"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.
Been beat up and battered 'round
Been sent up, and I've been shot down
You're the best thing that I've ever found
Handle me with care
Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, you're adorable
Handle me with care
I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care
Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
I've been fobbed off, and I've been fooled
I've been robbed and ridiculed
In day care centers and night schools
Handle me with care
Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings, hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Hand me with care
I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care
Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
I've been uptight and made a mess
But I'll clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care
Been sent up, and I've been shot down
You're the best thing that I've ever found
Handle me with care
Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, you're adorable
Handle me with care
I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care
Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
I've been fobbed off, and I've been fooled
I've been robbed and ridiculed
In day care centers and night schools
Handle me with care
Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings, hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Hand me with care
I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care
Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
I've been uptight and made a mess
But I'll clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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."
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,
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.
As best I can guess (for each paragraph):
Lewis Lewis/Gibbard Gibbard Ward Lewis Lewis/Gibbard Gibbard Oberst/Gibbard Oberst
Obviously, a lot of them are in the background, so I'm only really counting the main singers in each verse unless they're sharing the majority of it.
Ben Gibbard just steals all of it! His voice is so distinctive and Matt Ward couldn't go as high as he does in the background behind the other people.
badasssssss cover of song from the traveling wilburys with collabs from ben gibbard, conor obesrt (!!) and m.ward.
Gosh, methinks Mr. Gibbard needs another verse!
O.M.G. this song= love. jenny, ben and conor are probably three of my absolute favorite musicians, and to hear them all on one track is just amazing. this is probably on of my favorites on this record.
This is probably the only time you'll get a chance to hear Jenny Lewis, Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst, and M.Ward all on a single track together. This once in a lifetime oppotunity is NOT to be missed! It's such a sweet cover!
Obviously about someone who went through bad relationships and now has a new boyfriend/girlfriend and just wants this to be a succesful relationship.
And holy crap, Jenny Lewis, Ben Gibbard and Conor Oberst? Heaven.
i didn't notice conor :(
Conor sings the
"Everybody, needs somebody to lean on, Put your body next to mine and dream on."
part :)
This is an absolutely awesome cover! It reminds me of being a kid, riding around in my dad's car listening to the Traveling Wilburys. He played that cassette all the time, what a great album.
I was trying to explain the Traveling Wilbury's to my boyfriend, who's a few years younger and had never heard of them. Original band members included Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Roy Orbison. Quite the supergroup. My boyfriend then described it as "the Postal Service of your dad's generation." Yeah, kind of. Just as great as Jenny, Conor, Ben and M.Ward teaming up for this cover. The Wilbury's Volume 1, which included Handle with Care is now out of print and hard to come by; bummer. Maybe my dad still has his cassette...
Anyhow, the lyrics are pretty obvious, I just wanted to comment on how much I love this cover.
Conor doesn't sing the "Everybody, needs somebody to lean on, Put your body next to mine and dream on." part, does he? It doesn't sound like him to me. I thought that was M Ward. The voice is too deep/weird.
He definitely sings the
'I've been uptight and made a mess. I'd clean it up myself I guess. Oh the sweet smell of success. Handle me with care.'
bit. Even then I had to double check that was him. Everyone sounds a lot more country on this record than with their respective bands.