"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.
Gee wiz, that's a pretty awesome headband bra|It really turns me on|Not|Wait what|Your band's playing an abandoned synagogue tonight?|I don't think so|God I miss Tennessee||Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee|Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee||Oh my god|Is that a mustache tattoo on your finger?|I've never seen that before|Sike|Wait what|You wanna go to Little Joy on your vespa?|I don't think so|God I miss Tennessee||Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee|Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee||Whoa man|So you like, don't have a last name?|That's genius|Douche|Wait what|Your friend drives a vegan bbq truck?|I don't think so|God I miss Tennessee||Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee|Oooooooh yea|I just want a little Tennessee|Give me that Tennessee||And all the people die
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
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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,
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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This song is so awesome. Lx
this is basically the anti-hipster anthem