"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Janet:
In the velvet darkness,
Of the blackest night,
Burning bright,
There's a guiding star.
No matter what or who you are.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Over at the Frankenstein place.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Burning in the fireplace.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light, ... light ... in the darkness of everybody's life.
RiffRaff:
The darkness must go down the river of night's dreaming.
Flow morphia slow, let the sun and light come streaming
Into my life. Into my life...
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Over at the Frankenstein place.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Burning in the fireplace.
There's a light, a light
Brad & Janet:
...in the darkness of everybody's life.
In the velvet darkness,
Of the blackest night,
Burning bright,
There's a guiding star.
No matter what or who you are.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Over at the Frankenstein place.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Burning in the fireplace.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light, ... light ... in the darkness of everybody's life.
RiffRaff:
The darkness must go down the river of night's dreaming.
Flow morphia slow, let the sun and light come streaming
Into my life. Into my life...
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Over at the Frankenstein place.
Brad & Janet:
There's a light...
Chorus:
Burning in the fireplace.
There's a light, a light
Brad & Janet:
...in the darkness of everybody's life.
Lyrics submitted by SnuffieSniffer
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Hands if you always renact Riff-Raff's solo in the middle of the night when you can't sleep. Hands up That's my one of my favourite scenes!!! :D He sounds so sad when he sings it.
This is a great song, from a great movie. I love it!
richard o'brien has a great voice
i agree. his voice is very unique
I always thought he said "Flow, Morpheus, slow...." (as in Morpheus, god of dreams), but the way "morphia" and "slow" go together, I guess I misheard it.
@dirtylemons So did I, though I did it worse than you. I thought it was "Flow, Morpheus flow..."
I love this song, because it's so cheesy from Brad and Janet's pov but so vital from RiffRaff's.
For Brad and Janet, they're like having this romantic walk in the dark rainy night toward this place where there's a beacon of warmth awaiting them. The irony of the lyric 'Over at the Frankenstein Place' is completely lost on them it seems. Given Rocky Horror's pop culture b-movie fetish for everything from King Kong to Flash Gordon and the Invisible Man, etc, the name 'Frankenstein' should reasonably instill some caution in the approaching travelers. The chorus essentially warns the couple that, yes, there is a light in the dark, but that light is situated in Frankenstein's Castle, where monsters dwell. They're heedless and innocent though so they walk right into the dragon's mouth.
On the other hand is RiffRaff, for whom I think this song provides an actual bit of backstory. We know when Frank and Magenta and RiffRaff arrived on Earth from their home planet, Frank'n'furter immediately started philandering with Eddie and Columbia. RiffRaff, based on these lyrics, immediately got hooked on drugs, morphine specifically:
"Flow Morphia slow, let the sun and light come streaming into my life".
Morphia is an antiquated synonym for morphine. Given that Eddie was a bit of a scumbag and Columbia was Eddie's girlfriend, it's probable that they were the ones who got RiffRaff hooked and also the ones who failed to keep him in ready supply but that might be a stretch.
I like to think that RiffRaff never getting his drugs is what really led to his betrayal of Frank'n'furter and Frank's and Rocky's deaths. This is possibly backed up by the some of the first lyrics in 'Sweet Transvestite' being:
"How do you do I see you've met my Faithful handyman He's just a little brought down because When you knocked He thought you were the candyman..."
Candyman in this context meaning drug dealer. The next lyrics could be interpreted as Frank addressing RiffRaff as much as Brad and Janet:
"Don't get strung out By the way I look..."
'Strung out' being a (now cliche?) term for painkiller withdrawal. Rocky Horror was first and foremost about sex, drugs and rock n roll and all that.