Fast Car" is a song written and recorded by American singer Tracy Chapman.

It was released on
April 6, 1988 as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album. Her appearance on
the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was the catalyst for the song's becoming a top-ten hit
in the United States, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it
peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. "Fast Car" received two Grammy nominations
for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, as well as a MTV Video Music Award nomination
for Best Female Video in 1989.

Music and lyrics[edit]

According to Metro Weekly critic Chris Gerard, "Fast Car" tells a grittily realistic story of a
working poor woman trying to escape the cycle of poverty, set to folk rock music.[1] The song's
arrangement was described by Orlando Sentinel writer Thom Duffy as "subtle folk-
rock",[2] while Billboard magazine's Gary Trust deemed the record a "folk/pop" song.[3] Dave
Marsh said it was perhaps an "optimistic folk-rock narrative", whose characters are in a homeless
shelter.[4]

Critical reception[edit]
Rolling Stone ranked the song number 167 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All
Time.[5] It is Chapman's only song on the list (and the highest ranking song both written and
performed by a female artist). Pitchfork placed the song at number 86 on their list of the 200
Best Songs of the 1980s.[6]

Chart performance[edit]
In April 2011 the track also hit the UK top ten at number 4 after Michael Collings performed it
on Britain's Got Talent.[7] The single was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom by
the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2014, based on digital downloads and streaming. The
song has sold 661,500 copies in the United Kingdom, as of January 2016.[8]

Charts and certifications[edit]

Weekly charts[edit] Certifications[edit]

Peak Region
Chart (1988)
position

Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[22]

[9]
Australia (ARIA) 4

Italy (FIMI)[23]
[10]
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 1

United Kingdom (BPI)[24]

 *
sales figures ba
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 1 ^
shipments figures
sales+streaming figu
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 1

New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 21

Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 1

Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 2

Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 9

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 6

US Billboard Hot 100[18][19] 6

US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[18] 7

US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[18] 19

Peak
Chart (2011)
position

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[17] 4

Peak
Chart (2013)
position

Denmark (Tracklisten)[20] 29
 Germany (Official German Charts)[21] 81

Jonas Blue version[edit]

"Fast Car"

Single by Jonas Blue featuring Dakota

from the album Blue

Released 4 December 2015[25]

Format Digital download

Recorded 2015

Genre Tropical house[26][27]

Length 3:32

 Capitol
Label
 Positiva
 Virgin EMI

Songwriter(s) Tracy Chapman

 Producer(s) Jonas Blue

Jonas Blue singles chronology

"Fast Car" "Perfect

(2015) Strangers"
(2016)

Dakota singles chronology

"Fast Car" "Dreams"

(2015) (2017)

