"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 was just out of the service thumbing through the classifieds
When an ad that said, "old Chevy"
Somehow caught my eye
The lady didn't know the year or even if it ran
But I had that thousand dollars in my hand
It was way back in the corner of this old ramshackle barn
With thirty years of dust and dirt on that green Army tarp
And when I pulled the cover off
It took away my breath
What she'd called a Chevy was a sixty-six Corvette
And I felt a little guilty as I counted out the bills
What a thrill I got when I sat behind the wheel
I opened up the glove box and that's when I found the note
The date was nineteen sixty-six and this is what he wrote
He said, "My name is Private Andrew Malone
And if you're reading this, then I didn't make it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of mine, now it belongs to you
And though you may take her and make her your own
You'll always be riding with Private Malone"
Well, it didn't take me long at all, I had her running good
I love to hear those horses thunder underneath her hood
I had her shining like a diamond and I'd put the rag top down
All the pretty girls would stop and stare as I drove her through town
The buttons on the radio didn't seem to work quite right
But it picked up that oldie show, especially late at night
I'd get the feeling sometimes if I turned real quick, I'd see
A soldier riding shotgun in the seat right next to me
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And he told me to take her and make her my own
And I was proud to be riding with Private Malone
Well, one night it was raining hard, I took the curve too fast
I still don't remember much about that fiery crash
Someone said they thought they saw a soldier pull me out
They didn't get his name, but I know without a doubt
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't tagged along
Yeah, that night, I was riding with Private Malone
Oh, thank God, I was riding with Private Malone
Private Malone
When an ad that said, "old Chevy"
Somehow caught my eye
The lady didn't know the year or even if it ran
But I had that thousand dollars in my hand
It was way back in the corner of this old ramshackle barn
With thirty years of dust and dirt on that green Army tarp
And when I pulled the cover off
It took away my breath
What she'd called a Chevy was a sixty-six Corvette
And I felt a little guilty as I counted out the bills
What a thrill I got when I sat behind the wheel
I opened up the glove box and that's when I found the note
The date was nineteen sixty-six and this is what he wrote
He said, "My name is Private Andrew Malone
And if you're reading this, then I didn't make it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of mine, now it belongs to you
And though you may take her and make her your own
You'll always be riding with Private Malone"
Well, it didn't take me long at all, I had her running good
I love to hear those horses thunder underneath her hood
I had her shining like a diamond and I'd put the rag top down
All the pretty girls would stop and stare as I drove her through town
The buttons on the radio didn't seem to work quite right
But it picked up that oldie show, especially late at night
I'd get the feeling sometimes if I turned real quick, I'd see
A soldier riding shotgun in the seat right next to me
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And he told me to take her and make her my own
And I was proud to be riding with Private Malone
Well, one night it was raining hard, I took the curve too fast
I still don't remember much about that fiery crash
Someone said they thought they saw a soldier pull me out
They didn't get his name, but I know without a doubt
It was a young man named Private Andrew Malone
Who fought for his country and never made it home
But for every dream that's shattered, another one comes true
This car was once a dream of his, back when it was new
And I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't tagged along
Yeah, that night, I was riding with Private Malone
Oh, thank God, I was riding with Private Malone
Private Malone
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
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
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.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
One of the few country songs I actually like...
Just a really moving, cool song
TT-TT Why don't you people talk more about the actual meaning of this and the other songs out there......people just say that they like it..... "Me Sighs" You people don't know a good song when you hear it....
But Anyways this is a very good song, It's basically about him finding the car and note..and everything else actually happened..the car crash and the lady seeing him being carried out the wreckage buy a solider..it actually mad news...and a few years later he made the song in honer of Malone for saving his life ^-^
The lyrics are pretty straightforward and not much in need of interpretation. I was thinking that the theme of the song seems like a very benevolent take on the central idea in the Stephen King novel "Christine" in that a new owner restores an old car that meant a whole lot to the deceased former owner, and finds himself accompanied by the spirit of that former owner. In the novel, the car radio even gets the oldies station better than any other, as in the song. Being a Stephen King story, the former owner has far more malignant intentions than Malone's ghost in the song.
I did think that Malone's ghost, after pulling the narrator out of the crashed car, ought to have slapped him around a bit for a) wrecking the car and b) taking advantage of Malone's naive relative (or whoever it was who sold the car) in the initial sale. ;)
i love this song. i think i've heard it on the radio once. they shouold play it more!
This is one of the few country songs I can listen to relentlessly. I agree they should play it more often on the radio, it's excellent.