"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.
[Best Friend] It's been 10 days
It shouldn't last this long
The doctor’s mystified
Nothing's physically wrong
[Wife] But maybe in his head
he’s struggling to survive
Would it help if we talked to him?
Bring him back to life
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you remember that time?
We were showing off our brand-new flashy bikes
[Wife and Love] You looked so fine
until you both fell over and then started to cry!
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you recall that day?
Fearlessly we climbed the highest tower
[Wife and Love] Then you became afraid
Too scared to climb down, you stayed up there for hours!
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you remember that time?
[Wife and Love] Do you recall that day?
[Wife and Love] Do you remember that time?
Alone at last, naked by the fire
[Best Friend and Pride] Then all your friends came by
They rushed in the room and you had no time to hide
[Wife and Love] Do you recall that day?
You proposed to me and fell down to your knee
[Best Friend and Pride] You didn't know what to say,
so she knelt down too, for she thought you'd lost your keys!
[Wife and Love] Do you remember that time?
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you recall that day?
[Passion] Can you see her light
shining through the black?
She's reaching out to you
What's holding you back?
[Reason] Can you feel her warmth
glowing on your skin?
Don't repress the memories
Let them all in
It shouldn't last this long
The doctor’s mystified
Nothing's physically wrong
[Wife] But maybe in his head
he’s struggling to survive
Would it help if we talked to him?
Bring him back to life
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you remember that time?
We were showing off our brand-new flashy bikes
[Wife and Love] You looked so fine
until you both fell over and then started to cry!
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you recall that day?
Fearlessly we climbed the highest tower
[Wife and Love] Then you became afraid
Too scared to climb down, you stayed up there for hours!
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you remember that time?
[Wife and Love] Do you recall that day?
[Wife and Love] Do you remember that time?
Alone at last, naked by the fire
[Best Friend and Pride] Then all your friends came by
They rushed in the room and you had no time to hide
[Wife and Love] Do you recall that day?
You proposed to me and fell down to your knee
[Best Friend and Pride] You didn't know what to say,
so she knelt down too, for she thought you'd lost your keys!
[Wife and Love] Do you remember that time?
[Best Friend and Pride] Do you recall that day?
[Passion] Can you see her light
shining through the black?
She's reaching out to you
What's holding you back?
[Reason] Can you feel her warmth
glowing on your skin?
Don't repress the memories
Let them all in
Lyrics submitted by llowell, edited by Octavarium64
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Fast Car
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Mountain Song
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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."
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
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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/
Punchline
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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.
"Do you recall that day You proposed to me, and fell down to your knees You didn’t know what to say So she knelt down too for she thought you’d lost your keys!"
This is another one of those things I can see happening to me.