In 2015, a tropical house cover of "Fast Car" was released by British record producer Jonas Blue.
It is Blue's debut single and features the vocals from British singer Dakota.[28] It is the lead single
of Blue's debut album Blue. The Club Mix was included on Blue's compilation, Jonas Blue:
Electronic Nature – The Mix 2017.
Background and inspiration[edit]
In an interview with iHeartRadio, Blue stated, "When I was growing up, it was just a very varied
type of music. My dad schooled me on soul, funk, disco, things like that. It was very varied. And
then my mum was kind of more pop, and ABBA, things like that, Tracy Chapman. So it was a
very varied sound growing up, lots of different big acts, and great songwriters. And [they all]
definitely influenced me into what I'm doing today."[29] Regarding "Fast Car", Chapman's
original 1988 hit is a favorite of Blue's mother's, who would often play it in the car. "It was a
good song in London [during] that time when I was growing up, so it was always on the radio,"
he went on to say. "And it just kind of stuck with me. It was that song on the long journeys, and I
loved it."[29]
Regarding Dakota, who provides vocals on the song, Blue said, "I met Dakota with my manager.
I had actually finished the instrumental of 'Fast Car', and we were looking for a singer. But on
this particular night, we went out, we weren't obviously looking for the singer. We just went to
this pub for a beer, and this pub is kind of renowned for its new acts and unsigned artists and
things like that. So, we're upstairs having a beer and all of a sudden we hear this voice from the
basement downstairs of this pub, and I said, 'We've got to go down and check whoever that is
up.' We went downstairs and Dakota was there, and we never met her before. At the end of the
show, went up to her and said, 'I've done this cover of 'Fast Car' and I think you'd be great on it.'
And she [said], 'Oh, I've never done dance music before or anything like that so, I'm not kind of
sure.' And I was like, 'Listen, you'd be great.' And she came the next day to record it, and what
you hear on the radio is her coming in the next day after her show to record it."[29] Blue also
admitted that he wanted to create a Swedish-esque sound on the record: "I think with things like
the synth lead lines in it, giving it that second hook, I was kind of going for a very kind of
Swedish-y kind of sound. That's kind of the influence behind that kind of lead synth line, and
that was something which I don't think people have picked up on yet, but they just like the song
because of what it is."[29]
Chart performance[edit]
The Jonas Blue version peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart, behind Zayn Malik's
"Pillowtalk".[30] Its UK peak meant it charted higher than Chapman's original, which peaked at
number five on the chart in May 1988 and a position higher upon a re-release in April 2011.[31]
Outside the United Kingdom, the Jonas Blue version reached number one in Australia.[32] and
Hungary, whilst also peaking within the top ten in Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands,
Belgium, New Zealand and Sweden. In the United States, the Jonas Blue version went to number
one on the Dance Club Songs chart.
Track listing[edit]
Digital download – radio edit[33]
No. Title Length
1. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Radio edit) 3:32
Digital download – remixes[34]
No. Title Length
1. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Club mix) 5:30
2. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Grant Nelson remix) 6:02
3. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Rare Candy remix) 5:42
4. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Daddy's Groove remix) 5:23
5. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (Steve Smart remix) 4:58
Digital download – acoustic version[35]
No. Title Length
1. "Fast Car" (featuring Dakota) (acoustic) 3:37
Charts and certifications[edit]
Weekly charts[edit] Year-end charts[edit]

Peak Chart (2016)

Chart (2015–16)
position

Argentina (Monitor Latino)[71]

Australia (ARIA)[36] 1

Australia (ARIA)[72]
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[37] 3

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[73

[38]
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[39] 7 Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[74

Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[40] 27 Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[7

Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[41] 3 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[76]

Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[42] 4 Denmark (Tracklisten)[77]

Denmark (Tracklisten)[43] 6 Germany (Official German Ch

Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[44] 10 Hungary (Dance Top 40)[79]

France (SNEP)[45] 14 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[80]

Germany (Official German Charts)[46] 2 Hungary (Single Top 40)[81]

Hungary (Dance Top 40)[47] 10 Italy (FIMI)[82]

Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[48] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[83

Hungary (Single Top 40)[49] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[

Ireland (IRMA)[50] 2 New Zealand (Recorded Music

Italy (FIMI)[51] 5 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[86]

Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)[52] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitpar

Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[53] 11 UK Singles (Official Charts C

Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[54] 3 US Dance Club Songs (Billboa

Netherlands (Single Top 100)[55] 3 US Hot Dance/Electronic Song

Certifications[edit]
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[56] 2
Region

Norway (VG-lista)[57] 9
Australia (ARIA)[91] 5×

Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[58] 30

Austria (IFPI Austria)[92] P

Scotland (Official Charts Company)[59] 1

Canada (Music Canada)[93] 2×

Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[60] 6

Germany (BVMI)[94] 3×

Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[61] 3

Italy (FIMI)[95] 4×

Slovenia (SloTop50)[62] 8
Mexico (AMPROFON)[96] 2×

Spain (PROMUSICAE)[63] 18
New Zealand (RMNZ)[97] 2×

Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[64] 2
Poland (ZPAV)[98] 4×

Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[65] 4

Sweden (GLF)[99] 6×

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[66] 2

United Kingdom (BPI)[100] 2×
 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[67] 1 United States (RIAA)[101] P

