"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.
Hey it's a sell out - hey
Let me welcome you Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to say hello
Are you ready for some entertainment?
Are you ready for a show?
Gonna rock you gonna roll you
Get you dancing in the aisles
Jazz you, razzmatazz you
With a little bit of style
C'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
I've come here to sell you my body
I can show you some good merchandise
I'll pull you and I'll pill you
I'll crueladeville you
And to thrill you I'll use any device
A ha ha ha haa
We'll give you crazy performance
We'll give you grounds for divorce
We'll give you piece de resistance
And a tour de force of course
We found the right location
Got a lot of pretty lights
The sound and the amplification listen
Hey if you need a fix if you want a high
Stickells I'll see to that
With Electra and EMI
We'll show you where it's at
So c'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Just take a look at the menu
We give you rock a la carte
We'll breakfast at Tiffany's
We'll sing to you in Japanese
We're only here to entertain you
If you want to see some action
You get nothing but the best
The 'S' and 'M' attraction
We've got the pleasure chest
Chicago down to New Orleans
We get you on the line
If you dig the New York scene
We'll have a son of a bitch of a time
C'mon
Let me entertain, let me entertain
Let me entertain you tonight
Hey where's my backstage pass ?
Hey that Brian May he's outta sight man
Hey that was a bit of alright wasn't it
Outrageous costumes
Not many not many
And I always wanted to be in opera
Oh man I could give you lessons if you like
Let me welcome you Ladies and Gentlemen
I would like to say hello
Are you ready for some entertainment?
Are you ready for a show?
Gonna rock you gonna roll you
Get you dancing in the aisles
Jazz you, razzmatazz you
With a little bit of style
C'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
I've come here to sell you my body
I can show you some good merchandise
I'll pull you and I'll pill you
I'll crueladeville you
And to thrill you I'll use any device
A ha ha ha haa
We'll give you crazy performance
We'll give you grounds for divorce
We'll give you piece de resistance
And a tour de force of course
We found the right location
Got a lot of pretty lights
The sound and the amplification listen
Hey if you need a fix if you want a high
Stickells I'll see to that
With Electra and EMI
We'll show you where it's at
So c'mon let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Just take a look at the menu
We give you rock a la carte
We'll breakfast at Tiffany's
We'll sing to you in Japanese
We're only here to entertain you
If you want to see some action
You get nothing but the best
The 'S' and 'M' attraction
We've got the pleasure chest
Chicago down to New Orleans
We get you on the line
If you dig the New York scene
We'll have a son of a bitch of a time
C'mon
Let me entertain, let me entertain
Let me entertain you tonight
Hey where's my backstage pass ?
Hey that Brian May he's outta sight man
Hey that was a bit of alright wasn't it
Outrageous costumes
Not many not many
And I always wanted to be in opera
Oh man I could give you lessons if you like
Lyrics submitted by f_mercury, edited by DanMercury
Let Me Entertain You Lyrics as written by Freddie Mercury
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
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Great version of a great song,
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In many ways, this reminds me of Pink Floyd's, "Have a Cigar." Paying intentional tribute to themselves. I can see why Jimmy Kane (above) thought this was a parody --- but I think parody isn't the right term. It's more about them just talking about their music, and the relation of it to their fans, in an outlandish large way.
I think Freddie's line about, "Cruela-de-ville" is Freddie's way of comparing his outlandish performances with something from 101 Dalmatians. The way Cruella DeVille tended to prance around. And the "wicked" connotation of the loud, heavy music.
"Rock a la carte" is referring to the broad stylistic varieties in their music -- if you don't like heavy metal, go for a ballad. If that isn't your thing, here's a nice bouncy little number on a piano. Still not into it? Here's some operatic rock. Almost like Freddie is saying that he's willing to do anything he can to entertain the crowd. Breakfast at Tiffany's was a musical movie from decades ago, and a lot of Queen's softer music resembles music from those old movies. Singing in Japanese was a clear reference to Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together).