"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.
Oh it's been getting so hard
Livin' with the things you do to me, aha
Oh my dreams are getting so strange
I'd like to tell you everything I see
Oh, I see a man at the back
As a matter of fact his eyes are red as the sun
And a girl in the corner let no one ignore her
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one
Oh, yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving
[Chorus]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And the man at the back said
Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said
Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
I'm reaching out for something
Touching nothing's all I ever do
Oh, I softly call you over
When you appear there's nothing left of you, aha
Now the man in the back
Is ready to crack as he raises his hands to the sky
And the girl in the corner is ev'ryone's mourner
She could kill you with a wink of her eye
Oh yeah, it was electric, so frightfully hectic
And the band started leaving, 'cause they all stopped breathing
[Chorus]
Oh yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving
[Chorus]
It's it's a ballroom blitz, it's it's a ballroom blitz
It's it's a ballroom blitz, yeah, it's a ballroom blitz
Livin' with the things you do to me, aha
Oh my dreams are getting so strange
I'd like to tell you everything I see
Oh, I see a man at the back
As a matter of fact his eyes are red as the sun
And a girl in the corner let no one ignore her
'Cause she thinks she's the passionate one
Oh, yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving
[Chorus]
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
And the man at the back said
Everyone attack and it turned into a ballroom blitz
And the girl in the corner said
Boy, I wanna warn ya, it'll turn into a ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz, ballroom blitz
Ballroom blitz
I'm reaching out for something
Touching nothing's all I ever do
Oh, I softly call you over
When you appear there's nothing left of you, aha
Now the man in the back
Is ready to crack as he raises his hands to the sky
And the girl in the corner is ev'ryone's mourner
She could kill you with a wink of her eye
Oh yeah, it was electric, so frightfully hectic
And the band started leaving, 'cause they all stopped breathing
[Chorus]
Oh yeah, it was like lightning, everybody was frightening
And the music was soothing, and they all started grooving
[Chorus]
It's it's a ballroom blitz, it's it's a ballroom blitz
It's it's a ballroom blitz, yeah, it's a ballroom blitz
Lyrics submitted by young_jables
Ballroom Blitz Lyrics as written by Nicholas Barry Chinn Michael Donald Chapman
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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A "Sweet" cover. I love her version and the film rocked!
I actually like this version better than the original...and it puts the other covers to shame.