*
sales figures b
US Billboard Hot 100[68] 98 ^
shipments figures
sales+streaming figu
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[69] 7

US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[70] 1

Tobtok version[edit]

"Fast Car"

Single by Tobtok featuring River

Released 22 January 2016[102]

Format Digital download

Recorded 2015

Genre Tropical house

Length 3:27
 Label disco:wax

Songwriter(s) Tracy Chapman

Producer(s) Tobtok

In 2016, another tropical house version was released by Swedish record producer Tobtok,
featuring the vocals from British singer River. Tobtok also released an accompanying music
video. The Tobtok version also charted in a number of charts, notably Australia, where it
received significant airplay and reached number 19 on the charts.[103] The Tobtok version also
charted in the Norwegian VG-lista, Irish IRMA and Danish Tracklisten official charts.
Track listing

1. "Fast Car" – 3:27

2. "Fast Car" (L'Tric Remix Radio Edit) – 2:57
Charts[edit]

Peak
Chart (2016)
position

Australia (ARIA)[104] 19

Denmark (Tracklisten)[105] 29

Ireland (IRMA)[106] 25

Norway (VG-lista)[107] 32

Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[108] 15

Poland (Video Chart)[109] 3

Certifications[edit]
 Region Certification Certified units/sales

Australia (ARIA)[110] Platinum 70,000^

*
sales figures based on certification alone
^
shipments figures based on certification alone

Other cover versions[edit]

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The song has been covered many times including by The Flying Pickets, Hundred Reasons, Xiu
Xiu, Vertical Horizon, Darwin's Waiting Room, Amazing Transparent Man, MYMP, Mutya
SSBuena, Kristian Leontiou, Wayne Wonder, David Usher, Linda Pritchard, Boyce
Avenue (featuring Kina Grannis), Christian Kane, Mark Wilkinson, Elizabeth Gillies, Hitomi
Yaida, Ryan Montbleau (featuring Tall Heights), Passenger, and Jess Moskaluke (with W.G.
Snuffy Walden).[111]
In 2010, Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry performed a duet of the song in concert. It was also
sampled by the rap group Nice & Smooth in their hit song "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow", making
it a hit within the hip-hop community as well. British rapper Example also samples the song in
his "I Need a Fast Car", which appeared on his mixtape We Didn't Invent the Remix.
In 1991, British soul singer Gabrielle recorded a demo of her song "Dreams" that featured a
sample of "Fast Car". When it was released commercially in 1993 the sample was removed
because of legal issues, but the version with the sample was still being played in nightclubs and
DJ sets. Los Angeles-based turntablist DJ Quixotic is known to perform a cover of "Fast Car" by
manipulating a tone record on a turntable to imitate the notes of the opening guitar riffs. In 1991,
Hong Kong band Soft Hard covered this song in Cantonese.
The song was parodied as "I Write a Fast Song" in the In Living Color sketch "Making of a
Tracy Chapman Song", in which Chapman (portrayed by Kim Wayans) writes a song by looking
out her window and witnessing events such as an old man getting hit by a bus and a domestic
dispute.
In June 2006, Canadian country music trio The Wilkinsons recorded a version of the song for
their 2007 album Home. A noticeable change in the lyrics of their version is that
vocalist Amanda Wilkinson replaces the line "We'll get out of this shelter" with "We'll move out
of this trailer".
In mid-2008, Swimming With Dolphins released a recording of the song as a B-side track to
their EP, Ambient Blue.[112]
In December 2010, Boyce Avenue[113] and Kina Grannis did an acoustic arrangement; as of
October 2014 it had over 25 million views on YouTube and remains one of their most popular
songs on iTunes.[114]
In April 2011, Michael Collings auditioned on Britain's Got Talent by singing his version of
"Fast Car". As a result, the song peaked on number four in the UK Singles Chart in the United
Kingdom, a position higher than its original peak in the country 23 years prior.[115]
In September 2014, Sam Smith covered the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, as did British
singer Birdy in April 2016, Khalid in March 2018, and Justin Bieber in September 2018.[116]