"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.
Dead in the water
It's not a paid vacation
The sons and daughters
Of city officials attend demonstrations
It's hardly a sink or swim
When all is well if the ticket sells
Out with a whimper
It's not a blaze of glory
You look down from your temple
As people endeavor to make it a story
And chisel a marble word
But all is lost if it's never heard
But I've got someone to make reports
That tell me how my money's spent
To book my stays and draw my blinds
So I can't tell what's really there
And all I need's a great big congratulations
I'll keep your dreams
You pay attention for me
As strange as it seems
I'd rather dissolve than have you ignore me
The ground may be moving fast
But I tied my boots to a broken mast
The difference is clear
You throw it in your cauldron
Rust and veneer
Dusk and dawn, Steinways and Baldwins
You start with a simple stock
Of all the waste, and salt to taste
But damn my luck, and damn these friends
That keep on combing back their smiles
I save my grace with half-assed guilt
And lay down the quilt upon the lawn
Spread my arms and soak up congratulations
It's not a paid vacation
The sons and daughters
Of city officials attend demonstrations
It's hardly a sink or swim
When all is well if the ticket sells
Out with a whimper
It's not a blaze of glory
You look down from your temple
As people endeavor to make it a story
And chisel a marble word
But all is lost if it's never heard
But I've got someone to make reports
That tell me how my money's spent
To book my stays and draw my blinds
So I can't tell what's really there
And all I need's a great big congratulations
I'll keep your dreams
You pay attention for me
As strange as it seems
I'd rather dissolve than have you ignore me
The ground may be moving fast
But I tied my boots to a broken mast
The difference is clear
You throw it in your cauldron
Rust and veneer
Dusk and dawn, Steinways and Baldwins
You start with a simple stock
Of all the waste, and salt to taste
But damn my luck, and damn these friends
That keep on combing back their smiles
I save my grace with half-assed guilt
And lay down the quilt upon the lawn
Spread my arms and soak up congratulations
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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First of all, I have to say, Congratulations is an incredible album. I am really impressed with what they did.
Does anyone else get a sense that these guys are seriously trying to distance themselves from the people who only liked the "hits" on the first record? Obviously this album is significantly less mainstream-friendly, and they are refusing to put out any singles. Plus I see this song as them feeling almost guilty at all the praise they are getting.
This is how I see it. They have said before their plan has always been to infiltrate popular culture, then freak everyone out. But they have also said that on Oracular Spectacular, most of the songs were masked with irony, and that that album is not truly "them." So they infiltrated, but now they see that they are only known for the facade of irony they put up on OS. So they decide that now they are reasonably popular, its time to show the world who they really are, and they know that "popular" culture may not completely embrace their new persona. So they are purposefully distancing themselves from what they used to be. It's a theory, its probably wrong.
Anyway, specifically about this song; to me, its about how the fame and adulation they have gained is not only strange to them, but it's not for the reasons they want. They are skeptical to accept this fame, because it has come because of the aforementioned ironic facade. Also, they are making fun of the petty problems that come with fame. "Its hardly a sink or swim when all is well if the ticket sells."
I totally agree with you that they are trying to get away from the main stream. I bet they hate when people who like lady gaga say they also like mgmt. i know i hate it.
well they said they were laughing when they wrote all their big hits (electric feel, time to pretend, kids). so i think they made this album to represent the "real" MGMT which came through on the second part of the album.
Spot on sir spot on. I almost hope this album isn't as popular as oracular because it'll weed out mgmts true fans from the poseurs that really just find kids and time to pretend catchy. I'm not saying they aren't good songs but they don't represent the real mgmt like this whole new album does
Who cares if they are popular or not though? I really like their music. Shouldn't that be all that matters to me? If you are listening to music to flaunt you're tastes to those who are less involved in the whole music scene, are you really any better than the "poseurs?" No, you're not. You're worse. Sorry for the rant, I guess i am in a bad mood.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />
yes! this album will definately seprate the fake fans who only like them from their hit singles from the true fans.
My question is this. Kids and Time to pretend were we released in 2004/2005. Oracular Spectacular 3 years later. The only new addition to the "big hits" of MGMT list would be electric feel, I would say. For most people don't know much more than one of those three songs.<br /> <br /> So my questions is this, was all of OS supposed to infiltrate pop culture or certain aspects of it? were they planning when they released their first ep/album (climbing to new lows) were they already planning something like OS to take over the pop scene?<br /> <br /> I just wonder because I am wondering if all of OS was basically a lie in a sort of way, or just certain aspects. I love all of MGMT don't get me wrong... but I love those songs too. My friends love that cd the most but like congratulations now too. Before I told them I didn't even care about the message (they said what they thought certain songs were about) and I said I just really enjoyed the music.<br /> <br /> Now I'm digging deeper into the lyrics and loving it... <br /> <br /> point being<br /> <br /> I like all MGMT, and I do like OS... but also the other stuff.
In an interview with the band, while talking about the two albums they said that when they were making the first album they were very focused on making it perfect and publicly appealing, worrying about it being liked and it was almost a rushed compilation of years of ideas. They said the second album would possibly be less appealing to some but it would be a more true representation of their work as a solid 1 year's efforts to putting together work they wanted. Additionally, in general sophomore albums are often about the fame if they were not famous before the first
I think you douche bags who only like things if nobody else does are so adorable. Why do you care so much who likes which songs? A fan is a fan, you either like the music or you don't and other peoples tastes shouldn't influence you. If they do, that makes you a hipster fag. Who gives a shit if someone only likes one or two of the hits, MGMT certainly doesn't and its creepy and pathetic that you do.
Holy shit, LizardKingJM71, this is exactly what my friends and I have been saying for the past, like, year, holy shit. <br /> <br /> We were thinking on parallel planes, but I thought nobody else had thought the same; I was wrong. We got it, dude! Except you explained it much more eloquently and coherently than we ever did.<br /> <br /> If enough people independently think of the same thing, then the chances of that thing being true, in my opinion, greatly increase. Damn, dude, I am very excited.