"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.
This is a jazmine exclusive, suckers
(Oh, we gonna take 'em to the club like this)
Packin' up my shh and I'm going real far
Going off to hollywood to be a big star
There's nothing here for me so I gotta move fast
And I'm getting on the road and won't never look back (hey)
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance
Can't spend another second sitting on my mama's couch
So if I don't take a chance I won't ever get out
Some people talk but never do they just running they mouth
But I mean just what I say and I'ma show them what I'm about, yeah
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance
When it feel like you been waiting all your life for the second
You'll be a fool to just let it past so go and get it
No matter near or far, to the moon, the stars
I'll do whatever I need to follow my dream
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance, I gotta
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Ooh, ooh
(Oh, we gonna take 'em to the club like this)
Packin' up my shh and I'm going real far
Going off to hollywood to be a big star
There's nothing here for me so I gotta move fast
And I'm getting on the road and won't never look back (hey)
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance
Can't spend another second sitting on my mama's couch
So if I don't take a chance I won't ever get out
Some people talk but never do they just running they mouth
But I mean just what I say and I'ma show them what I'm about, yeah
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance
When it feel like you been waiting all your life for the second
You'll be a fool to just let it past so go and get it
No matter near or far, to the moon, the stars
I'll do whatever I need to follow my dream
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Only get one chance, I gotta
I gotta dream big (dream big) 'cause when it happen it's gon' happen real quick
Yes I feel that I gotta
I gotta move fast 'cause when it happen I can't let it go past
Ooh, ooh
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Dream Big Lyrics as written by Melissa (elliottmissy) Elliott Thomas Bangalter
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
When We Were Young
Blink-182
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
No Surprises
Radiohead
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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/
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.