"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.
Hello city, hey
Another night at the palace
'Cause there is nothin' else to do
Oh, oh, ah, ha
The same people, the same drinks and
The same music, the same quicksand
I think this harbor town is waist deep and sinkin' fast
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh (ba, dum, tum, tum, hey, hum)
Hello city, hello city, hello city, hey
Second night at the warehouse
And my mock turtleneck just reeks
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh
From the liquor room to the change room
To the doom and gloom of the hotel room
I think this seaside beer hall should sink into the bay
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh (ba, dum, tum, tum, ba, dum)
Hello city, hello city, hello city
Maybe I caught you at a bad time
Maybe I should call you back next week
Maybe half the fault is mine that the sun didn't shine on Barrington Street
It's 3 o'clock in the morning
And I'm hungry so let's eat
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Climb down three flights
Too the street lights
And the bar fights
We're just takin' in the sights
I hope tomorrow that I wake up in my own bed
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, hello city, hello city, hey
What a good place to be
Don't believe them, cause they speak a different language
And it's happy hour again
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
It's happy hour again
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, eh
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, eh
Another night at the palace
'Cause there is nothin' else to do
Oh, oh, ah, ha
The same people, the same drinks and
The same music, the same quicksand
I think this harbor town is waist deep and sinkin' fast
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh (ba, dum, tum, tum, hey, hum)
Hello city, hello city, hello city, hey
Second night at the warehouse
And my mock turtleneck just reeks
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh
From the liquor room to the change room
To the doom and gloom of the hotel room
I think this seaside beer hall should sink into the bay
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh (ba, dum, tum, tum, ba, dum)
Hello city, hello city, hello city
Maybe I caught you at a bad time
Maybe I should call you back next week
Maybe half the fault is mine that the sun didn't shine on Barrington Street
It's 3 o'clock in the morning
And I'm hungry so let's eat
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Climb down three flights
Too the street lights
And the bar fights
We're just takin' in the sights
I hope tomorrow that I wake up in my own bed
Hello city, you've found an enemy in me
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, hello city, hello city, hey
What a good place to be
Don't believe them, cause they speak a different language
And it's happy hour again
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
It's happy hour again
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, eh
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Hello city, eh
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
This is a song about Halifax.....before they got big they played Halifax and got booed out of the city. It is a fave of the city noe because of a number of reasons..."Another night at tha Palace, cuz there's nothing else to do". I dare you to find a 20 something person in Halifax who has never uttered this line at least once. It is one of the biggest bars in the city and boasts live bands and large crowds. The unofficial name of this bar is the last chance for romance, because if you can't pick up here then you may as well join the priesthood or a nunnery.
"Cause they speak a diferent language' The maritime lingo can be a bit difficult to decipher if you aren't used to it
"It's happy hour again" Halifax has the most bars per capita than any city in North America
"Maybe half the fault was mine that the sun didn't shine on barrington street." There are a lot of trees and tall buildings along Barrington in the heart of downtown and the sun hardly ever does shine there
This is a song about Halifax.....before they got big they played Halifax and got booed out of the city. It is a fave of the city noe because of a number of reasons..."Another night at tha Palace, cuz there's nothing else to do". I dare you to find a 20 something person in Halifax who has never uttered this line at least once. It is one of the biggest bars in the city and boasts live bands and large crowds. The unofficial name of this bar is the last chance for romance, because if you can't pick up here then you may as well join the priesthood or a nunnery.
"Cause they speak a diferent language' The maritime lingo can be a bit difficult to decipher if you aren't used to it
"It's happy hour again" Halifax has the most bars per capita than any city in North America
"Maybe half the fault was mine that the sun didn't shine on barrington street." There are a lot of trees and tall buildings along Barrington in the heart of downtown and the sun hardly ever does shine there
its a song about stevens fondness for montreal... silly canadians
i think that this song is about a band (possibly BnL themselves) getting really annoied with playing at the same place over and over again
Hello City is about one of the band's earlier days while still a duo and travelling with Corky and the Juice Pigs. They came to a city during the second length of the tour and nobody liked them. They were just miserable, and it was just a terrible experience. So they wrote a song about it to get back at them I guess.
The bit:
"what a good place to be, don't believe them, 'Cause they speak a different language And it's never been happy for me. It's Happy Hour again."
is taken from the song "Happy Hour" by the Housemartins which was the band which Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook), Dave Hemingway (Beautiful South) as well as Paul Heaton (Beautiful South) were all part of.
What Sanjuro said. More specifically, it's about Halifax, NS. I found Barrington Street when I was there a few years ago. :)
"You've found an enemy in me..." I love those lines!
Ah, Halifax. I lived there (and hated it) for two years. I had this song on constant replay. Then I moved back to Toronto and found out that Steve Page had moved onto my parent's street.
And the sun never shines ANYWHERE in Halifax, from all the fog and rain. Urk.
i think of it as a guy who moves to a big city (maybe for a new job or whatever) and just hates it. he spends his time wasting away his life, drinking and doing whatever (going home with women) just to pass the time in his horrible life and he blames it all on the city