"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.
World is turnin'
I hope it don't turn away
The world is turnin'
I hope it don't turn away
All my pictures are fallin'
From the wall where I placed them yesterday
World is turnin'
I hope it don't turn away
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
Though my problems are meaningless, that don't make them go away
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
Now I'm livin' out here on the beach, but those seagulls are still out of reach
Went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
Get out of town, think I'll get out of town
Get out of town, think I'll get out of town
I head for the sticks with my bus and friends
I follow the road, though I don't know where it ends
Get out of town, get out of town, think I'll get out of town
'Cause the world is turnin'
I don't want to see it turn away
I hope it don't turn away
The world is turnin'
I hope it don't turn away
All my pictures are fallin'
From the wall where I placed them yesterday
World is turnin'
I hope it don't turn away
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
Though my problems are meaningless, that don't make them go away
I need a crowd of people, but I can't face them day to day
I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
Now I'm livin' out here on the beach, but those seagulls are still out of reach
Went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone
Get out of town, think I'll get out of town
Get out of town, think I'll get out of town
I head for the sticks with my bus and friends
I follow the road, though I don't know where it ends
Get out of town, get out of town, think I'll get out of town
'Cause the world is turnin'
I don't want to see it turn away
Lyrics submitted by Roland Ripley
On the Beach Lyrics as written by Neil Young
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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/
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I think smallwonderrobot hit it on the head....not the hardest of songs to analyze, per se. The line:
"Now I'm living out here on the beach but those seagulls are still out of reach"
That just about sums it up. You've reached the pinnacle of things, yet you're still searching for satisfaction. It's a restless feeling.
This song is amazing. Depressing, but amazing.
And yeah, definitely about not being able to be satisfied with life in general. Always feeling like you need more and it's never there.
though my problems are meaningless that dont make them go away..
perfect.
I think the lyrics are clearly about the hardships of being famous. He needs the fame to live and survive, but can only take so much of it and wants them to just go away. The first time I heard this song my mind was blown. "All my pictures are fallin from the wall where I placed them yesterday". Who knew such simple words could have so much meaning? "Though my problems are meaningless, that don't make them go away." I love this line. This represents my life right now. I think it says that just because others don't see your problems as meaningful and important, it doesn't mean it's not a problem for you still. Perhaps Neil was referring to when "normal" people say that rich and famous people have no reason to bitch about their problems because they can't possibly have any.
I don't think this song only applies to fame either. It represents me very well right now. I'm 18, getting serious about school, meeting girls, driving my own car, no rent money to pay since I still live at home. Basically I'm beginning the period of life that many feel is the prime of life, or "living on the beach". But I have trouble recognizing it sometimes. I have this "is this it?" kind of feeling constantly, and I feel ashamed for even feeling that, but it's the truth. I'm livin' on the beach but I don't know how to enjoy it.
There was a book by Nevil Shute called "on the beach". It was about the end of the world after a nuclear war with the survivors in Australia waiting for the fallout to come and kill them. There was an American submarine there and they traveled to the west coast of the US to investigate radio signals but when they got there the signals came from a microphone randomly hitting something. I also believe that the metaphor of seagulls flying off the shore was used. A great but depressing book and I think that it fits in with the overall theme of the album. I first heard this album when it came out almost forty years ago and I still think that it is similar to the book.
The title track for the greatest album of all time and no comments. What a shame.
I think it's about success and the mixed feelings of fame.
Great song. I agree that it is about Neil being fed up of fame and the necessary trappings of leading a successful music career.
The part I struggle to understand is "I went to the radio interview, but I ended up alone at the microphone".
That sounds like a very specific instance. Neil's songs are full of these. Anyone have any ideas?
Ever seen the movie Almost Famous? The scene where they go in for the radio interview and the radio host is so stoned he ends up falling asleep while interviewing the band and they start swearing and joking around amongst themselves while the DJ slept. Well, in the commentary Cameron Crowe mentions that the scene was inspired by that incident happening to Neil Young. The more you know..
TRUE STORY: A dj named Steven Clean (real name: Steven Segal) interviewed Neil Young in the early 1970s on an LA radio station (KPPC or KMET). Recently the station had gotten ahold of the "Harvest" album early and played it on the air and Neil was reportedly upset about it. During the interview, Neil asked Steven to remove his headphones, feeling they were isolating. Steven said he needed them on to keep the levels right for the interview, but Neil insisted. So Steven angrily countered that next time Neil was onstage he should unplug his guitar. Then Steven walked out, leaving Neil "alone at the microphone." Steven sent an engineer into the studio to show Neil how to work the controls and left him there to finish the radio program. <br /> <br /> As he sings about the radio interview, Neil says "the seagulls are out of reach," a hidden reference to Segal. And as he begins the song on a bootleg from the Bottom Line, Neil says, "I'm coming for you, Steven!"
rocket88's story is the way I remember it. "Clean" had come from the legitimately underground, long-defunct KPPC. He was more than a handful but somehow managed to get hired on KMET which was owned by a major chain (Metromedia) who were trying to figure out how to steal fire from the real underground FM scene. He was a quirky radio personality, seeming to affect a conscious stutter at times and having sometimes extremely strong opinions about what he played. I really liked him for a long time but in the mid-70s he seemed to retrench to dinosaur rock. I remember the only time I heard him play the Sex Pistols. I was excited because I thought my then-favorite DJ was finally catching up to the times. But on the outro he said something like, "Well, that's the Sex Pistols and you'll never hear them again on my show." And he was right, because I stopped listening right after that and found a station that wasn't mired in the early 70s.
Though this song seems to be primarily about the downsides of fame, I extracted another idea from the line that goes,"I need a crowd of people/But I can't face them day to day". Sure, Young was probably referring to his audience and the strain of having to entertain them at what must have seemed like a constant pace in his mind. However, I thought that the "crowd of people" refers to a group of friends.
I once quoted the line to some friends in an attempt to explain why I often like to isolate myself. It's not that I don't like them – I love my friends – but I often need to be away from them to bask in the silence and warmth of self-reflection.