-04 21:01:19 +0000 UTCI never even heard of the original song before, but I can tell this cover is pretty dire. I'm just not big on folk music so Tracy's music does not really do a lot for me honestly. Disagree hard on The Weeknd's cover though, original was way better, the cover is just lazy(far lazier then Bebe's "I'm Good").
RedBedroomRecords
2023-07-04 20:59:10 +0000 UTCI wonder if most covers keep the vocal inflections because if they don't nail the emotions of the song they know they'll get dragged for it. Still, if anyone was going to cover Fast Car I wish they'd add their own emotional story to it, since that's what makes the original so memorable and ear catching. You believe Tracy lived these lyrics because you can hear the sorrow over lost dreams and regret she brings to them. I just don't get that from the covers of it that I've heard. It reminds me of when people cover the Fugees.
Heratio M. Salt
2023-07-04 19:46:07 +0000 UTCOh that's just how all country sounds. ;)
Jon Heiman
2023-07-04 17:04:01 +0000 UTCOr a trance-pop cover of "Heroin" ;)
Jon Heiman
2023-07-04 17:02:13 +0000 UTCYeah, and even Finneas (the producer :) ) had a go at it.
Jon Heiman
2023-07-04 16:58:53 +0000 UTCthis was my exact reaction! except the second I realised, I just switched to the original. I also have nothing against the guy, he's just not as good at singing Fast Car as Tracy Chapman, for reasons outside his control
big bird in big boodja
2023-07-04 15:46:38 +0000 UTCTo comment on the song, I think "unnecessary" is the operative word. I try to give popular stuff at least a cursory listen (corridos kinda slap ngl) but the second I realized this was an extremely faithful cover of Tracy Chapman I pressed skip and have never listened to the entire track to this day. And I'm afraid nothing in this video made me want to change that, despite having nothing against Luke or this performance in particular. It's just if I wanna hear Fast Car I'm gonna listen to Fast Car!
Sarah, the Creator
2023-07-04 11:11:16 +0000 UTCI now wanna hear Luke Combs cover Black Dick
John Rogan
2023-07-04 05:29:54 +0000 UTCHoly shit, is that the fucking Xiu Xiu cover of “Fast Car” at the end??? You’ve always got surprises for us as a content creator, man. Love it.
Christian Reiswig
2023-07-04 05:14:34 +0000 UTCGlad more people are talking about what a down year for pop music it is. My theory is everyone burned themselves out after the huge flurry of pandemic releases and the whole industry is feeling it.
Shiny Skunk
2023-07-04 01:58:37 +0000 UTCStereogum said that this might as well be an AI cover, and as snide as that sounds, I don't really disagree.
Charles Kieser
2023-07-04 01:37:15 +0000 UTCHonestly, I think Todd downplays how gay this version is. I agree that the original was written about a man (textually, at least), and Combs' complete faithfulness to it only serves to highlight that. I've never been much of a believer in the idea of singing from a different perspective wrt to gender, so when I hear Luke Combs singing about someone having a fast car and having their arm around his shoulder, it sounds very gay to me. Anyway, the best praise I can give to this version is that it made me stop and listen in a way no other cover has at all. That's something pretty special.
dieunerbittlichefuchs
2023-07-04 01:17:36 +0000 UTCHaving now watched the video, it actually made me a little emotional. I think I got more from your analysis of the original than the cover, but idk, I've heard that song a million times and haven't ever stopped to think about how great it is as an adult, and you really helped me appreciate that. I like how you draw attention to all these little details in the lyrics and her performance that I had never considered before. And I guess myself being a lesbian, it (both the song and your analysis) made me feel heard in a way I wasn't expecting.
Gwen Stearns
2023-07-04 01:14:23 +0000 UTCthe xiu xiu shoutout at the end is great
William Maranci
2023-07-04 01:04:29 +0000 UTCTwo pop song reviews in 2023 so far, and both have been country songs
Gwen Stearns
2023-07-04 00:48:33 +0000 UTCI am upset you introduced me to an EDM cover of "Fast Car". There's a double "instead" in the sentence at 21:39. Excellent video.
