"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.
Reno Dakota, there's not an iota of kindness in you
You know you enthrall me and yet you don't call me
It's making me blue, Pantone 292
Reno Dakota, I'm reaching my quota of tears for the year
Alas and alack! you just don't call me back
You have just disappeared, it makes me drink beer
I know you're a recluse
You know that's no excuse
Reno, that's just a ruse
Do not play fast and loose with my heart
Reno Dakota, I'm no Nino Rota, I don't know the score
Have I annoyed you or is there a boy who
Well, he's just a whore
I've had him before
It makes me drink more
You know you enthrall me and yet you don't call me
It's making me blue, Pantone 292
Reno Dakota, I'm reaching my quota of tears for the year
Alas and alack! you just don't call me back
You have just disappeared, it makes me drink beer
I know you're a recluse
You know that's no excuse
Reno, that's just a ruse
Do not play fast and loose with my heart
Reno Dakota, I'm no Nino Rota, I don't know the score
Have I annoyed you or is there a boy who
Well, he's just a whore
I've had him before
It makes me drink more
Lyrics submitted by Anne Arbour, edited by TheSatah
Reno Dakota Lyrics as written by Stephin Raymond Merritt
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Reno Dakota made a video with the back-story behind the song. Kind of a sad story. youtu.be/k_BMu1ljwiM
A song that uses Pantone colors to describe blue....
outstanding!
@Kola_tea_time I read somewhere that they used it because "Pantone 292" is the only shade that rhymed with "blue"
I think Claudia sang this song because it would probably sound better with a higher voice then a lower one. I think that's all.
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Talk about a picture painted - poor drunk bastard in his dark 5th floor apartment...
I'm not big on copy/pasting things, but 69lovesongs.info/wiki/index.cgi explains a bit about the references in the song.
I absolutely love the rhymes in this song. Recluse/Excuse being my favourite. Good stuff.
wrote soundtracks, therefore knew "the score"...brilliant.
there's actually a little diagram of Pantone colors somewhere in the liner notes or booklet or something. stephin talks about trying to find a suitable blue also with a Pantone number which would rhyme. he must know a graphic designer, assuming he doesn't have that background himself (i mean, he IS multitalented)
I wonder if Claudia sang this because of the 'he's just a whore, I've had him before' line. Stephen being gay, may not wish to openly sing about it? Just a theory.
@shockdelica 90% of his songs are love songs for men. All he does is sing about it
Hmm... I seem to remeber a D.J. on some radio named Reno Dakota... I wonder if there's a connection.
I don't think Claudia whould be singing this because Stepen is not openly gay. He sings "I thought you we're my boyfriend" on the album i.
Yea Stephin is openly gay