"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.
I won't let you down
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
'Cause I would really, really love to stick around, oh yeah
Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
(Didn't know what I wanted to be)
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
(I said I guess it was enough for me)
To win the race, a prettier face
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV (rock and roll TV)
But today, the way I play the game is not the same, no way
Think I'm gonna get myself happy
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (I will not give you up)
Freedom (gotta have some faith in the sound)
(You've got to give for what you take) (it's the one good thing that I've)
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (so please don't give me up)
Freedom ('cause I would really, really love to stick around)
(You've got to give for what you take)
Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy
What a kick, just a buddy and me
(What a kick just a buddy and me)
We had every big-shot good time band on the run, boy
We were living in a fantasy
(We were living in a fantasy)
We won the race, got out of the place
I went back home, got a brand new face
For the boys on MTV (boys on MTV)
But today the way I play the game has got to change, oh yeah (oh yeah)
Now I'm gonna get myself happy
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I stopped the show
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don't think that I'll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (I will not give you up)
Freedom (gotta have some faith in the sound)
(You've got to give for what you take) (it's the one good thing that I've got)
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (so please don't give me up)
Freedom ('cause I would really, really love to stick around)
(You've got to give for what you take)
Well, it looks like the road to Heaven
But it feels like the road to Hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybody's got to sell
But when you shake your ass, they notice fast
And some mistakes were built to last
That's what you get (that's what you get)
That's what you get (I say that's what you get)
That's what you get (for changing your mind)
That's what you get for changing your mind
That's what you get
That's what you get (and after all this time)
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man (do not make the man)
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (oh)
Freedom
(My) freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Freedom (hold on to my)
Freedom
(My) freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Give for what you, give what you take, yeah
Yeah, you've got to give what you, give what you, give
May not be what you want from me
Just the way it's got to be
Lose the face now
I've got to live, I've got to live, I've got to live
I will not give you up
Gotta have some faith in the sound
It's the one good thing that I've got
I won't let you down
So please don't give me up
'Cause I would really, really love to stick around, oh yeah
Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
(Didn't know what I wanted to be)
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me
(I said I guess it was enough for me)
To win the race, a prettier face
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV (rock and roll TV)
But today, the way I play the game is not the same, no way
Think I'm gonna get myself happy
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (I will not give you up)
Freedom (gotta have some faith in the sound)
(You've got to give for what you take) (it's the one good thing that I've)
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (so please don't give me up)
Freedom ('cause I would really, really love to stick around)
(You've got to give for what you take)
Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy
What a kick, just a buddy and me
(What a kick just a buddy and me)
We had every big-shot good time band on the run, boy
We were living in a fantasy
(We were living in a fantasy)
We won the race, got out of the place
I went back home, got a brand new face
For the boys on MTV (boys on MTV)
But today the way I play the game has got to change, oh yeah (oh yeah)
Now I'm gonna get myself happy
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I stopped the show
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone I forgot to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don't think that I'll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (I will not give you up)
Freedom (gotta have some faith in the sound)
(You've got to give for what you take) (it's the one good thing that I've got)
Freedom (I won't let you down)
Freedom (so please don't give me up)
Freedom ('cause I would really, really love to stick around)
(You've got to give for what you take)
Well, it looks like the road to Heaven
But it feels like the road to Hell
When I knew which side my bread was buttered
I took the knife as well
Posing for another picture
Everybody's got to sell
But when you shake your ass, they notice fast
And some mistakes were built to last
That's what you get (that's what you get)
That's what you get (I say that's what you get)
That's what you get (for changing your mind)
That's what you get for changing your mind
That's what you get
That's what you get (and after all this time)
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man (do not make the man)
All we have to do now
Is take these lies
And make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me, yeah, yeah
Freedom (oh)
Freedom
(My) freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Freedom (hold on to my)
Freedom
(My) freedom
You've got to give for what you take
Give for what you, give what you take, yeah
Yeah, you've got to give what you, give what you, give
May not be what you want from me
Just the way it's got to be
Lose the face now
I've got to live, I've got to live, I've got to live
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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/
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
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.
You serious? He didn't come out till the late 90's? I seem to remember knowing when I was about 8 years old, in the early nineties. But maybe I'm remembering wrong. Or maybe it was just an open secret. But yeah, when I first saw the video I was about 11 (1994) and I only saw it while waiting for Ace of Base to come on VH-1 and MTV, so I wasn't privy to all this backstory. And knowing that George Michael was gay, I assumed that's what the song was about. I didn't know the girls in the video were famous supermodels either so I missed that whole aspect of the video as well. Hey, everything's up for interpretation. Most often you will not know what the artist really meant, and it's not really important. Though it can be of interest. Thanks.