"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 was sitting on a stoop
the summer when i saw you coming over
and i thought
'oh fucking no'
cos me and jenny o had just gotten so stoned,
and i didn't know what to do
i had it so bad for you
the weird thing is earlier that week
i had said to jenny,
"wouldn't it be funny if the guy you had a
crush on
hired a private eye
just to keep an eye on you, completely in disguise?"
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
jenny played it cool, sat up and introduced herself.
'cos back then you weren't supposed to know that all i did was think of you
and everything you did
the way you smiled
and everything you did
and what i wanted you to do
and your shirt was blue
(they said you were house sitting
right around the corner
and i thought i'd flip my lid right then and there.)
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
and then we went...
and then we... *laugh*
fuck! when did we go to brent's?!
and then we went...
and then we went to brents.
and then we played with very bliss, ggbb on dvd
we had a cigarette.
sat out on the patio you told me everything you know
about new york, assorted loves, music lessons, giving up
regina spektor, cat power's catastrophic live performances.
oh! the cat got out!
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
anyway, this song was just an excuse
to say coco!
over and over, and over.
and also to say thank you to
sal, and jenny o
chris and sal....
keep my crush on the down-low.
the summer when i saw you coming over
and i thought
'oh fucking no'
cos me and jenny o had just gotten so stoned,
and i didn't know what to do
i had it so bad for you
the weird thing is earlier that week
i had said to jenny,
"wouldn't it be funny if the guy you had a
crush on
hired a private eye
just to keep an eye on you, completely in disguise?"
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
jenny played it cool, sat up and introduced herself.
'cos back then you weren't supposed to know that all i did was think of you
and everything you did
the way you smiled
and everything you did
and what i wanted you to do
and your shirt was blue
(they said you were house sitting
right around the corner
and i thought i'd flip my lid right then and there.)
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
oh coco, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind
and then we went...
and then we... *laugh*
fuck! when did we go to brent's?!
and then we went...
and then we went to brents.
and then we played with very bliss, ggbb on dvd
we had a cigarette.
sat out on the patio you told me everything you know
about new york, assorted loves, music lessons, giving up
regina spektor, cat power's catastrophic live performances.
oh! the cat got out!
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
oh coco you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind.
anyway, this song was just an excuse
to say coco!
over and over, and over.
and also to say thank you to
sal, and jenny o
chris and sal....
keep my crush on the down-low.
Lyrics submitted by oh-oh-jealous
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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"
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
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/
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.
What album is this on, please?