"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.
Nuclear arms in the Middle East
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad does whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Things got hot in El Salvador
C-I-A got caught and couldn't do no more
He's got diplomatic immunity
He's got a lethal weapon that nobody sees
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy
Send the envoy
Whenever there's a crisis
The President sends his envoy in
Guns in Damascus
Oh, Jerusalem
Nuclear arms in the Middle East
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad do whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy
Send for me
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad does whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Things got hot in El Salvador
C-I-A got caught and couldn't do no more
He's got diplomatic immunity
He's got a lethal weapon that nobody sees
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy
Send the envoy
Whenever there's a crisis
The President sends his envoy in
Guns in Damascus
Oh, Jerusalem
Nuclear arms in the Middle East
Israel is attacking the Iraqis
The Syrians are mad at the Lebanese
And Baghdad do whatever she please
Looks like another threat to world peace
For the envoy
Send the envoy
Send for me
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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,
The song was written about former U.S. envoy Philip Habib. Wikipedia- "Warren Zevon wrote the song "The Envoy", from his 1982 album of the same name, in honor of Habib. He later claimed to have received a letter of appreciation from Habib on U.S. State Department stationery."
The USA fancies itself as a world policeman. Their success is however questionable. Footnote: Remember "Lethal Weapon 2" with the South African badguys? Check out the references in lines 3 and 4 in the 2nd verse "diplomatic immunity" and "lethal weapon". Coincidental?
@chrisb1 From WWII to the current Russian war on Ukraine, the US has done a better job than anyone else. A lazy, dumb argument.
The album this song was on (also called The Envoy) was released in 1982, seven years before Lethal Weapon 2.
If anything, this song and Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner are like passages that were written by Noam Chomsky and set to music. Zevon was an astute observer of the times and that may explain why he was never as popular as he could've been. When you right heady material, most people won't get it therefore it will not be consumed as rapidly. If anybody could musically write about the downfall of Western civilization, it was Warren Zevon.
Astute observations OpinionHead. Agree 100%. It's pretty sad that Warren didn't get the recognition he deserved, though I'm not certain his primary interest in art was fame... because had it been, I'm sure he could have sacrificed a certain amount of artistic merit for commercial noticability. He was certainly savvy enough to do that had he wanted to. But he was always more intellectual and artistic about the things he wrote, and wasn't going to sacrifice any of his principles just to attain commercial success... and THANK GOD! It's good to have at least one singer/songwriter rock musician that has principles to keep, much less keep them.
Indeed, I discovered warren late in the game (1989) as I was very anti-american music of the 70's 80's (ie KISS [the worst band of all time], REO speedwagon, Boston.... need i say more) but he was a breath of fresh air and i continue to listen and search for scarce material of his. Ten