"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 sometimes wonder why
All the flowers have to die
I dream about you
And now, summer's come and gone
And the nights they seem so long
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
Oh, when the cool night brings back memories
Of a good life, when this love was not so old
Oh, I won't talk about the past
How love's supposed to last forever
And you don't have to take a stand
Lay out any plans
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
Oh, when the cool night brings back memories
Of a good life, when this love was not so old
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
All the flowers have to die
I dream about you
And now, summer's come and gone
And the nights they seem so long
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
Oh, when the cool night brings back memories
Of a good life, when this love was not so old
Oh, I won't talk about the past
How love's supposed to last forever
And you don't have to take a stand
Lay out any plans
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
Oh, when the cool night brings back memories
Of a good life, when this love was not so old
Come on over tonight
Come on over
It's gonna be a cool night
Just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
On a cool night, let me hold you
On a cool night, just let me hold you by the firelight
If it don't feel right, you can go
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
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.
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/
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
this song is very nostalgic to me. I hear Paul Davis's voice and it takes me back to when I was a kid hearing my mother play this on Saturday mornings while she cleaned the house. I agree that it has a haunting quality that can easily take you back.
I agree with the other comments, too. This song certainly is sad and haunting. The idea of love grown old and the singer's appeal to his (still?) girlfriend to just come over and simply let him hold her... If I'm in a melancholy mood, this song can bring tears to my eyes. (One of his other huge hits, "I Go Crazy", has a similar theme, but in that song he has broken up with her and she has a new love. He meets her again after some time and realizes she still has his heart.) In "Cool Night", I like to imagine that she comes over and they get romantic by the fire and rekindle the flame they had!
i grew up with this one and had forgotten about it for years, and when i re-discovered it i listened to it 3 times in a row. its very romantic and has an appealing haunting quality
This song has angelic powers. One extremely hot night, my dog (Maltese-poodle mix) was clearly suffering from the effects of heat stroke. I had Sirius XM's Yacht Rock Radio on in the background as the AC was on full blast and Cool Night came on. Within minutes, he was back to his old self again. Thank you Paul Davis for your heavenly gift on behalf of Charlie the Maltipoo. To this day, he wags his tail to the blissful rhythm when I play his favorite summer jam. Because of the raw, magnetic emotional power of this song that I have felt firsthand, I'd say Paul's invitation to the female muse was well-received on that particular fall night. Long live the smoothest era in musical history, the late 70's/early 80's am gold.