"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.
You
In your lark
You're a mark
You're a screamer
You know
How to hustle
Daddy
Is a rare
Millionaire
I don't care
Yeah you
Got the muscle
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
Take it
In your hand
All the sirens
And the band
Get to bendin' my ear
How
Was I to know
About the warm
Soulful secret
You been keepin' for years
I got the news
Slow down I'll tell you when
I may never walk again
Broadway Duchess
Darling if you only knew
Half as much as
Everybody thinks you do
What I hear
May be true
I would still be proud
To know you
Spanish kissin'
See it glisten
You came ragin'
Love rampagin'
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
In your lark
You're a mark
You're a screamer
You know
How to hustle
Daddy
Is a rare
Millionaire
I don't care
Yeah you
Got the muscle
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
Take it
In your hand
All the sirens
And the band
Get to bendin' my ear
How
Was I to know
About the warm
Soulful secret
You been keepin' for years
I got the news
Slow down I'll tell you when
I may never walk again
Broadway Duchess
Darling if you only knew
Half as much as
Everybody thinks you do
What I hear
May be true
I would still be proud
To know you
Spanish kissin'
See it glisten
You came ragin'
Love rampagin'
I got the news
Yes dear
How did you know
Can't you see our love will grow
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
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.
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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Three-way relationship like many SD songs.
"Daddy" is rich but she can do what she wants and get away with it.
They've known each other for a long time but he never knew she had a thing for him. Next thing you know they fall madly into bed together.
"Slow down, I'll tell you when..." - She's on top and perhaps with a little too much "travel" for him; he's afraid she's gonna break it right off.
The Broadway duchess lines I guess he doesn't think she's so smart, a typical slam - great sex, no brains.
"I would still be proud to know you" - note he says "know", sounds like he's distancing himself from her, this was a one time fling. "Proud" as in "yeah, I did her and WOW"
A 2009 three-way. Cute. I believe the song is about someone who doesn't care how bad someone looks and how broken she is because he (or she) has never had plans to be there...or he did have plans but could never muster the courage and never will. So one shall stick to his/her life of fun and multiple relationships while the other will fade in time. Sometimes it's best to call it a night, so to speak.