"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.
Don't wanna sound full of myself or rude
But you ain't looking at no other dudes cause you love me
(I'm sorry but, so sexy)
So you think about a chance
You find yourself trying to do my dance
Maybe cause you love me (Uh, you do it well)
So then we tried, ain't feeling this love now
Because you weren't used to how fast we touched (fast we touched)
Then we locked eyes, and I knew I was in there
And I was gon' tear ya ass up (tear ya ass up)
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
Trying to be the best girlfriend you could be
But still you sneak and look at me, and girl I love it
Then you give your other girl a shove
Tell her you gon' palm her ass like it was
And she's gon love it (whoa-oh whoa, yeah yeah)
So then we tried, ain't feeling this love now
Because you weren't used to how fast we touched (fast we touched)
Then we locked eyes, and I knew I was in there
And I was gon' tear ya ass up (tear ya ass up)
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
We got another one Pha-real
Dance, ooh ooh
I call you Pha-real cause you the truest, ha ha, Young!
Whoa-oh, oh oh
Uh, yeah
Dance, ooh ooh
Yeah, lemme talk to em
Whoa-oh, oh oh
I'm a keep it real
Every time your name was brought up
I would act all nonchalant in front of an audience
Like if you was just another shorty I put the naughty on
But uh, truth be told you do me for a loop, this Hov
I'm too old to be frontin' when I'm feeling Denzel
And you acting like you ain't appealing but you are
Stunting like you ain't my only girl but you are (I was just frontin')
I'm ready to stop when you are
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
Dance, ooh ooh
Whoa-oh, oh oh
Dance, ooh ooh
Whoa-oh, oh oh
But you ain't looking at no other dudes cause you love me
(I'm sorry but, so sexy)
So you think about a chance
You find yourself trying to do my dance
Maybe cause you love me (Uh, you do it well)
So then we tried, ain't feeling this love now
Because you weren't used to how fast we touched (fast we touched)
Then we locked eyes, and I knew I was in there
And I was gon' tear ya ass up (tear ya ass up)
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
Trying to be the best girlfriend you could be
But still you sneak and look at me, and girl I love it
Then you give your other girl a shove
Tell her you gon' palm her ass like it was
And she's gon love it (whoa-oh whoa, yeah yeah)
So then we tried, ain't feeling this love now
Because you weren't used to how fast we touched (fast we touched)
Then we locked eyes, and I knew I was in there
And I was gon' tear ya ass up (tear ya ass up)
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
We got another one Pha-real
Dance, ooh ooh
I call you Pha-real cause you the truest, ha ha, Young!
Whoa-oh, oh oh
Uh, yeah
Dance, ooh ooh
Yeah, lemme talk to em
Whoa-oh, oh oh
I'm a keep it real
Every time your name was brought up
I would act all nonchalant in front of an audience
Like if you was just another shorty I put the naughty on
But uh, truth be told you do me for a loop, this Hov
I'm too old to be frontin' when I'm feeling Denzel
And you acting like you ain't appealing but you are
Stunting like you ain't my only girl but you are (I was just frontin')
I'm ready to stop when you are
I know that I'm carrying on, never mind if I'm showing off
I was just frontin' (you know I want ya babe)
I'm ready to bet it all, unless you don't care at all
But you know I want ya (you should stop frontin' babe)
Dance, ooh ooh
Whoa-oh, oh oh
Dance, ooh ooh
Whoa-oh, oh oh
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My god, this song is so awesome! Great cover! So different from the original... hella jazzy :D
For real! I loved it! So smooth and indeed hella jazzy!
This version is so much better.
yeah, pharell did a good job with the lyics, but jamie cullum should have sung from the beginning, the version is amazing. its like crack, its so addcitive
I love both versions.
Jamie Cullum's music is so smooth. :)
I'm sorry if I offend anyone above me, but this to me is like a massacre of what was originally a great song. Pharrell is the only person who can pull this song off. End of.
Not end of...but to each his own. I love both versions and Pharrell himself signed of on Jamie doing it.
This song is addictive to listen to, like most great songs are.
A friend showed this song to me and even though at first it sounded familiar I didnt really see where it came from until I overheard a friend of mine singing the Pharrell version. When it came out I didn't care for it since I'm not a fan of that kind of music. I prefer the Jamie Cullum version so much more. It seems to give the song itself class and its much easier on the ears.
A friend showed this song to me and even though at first it sounded familiar I didnt really see where it came from until I overheard a friend of mine singing the Pharrell version. When it came out I didn't care for it since I'm not a fan of that kind of music. I prefer the Jamie Cullum version so much more. It seems to give the song itself class and its much easier on the ears.
i'm with izzo23 on this one. pharrell is one of those singers that is very, very hard to duplicate. granted, i can see how people would be annoyed by his falsetto. i, on the other hand, find his falsetto quite alluring. it's just what makes him pharrell. and the beats that he makes are always unique and catchy :]
this version isn't that bad. i just think that jamie's slightly raspy voice doesn't suit this very well. it kinda makes the song lose its sultriness that the original one had.