"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.
Well, she was an American girl
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die tryin'
She had one little promise
She was gonna keep
Oh yeah, alright
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Well, it was kind of cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441
Like waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it's so painful
Something that's so close
And still so far out of reach
Oh yeah, alright
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Ooh
Uh-huh-huh
Uh-huh-huh
Oh yeah
Raised on promises
She couldn't help thinkin' that there
Was a little more to life
Somewhere else
After all it was a great big world
With lots of places to run to
Yeah, and if she had to die tryin'
She had one little promise
She was gonna keep
Oh yeah, alright
Take it easy baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Well, it was kind of cold that night
She stood alone on her balcony
Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by
Out on 441
Like waves crashin' on the beach
And for one desperate moment there
He crept back in her memory
God it's so painful
Something that's so close
And still so far out of reach
Oh yeah, alright
Take it easy, baby
Make it last all night
She was an American girl
Ooh
Uh-huh-huh
Uh-huh-huh
Oh yeah
Lyrics submitted by oofus, edited by greendreamer, Squirt_gun
American Girl Lyrics as written by Tom Petty
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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.
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.
God it's so painful when something that's so close Is still so far out of reach
Best line. I love it.
@allenegirl Yes, it is the best line. I like to think Tom Petty has a deeper meaning for the lyrics to this short song. His metaphor "American Girl" is one's "American Dream" who strives and dedicate his/her early life to a fantasized dream reality, like being a star or famous or achieving a very competitive goal, like getting the Olympic Gold. The "one little promise she was going to keep" if she "had to die Tryin'" shows one's life dedication and commitment to the goal in discrete. The chorus is an inspiration one gives themselves to keep the "Dream" alive by making it their life long goal (Making it last all night). The second verse reveals as time goes by and the strive gets tough and when the "Dream" lost its initial luster "Well it was kind of cold that night" and reality sets in diminishing the dream, being around cars on the freeway instead of being near waves on the beach. However, Petty tells us one should never give up the "Dream" since the thought of success "And for one desperate moment there He crept back in her memory" the "He" is a metaphor for success or goal not reached. One's dedication and commitment is not lost if we keep reaching for that goal and it could be so close but still seems so far away when we're disappointed by distractions. I thought it is an inspirational song instead of the other way. I guess my glass us usually half full.