"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.
Oh god!
Sean Don
Fall Out, Boi!
Did you trip down 12 steps into Malibu, ooh ooh
(Malibu, ooh, ooh, oh,)
So why the hell is there a light that's keeping us forever
Bel Air baby, did you get dressed up,
Pretty pout, pout
Until you bottomed up, oh
I can't stop it when there's chemicals keeping us together
I'm singing
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
Your crooked love is just a pyramid scheme
And I'm dizzy on dreams (and I'm dizzy on dreams)
But if you ask me two's a whole lot lonelier than one
Baby we should have left our love in the gutter where we found it
(Gutter where we found it)
'Cause your only crime is that you got caught
I'm singing
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
It's getting clear
You're never coming clean
Lock you up inside, and swallow, swallow the key
Hello?
Yeah I know you said not to call unless I'm dying
But I'm driving and I can't stop staring at my eyelids
But even though my eyes closed, I still see you
I just hope that when you see me I'm not see-through
You know how we do
Sometimes I swear, I need a day just for me to lay
With some T and A, but the way we, they way we is do deeper
Baby straight up chemistry DNA
Make me wanna give you every dollar out my B of A
Like, I let her climb on top
I'm either fuckin or workin', so the grind don't stop
They say I got screws missing, well hell, only when I'm missing you
And hell yeah I'm a dick, girl, addicted to you
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
Sean Don
Fall Out, Boi!
Did you trip down 12 steps into Malibu, ooh ooh
(Malibu, ooh, ooh, oh,)
So why the hell is there a light that's keeping us forever
Bel Air baby, did you get dressed up,
Pretty pout, pout
Until you bottomed up, oh
I can't stop it when there's chemicals keeping us together
I'm singing
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
Your crooked love is just a pyramid scheme
And I'm dizzy on dreams (and I'm dizzy on dreams)
But if you ask me two's a whole lot lonelier than one
Baby we should have left our love in the gutter where we found it
(Gutter where we found it)
'Cause your only crime is that you got caught
I'm singing
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
It's getting clear
You're never coming clean
Lock you up inside, and swallow, swallow the key
Hello?
Yeah I know you said not to call unless I'm dying
But I'm driving and I can't stop staring at my eyelids
But even though my eyes closed, I still see you
I just hope that when you see me I'm not see-through
You know how we do
Sometimes I swear, I need a day just for me to lay
With some T and A, but the way we, they way we is do deeper
Baby straight up chemistry DNA
Make me wanna give you every dollar out my B of A
Like, I let her climb on top
I'm either fuckin or workin', so the grind don't stop
They say I got screws missing, well hell, only when I'm missing you
And hell yeah I'm a dick, girl, addicted to you
Whoa
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
They fall in love
How the mighty fall
The mighty fall
The mighty fall
Oh how the mighty fall in love
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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/
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.
This person is probably in love with someone even know their love should be left in the gutter but they can't help but loving this person because even the mighty fall in love sometimes