Nick Heer
2023-07-04 00:01:45 +0000 UTCMaybe make the "checkout girl" line louder. There's also an audio pop at 21:52. Otherwise, fantastic video, as usual!
Zack
2023-07-03 23:53:58 +0000 UTCBeen a desolate time for pop music? Not to fear, Olivia just arrived with her new single! Maybe you'll come around on it after a few hundred forced listens?
Jacqueline Sailer
2023-07-03 23:53:10 +0000 UTCIt’s interesting watching Todd’s videos over the years to get a sense of how close or far apart American and British pop music to each other. Clearly we’re at one of the far apart points because a) I wouldn’t call this a down year and b) I haven’t heard this cover once. Having listened to it now though it definitely doesn’t do much for me. It’s very professional, very competent, but having this guy sing it just seems to totally miss the point of the song. Great video as always though.
Jack Dover
2023-07-03 23:19:44 +0000 UTCYou want a wrongheaded cover version, track down the one by Darwin's Waiting Room. A NU-METAL COVER VERSION OF FAST CAR. FOR A NASCAR PROMO CD.
Cody Baird
2023-07-03 23:13:37 +0000 UTCApparently Todd doesn't like that one!
Sarah, the Creator
2023-07-03 22:44:07 +0000 UTCOne of your best pop song reviews, espcially considering the dry-spell we’re currently going through in pop music. The respect you have for the original really shines through, and the arguments for and against Combs’ version feel so genuine. I don’t know, everything just clicked so perfectly for this one. Also you’re going get so many Rate Your Music kids excited with that Xiu Xiu cover at the end, you wouldn’t believe it.
meffeww
2023-07-03 22:28:45 +0000 UTCI feel a guy sing "Fast Car" really misses the point of the original. It's a song with a female narrator therefore should only ever be sung by women. Especially because the narrative - stuck caring for your deadbeat dad, ending up with a partner who is everything you are trying to escape, your partner having a fast car - is unfortunately a predominately female story. It's not just a crushing cycle of poverty; it's a crushing cycle of use, abuse, and naivety that happens almost exclusively to women. (See also "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Heart.) Luke Combs might have done something cleverly subversive by altering the lyrics so the singer is a man telling an very non-traditional tale. But he didn't. (And I'm pretty sure most dudes who listen to country would react with abject revulsion if the woman was the one who owned the fast car, not the man. "He ain't no real man!") The upbeat EDM cover also misses the point, for tonal reasons. This is one of the most incredibly tragic songs ever made. You might as well do a trance pop cover of "Eve of Destruction." Just in terms of the sound: it's a fine over. (I wasn't aware Tracy Chapman was a lesbian so I don't factor that into my reaction. I don't think race matters here because nothing about the lyrics suggests the narrator's race.)
Josh Liller
2023-07-03 22:24:30 +0000 UTCGod bless you Todd for including Xiu Xiu’s cover, honestly the only cover version of Fast Car I actually like due to frail, gay Jamie Stewart sounding as sad and pathetic as possible. They also have a pretty depressing backstory that makes the song come across as authentic. I also secretly hope at least one person in your pop centric fanbase checks out something else in Xiu Xiu’s weird, horrifying, and soul crushing discography
Christina Kelley
2023-07-03 21:59:24 +0000 UTCCome on Eileen original version would win hands down, but I've always loved Reel Big Fish so they get my vote.
Stormy K.
