"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.
Beautiful girls all over the world
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
They might say, "Hi" and I might say, "Hey"
But you shouldn't worry about what they say
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Nothin' on you baby (yeah)
No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe
No-nothin' on you (yeah)
I know you feel where I'm comin' from (from)
Regardless of the things in my past that I've done (done)
Most of it really was for the hell of the fun (fun)
On the carousel, so around I spun (spun)
With no directions just tryna get some (some)
Tryna chase skirts, livin' in the summer sun (sun)
And so I lost more than I had ever won (won)
And honestly I ended up with none (huh)
There's so much nonsense
It's on my conscience
I'm thinkin' maybe I should get it out
And I don't wanna sound redundant
But I was wondering
If there was something that you wanna know (something that you wanna know)
But never mind that we should let it go (we should let it go)
'Cause we don't wanna be a TV episode (TV episode)
And all the bad thoughts just let them go (go, go, go)
Beautiful girls all over the world
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hey)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you baby
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you) (yeah)
Hands down there will never be another one (nope)
I been around and I never seen another one
Because your style I ain't really got nothin' on (nothin')
And you out and you ain't got nothin' on?
Baby, you the whole package plus you pay your taxes (huh)
And you keep it real while them other stay plastic (facts)
You're my Wonder Woman call me Mr. Fantastic (ha)
Stop, now think about it
I've been to London (yeah), I've been to Paris (yeah)
Even went out there to Tokyo (Tokyo)
Back home down in Georgia (yeah) to New Orleans (yeah)
But you always steal the show (steal the show)
And just like that, girl, you got me froze (got me froze)
Like a Nintendo 64 (64)
If you never knew, well, now you know (know, know, know)
Beautiful girls all over the world (all over)
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted (haha)
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hey)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)(yeah)
Everywhere I go I'm always hearing your name (name, name)
And no matter where I'm at, girl, you make me wanna sing (sing)
Whether a bus or a plane (plane) or a car or a train (train)
No other girls on my brain and you the one to blame (blame)(yeah)
Beautiful girls all over the world (all over)
I could be chasing but my time would be wasted (why?)
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hello)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you) (yeah)
Yeah and that's just how we do it, ha ha
And I'ma let this ride
B-O-B and Bruno Mars
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
They might say, "Hi" and I might say, "Hey"
But you shouldn't worry about what they say
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Nothin' on you baby (yeah)
No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe
No-nothin' on you (yeah)
I know you feel where I'm comin' from (from)
Regardless of the things in my past that I've done (done)
Most of it really was for the hell of the fun (fun)
On the carousel, so around I spun (spun)
With no directions just tryna get some (some)
Tryna chase skirts, livin' in the summer sun (sun)
And so I lost more than I had ever won (won)
And honestly I ended up with none (huh)
There's so much nonsense
It's on my conscience
I'm thinkin' maybe I should get it out
And I don't wanna sound redundant
But I was wondering
If there was something that you wanna know (something that you wanna know)
But never mind that we should let it go (we should let it go)
'Cause we don't wanna be a TV episode (TV episode)
And all the bad thoughts just let them go (go, go, go)
Beautiful girls all over the world
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hey)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you baby
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you) (yeah)
Hands down there will never be another one (nope)
I been around and I never seen another one
Because your style I ain't really got nothin' on (nothin')
And you out and you ain't got nothin' on?
Baby, you the whole package plus you pay your taxes (huh)
And you keep it real while them other stay plastic (facts)
You're my Wonder Woman call me Mr. Fantastic (ha)
Stop, now think about it
I've been to London (yeah), I've been to Paris (yeah)
Even went out there to Tokyo (Tokyo)
Back home down in Georgia (yeah) to New Orleans (yeah)
But you always steal the show (steal the show)
And just like that, girl, you got me froze (got me froze)
Like a Nintendo 64 (64)
If you never knew, well, now you know (know, know, know)
Beautiful girls all over the world (all over)
I could be chasin' but my time would be wasted (haha)
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hey)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)(yeah)
Everywhere I go I'm always hearing your name (name, name)
And no matter where I'm at, girl, you make me wanna sing (sing)
Whether a bus or a plane (plane) or a car or a train (train)
No other girls on my brain and you the one to blame (blame)(yeah)
Beautiful girls all over the world (all over)
I could be chasing but my time would be wasted (why?)
They got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
They might say, "Hi" (hi) and I might say, "Hey" (hello)
But you shouldn't worry about what they say (why?)
'Cause they got nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you)
Nothin' on you, baby (ooh, ooh, ooh)
(No-no-no-nothin' on you, babe)
(No-nothin' on you) (yeah)
Yeah and that's just how we do it, ha ha
And I'ma let this ride
B-O-B and Bruno Mars
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
My new classic jam.