35 YEARS after the release of Tracy Chapman’s song ‘Fast Car’, it won both single of the year and song of the year at the CMA Awards.
The story behind the song is an interesting one.

Back in 1986, Chapman sat on the couch with her dog at her side and wrote the song, trying to capture the struggle of the everyday blue collar people she knew growing up in Cleveland, Ohio.
With each new lyric and turn of melody, the pup’s ears perked up, telling Tracy she might be on to something.
She frequently played her music in a small coffee house near Tuft’s University just outside of Boston.


One night, a student from Tufts was at the coffee house and heard Tracy Chapman play and was blown away by her talent. Keep in mind, she was not a star then, had no record deal, she was just another performer getting up before strangers and playing her songs.
That Tufts University student who heard her play was Brian Koppelman. Brian approached her after she left the stage and said, „I don’t normally do this, but I think my father could help you.”
Brian’s father was Charles Koppelman, the co-owner of one of the largest music publishing houses in the world.

Two year’s later, Tracy Chapman’s debut album would be released and the song her puppy really seemed to love, was soon loved by everyone.
And tonight, 35 years after its release, ‘Fast Car’ is song & single of the year and reaching all new audiences.
Pretty Cool 🎼