"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.
She was aware of her insecurities
As she took the stage
But she was convinced if she got up there
That she'd be discovered some day
So she belted it
She hit the high notes fearlessly
Oh, she melted them
She brought them to their feet
She was a big star
At Banana Joe's Bar
Where she sang karaoke every night
She said if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She was a big star
She made the local cable shows
Where the camera fell in love with her face
After a couple of weekends
The groupies were crawling all over the place
And she signed autographs
Like she was Garth Brooks in a skirt
And in the aftermath
That small time town was hers
She was a big star
At Banana Joe's Bar
Where she sang karaoke every night
She said if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She was a big star
Hey, she doesn't care anymore
That her high school girlfriends cut her down
The only thought she entertains is where they aren't
And where she is now
A few old neighbors swear they are certain
She slept her way to the top
She knows you don't get where you're goin'
Unless you got something they ain't got
So she sings tonight
To twenty thousand plus
And the young girls scream out loud
Man that could be us
She's a big star
She eats caviar
Just before she performs every night
She says if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She's a big star
As she took the stage
But she was convinced if she got up there
That she'd be discovered some day
So she belted it
She hit the high notes fearlessly
Oh, she melted them
She brought them to their feet
She was a big star
At Banana Joe's Bar
Where she sang karaoke every night
She said if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She was a big star
She made the local cable shows
Where the camera fell in love with her face
After a couple of weekends
The groupies were crawling all over the place
And she signed autographs
Like she was Garth Brooks in a skirt
And in the aftermath
That small time town was hers
She was a big star
At Banana Joe's Bar
Where she sang karaoke every night
She said if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She was a big star
Hey, she doesn't care anymore
That her high school girlfriends cut her down
The only thought she entertains is where they aren't
And where she is now
A few old neighbors swear they are certain
She slept her way to the top
She knows you don't get where you're goin'
Unless you got something they ain't got
So she sings tonight
To twenty thousand plus
And the young girls scream out loud
Man that could be us
She's a big star
She eats caviar
Just before she performs every night
She says if you work hard to get where you are
It feels good in the hot spotlight
She's a big star
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Big Star Lyrics as written by Stephony Smith
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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.