"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.
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I've got speed
I've got everything I need
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I can fly
I'm a supersonic guy
I don't need pleasure
I don't feel pain
If you were to knock me down I'd just get up again
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I'm makin' out
I'm all about
I wake up every morning with a smile upon my face
My natural exuberance spills out all over the place
I'm the urban spaceman, I'm intelligent and clean
Know what I mean?
I'm the urban spaceman, as a lover second to none
It's a lot of fun
I never let my friends down
I've never made a boob
I'm a glossy magazine, an advert in the tube
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; here comes the twist--
I don't exist
I've got everything I need
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I can fly
I'm a supersonic guy
I don't need pleasure
I don't feel pain
If you were to knock me down I'd just get up again
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; I'm makin' out
I'm all about
I wake up every morning with a smile upon my face
My natural exuberance spills out all over the place
I'm the urban spaceman, I'm intelligent and clean
Know what I mean?
I'm the urban spaceman, as a lover second to none
It's a lot of fun
I never let my friends down
I've never made a boob
I'm a glossy magazine, an advert in the tube
I'm the urban spaceman, baby; here comes the twist--
I don't exist
Lyrics submitted by Random18, edited by Mellow_Harsher
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
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.
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
"My natural exuberance spills out all over the place" is such a great line.
I have no idea what it's about.
This song always effects my mood. It will either make me giddy or.. Sad. It makes me hate being part of the generation I am in. I was born in '94 so I never had the priviledge to see The Bonzo Dog as what it is. I would have much rather experienced the prime of my life in the 60's...
Otherwise, I love this song!!!
During the 60s a lot of regeneration of war damaged areas was taking place. These were referred to as "Urban Spaces" (now known as Brownfield sites). Neil Innes reckoned that if there was an Urban Space then it made sense for there to be an Urban Spaceman to occupy it.
I agree... definitely a classic. Great song.
I love this song. But I have no idea what its all about.
Great final line though
It was just a tossoff to get on the charts.
Maybe it was the product of a bar bet. The Bonzos had a great cult following, but a wider fan base was out of their reach because they refused to play that game.
I think one of the guys said, "Bet you can't write a song that gets on the charts!" and Innes said, "Bet I can!"
And he just threw together all the elements of a pop hit; simple ABA structure, 4/4 time, elemental chord changes,, mindless, memorable melody, simple baseline, popular novelty song theme (outer space).
And it did make the charts, unlike their more sophisticated, cooler stuff.
I believe this song is about a speed freak ie-amphetamine user. "I've got speed", "I've got everything I need", "my natural exuberance" etc etc..seems to fit well.
During the 60s a lot of regeneration of war damaged areas was taking place. These were referred to as "Urban Spaces" (now known as Brownfield sites). Neil Innes reckoned that if there was an Urban Space then it made sense for there to be an Urban Spaceman to occupy it.
I think there's some lyrics about taking drugs, more specifically amphetamine.
I don't think that's the main topic of the song though, I take it to be about media portrayals of people resulting in unrealistic expectations of humans in general.
It talks about being a glossy magazine, and an advert but ends with saying these people don't really exist.
"Innes’ inspiration for the song came from two sources. One was the “urban spaces” of post-war rebuilding in Manchester: “They call them ‘brownfield sites’ nowadays. I just thought ‘well, if there’s urban space, why isn’t there an urban spaceman?’” The other was the vacuous consumerism of ‘60s advertising: “shiny, smiley-faced people eating happy meals and things like this. And so the ‘Urban Spaceman’ was a composite of the sort of an ideal figure in an advert. He doesn’t exist in real life.” With a simple melody inspired by the wailing “na-na-na-na” siren of a passing ambulance, ‘I’m the Urban Spaceman’ was very different from the Bonzos’ usual wild pastiche of musical styles and ideas." source: writingonmusic.com/2016/03/13/natural-exuberance-im-the-urban-spaceman/
writingonmusic.com/2016/03/13/natural-exuberance-im-the-urban-spaceman/