2023-07-03 21:57:43 +0000 UTCI genuinely believe Fast Car is one of the greatest songs of its era
waywardlaser
2023-07-03 21:10:15 +0000 UTCHere’s how you know you’re old: When an adult refers to a song from your youth as “A song my dad used to listen to”
Calazcatz
2023-07-03 20:54:58 +0000 UTCtodd, i wonder if you've heard 'dial drunk' by noah kahan. i'm hoping it gets big
Celeste Romero
2023-07-03 20:52:14 +0000 UTCHuh! I've never thought of "Fast Car" as a lesbian song. I've always read it as a bleak song, where she goes from supporting her alcoholic dad to her deadbeat partner. By "see more of your friends than you do your kids", I think she's talking about *their* kids. Moving to the city didn't make things better, so now she dreams about moving to the suburbs. It's dark
Nigel G
2023-07-03 20:31:51 +0000 UTCFunny you release this as I am staring at my 10th anniversary expanded edition of Random Access Memories on vinyl. And honestly considering buying Speak Now TV on vinyl but only once after I listen to it on YouTube music.
Yvette
2023-07-03 20:10:53 +0000 UTCThe song over the credits is quiet loud compared to the rest of the video. Great video btw
Koen Koster
2023-07-03 20:00:45 +0000 UTCI think a big advantage this gets is that the last radio hit from a white guy covering a black woman I heard on the radio was Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney. Practically nowhere to go but up from there.
Gemini Man
2023-07-03 19:55:24 +0000 UTCThe current state of pop music is disappointing. I remember in 2019 and thinking that Billy Eilish's bold and energetic but understated approach to music production would set tone for the next wave of pop. Instead, pop seems to have followed Hollywood's lead in retreating to the relative safety of endless nostalgia bait and callbacks.
McNikk
2023-07-03 19:52:26 +0000 UTCOh shit, I linked the wrong one. Fixed now.
Todd in the Shadows
2023-07-03 19:32:40 +0000 UTCI heard this version a while ago when Boing Boing talked about it. It's a fine cover. Like you said it's been covered a gazillion times, so I have heard quite a few, including some other country singers. For me it's...fine. He has a good voice. He plays it well. It doesn't catch me the way the original did, but, as you said Traci Chapman embodied a homeless child of an alcoholic trying to better herself and Luke Combs, not so much. Plus black, poor Traci Chapman trying to break into the suburbs was a much harder task then white, good old boy Luke Combs. I'm glad he made the song, because I think it is bringing people back to the original and to Traci Chapman and I think she deserves being looked at again. I enjoyed your review and analysis.
percysowner
2023-07-03 19:32:31 +0000 UTCOlivia Rodrigo has arrived to save us all from covers, interpolations, and just plain old-ass songs getting inexplicably popular.
Nick Ostrem
2023-07-03 19:31:30 +0000 UTCSeems like there's a lot of moments where the referenced video footage is overlayed on top of your own filmed footage.
Annette Huang
2023-07-03 19:16:10 +0000 UTCVery interesting discussion of those two songs. Also made me discover chapman, so going to listen to a bunch of her songs now.
Bruno Sauvagnat
2023-07-03 19:09:48 +0000 UTCAlso 19:01. Other than that, good work. 🙏
Crash Thompson
2023-07-03 19:04:25 +0000 UTCSometimes I post slow, sometimes I post quick.
Jason Schneiderman
2023-07-03 19:03:13 +0000 UTCGreat video about a great song with lots of interesting food for thought. NGL this is probably my favorite Pop Song Review in a long while
Nir revel
2023-07-03 19:02:14 +0000 UTCI hadn't really thought about it, but you're right, 2023 has been a weird year for pop so far. Besides the random TikTok songs that blow up for a week (like "Boy's a Liar"), I feel like the only big pop songs of the past 6 months have been "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus and a few songs from Taylor Swift's Midnights album.
Gaby G
2023-07-03 18:58:27 +0000 UTCHeads up @ 5:11, you forgot to delete your video footage from the VO. 👍
Crash Thompson
2023-07-03 18:49:04 +0000 UTCTodd's love of country has come full circle. He has amassed a fanbase of popheads over the years and now must guide us through this strange and confusing new world taking over the charts. I for one say howdy to our new Country Todd overlord!
Sarah, the Creator
2023-07-03 18:48:14 +0000 UTC
