People may surprise you
🎵 Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs surprise and delight with a touching performance of "Fast Car"
This week we focus on patience and giving people an opportunity to surprise. If you’re not yet a subscriber, you may become one here:
Wait and people just might surprise you.
A friend reaches out after weeks of silence.
Someone you haven’t talked to in decades responds to a cold email.
A holiday card mailed in late January arrives with a note that says “I hope we can connect soon!”
A colleague’s work product improves measurably between a first and second draft.
Just as you’re about to follow up with someone, they reach out with information and commit to doing better.
A vendor finally comes through with a bid for a household project.
There’s certainly a time and place for being proactive. My point here is simply there can be value in being patient, too.
Sometimes people give up on someone too soon. Randy Pausch said something many years ago that has always stuck with me. He said:
“Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress. When you're pissed off at someone and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time. Just give them a little more time and they almost always will impress you.”
―Randy Pausch (source)
You never know what is truly going on in someone’s life.
They may be having to move their parents closer to home to be prepared in case of deteriorating health.
They be going through a break up or dealing with a divorce.
Maybe they just got laid off or fired — or are worried they might be.
They may be stressed about money, health or parenting.
They or someone they care about might be grieving the loss of a loved one.
You just don’t know. In fact, you probably don’t know everything that’s going on in someone’s life right now.
The person in line in front of you at the grocery store. The person who just cut you off on the road. The person who hasn’t gotten back to you yet.
Give them grace.
Sometimes, people surprise you.
🎵 Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman, who has largely stayed out of the limelight for the last 15 years, surprised everyone at the GRAMMYs this week with a performance the GRAMMYs described as “gripping” that you simply must see.
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman has long been one of my favorite songs.
On Monday, I saw a headline in the New York Times that I wanted to read (third link below). Then someone told me I really needed to watch the live performance at the GRAMMYs with her and Luke Combs (also linked below). So I finally did. This morning, just as I sat down to write. I keep watching it and listening to it. It’s that good. It’s so beautiful. The joy on her face is palpable. So, too, the respect in his eyes.
Go deeper
Here are three articles I think you’ll enjoy (bold = highly recommended):
Tracy Chapman Returns to the Grammy Stage for ‘Fast Car’ Duet (New York Times, gift link)
Tracy Chapman’s Grammys Appearance Was the Event of the Night. Here’s How It Happened (Rolling Stone)
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Gave America a Rare Gift: Harmony (New York Times, gift link)
Excerpts
In a major coup for the Grammys, an influential artist who walked away from the spotlight made a grand return to the awards stage on Sunday night: Tracy Chapman.
Chapman, 59, released eight albums between 1988 and 2008, starting with her blockbuster debut — the self-titled album that featured “Talkin’ ’Bout a Revolution,” “Baby Can I Hold You” and what is perhaps her signature song, “Fast Car.” She won the Grammy for best new artist in 1989, and “Fast Car” was nominated for both record and song of the year.
📖 Continue reading: Tracy Chapman Returns to the Grammy Stage for ‘Fast Car’ Duet (New York Times, gift link)
Tracy Chapman may keep a remarkably low profile, but she doesn’t live in a vacuum. The singer-songwriter was well aware of the success that Luke Combs’ cover of her song “Fast Car” was having last year. After it won two big awards at the Country Music Association Awards in November, she decided to call him.
It was a private conversation, just Chapman and Combs on the line for about 30 minutes, but it helped plant the seeds for one of the all-time best collaborative performances in Grammy history. On Feb. 4, the reclusive 59-year-old folk singer and the gregarious 33-year-old country star performed “Fast Car” together onstage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Just five days before, the two songwriters had met in person for the first time.
📖 Continue reading: Tracy Chapman’s Grammys Appearance Was the Event of the Night. Here’s How It Happened (Rolling Stone)
When a beloved artist who has not performed live in some time returns to the stage, we often expect them to appear fragile, unsteady, ill at ease. But during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, when the camera first pulled back from a tight shot of a woman’s fingers picking a familiar riff on an acoustic guitar and revealed the face of the great, elusive folk singer Tracy Chapman, what you noticed was the joy radiating from her face. Her contented smile. The unwavering tone and rich steadiness of her voice.
📖 Continue reading: Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Gave America a Rare Gift: Harmony (New York Times, gift link)
🎬Watch Tracy Chapman & Luke Combs perform “Fast Car”
The best video (5m24s) is on the GRAMMYs website. (This video is landscape format. For some reason, it isn’t on its YouTube channel yet so I can’t embed it directly. )
Updated 3/30/2025: Because link above now resolves to a 404 page, here is a link to a version available on YouTube (why would you remove this beautiful video from your website, GRAMMYs, why?):
Warner Music has released a vertical format video on TikTok:
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
And Warner Music Canada has released this vertical format video on YouTube:
Pick whichever version works best for you and enjoy the performance.
“Fast Car” is…a song about the wants and needs that make us human: the desire to be happy, to be loved, to be free.
-Lindsay Zoladz (source)
More
Rolling Stone named “Fast Car” the #71 best song of all time.
Here is Tracy Chapman’s live performance of “Fast Car” at the GRAMMYs in 1989:
If you’re a Tracy Chapman fan, you may want to check out this Substack:
I hope you have a wonderful day. Enjoy your weekend.
Be well,
-Bryce
What did Elvis say? "What's so funny 'bout peace, love and understanding? Ohhhhhh," Great post, Bryce. We can't live in assumption. If we can't be patient, ask before we assume/get pissed off. It's not hard to ask, "Is everything OK?" Of course, Elmo asked a similar Q and we almost imploded, so... 😉 xo
It's incredible how a little grace and understanding can go a long way, especially when we're dealing with uncertainties in our lives.