"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.
Jenny said when she was just five years old
There was nothing happening at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was a nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
You know, she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Despite all the amputations
You know you could just go out
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
It was alright (it was alright)
Hey baby, you know it was alright (it was alright)
Jenny said
When she was just about five years old
You know why parents gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars
Well you know, it ain't gonna help me at all, not just a tiny bit
Then one fine mornin' she turns on a New York station
She doesn't believe what she hears at all
Ooh, she started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life is saved by rock 'n' roll, yeah rock 'n' roll
Despite all the computations
You could just dance
To that rock 'n' roll station
And baby it was alright (it was alright)
Hey it was alright (it was alright)
Hey here she comes now!
Jump! jump!
Jenny said when she was just about five years old
Hey, you know, there was nothing happening at all, not at all
Every time I put on the radio
You know there's nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
Then one fine mornin' she hears a New York station
She just didn't believe what she heard at all, hey, not at all
She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll, yes rock 'n' roll
Despite all the computation
You know you could just dance
To a rock 'n' roll station
All right
All right
And it was alright
Well, listen to me now
And it was alright
Come on, man, listen
It was alright
It was alright
And it was alright
Alright!
It's alright
Alright!
Yeah, it's alright now
Alright!
Yeah, it's alright now
Alright!
It is all alright
Alright!
Yeah, alright now
Alright!
And it's alright right now
Alright!
And it's alright now
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Alright!
Now it's alright now
Alright!
Ooh, it's alright now
Alright!
Oh, alright
Alright!
Alright now
Alright!
There was nothing happening at all
Every time she puts on a radio
There was a nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station
You know, she couldn't believe what she heard at all
She started shakin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll
Despite all the amputations
You know you could just go out
And dance to a rock 'n' roll station
It was alright (it was alright)
Hey baby, you know it was alright (it was alright)
Jenny said
When she was just about five years old
You know why parents gonna be the death of us all
Two TV sets and two Cadillac cars
Well you know, it ain't gonna help me at all, not just a tiny bit
Then one fine mornin' she turns on a New York station
She doesn't believe what she hears at all
Ooh, she started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life is saved by rock 'n' roll, yeah rock 'n' roll
Despite all the computations
You could just dance
To that rock 'n' roll station
And baby it was alright (it was alright)
Hey it was alright (it was alright)
Hey here she comes now!
Jump! jump!
Jenny said when she was just about five years old
Hey, you know, there was nothing happening at all, not at all
Every time I put on the radio
You know there's nothin' goin' down at all, not at all
Then one fine mornin' she hears a New York station
She just didn't believe what she heard at all, hey, not at all
She started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll, yes rock 'n' roll
Despite all the computation
You know you could just dance
To a rock 'n' roll station
All right
All right
And it was alright
Well, listen to me now
And it was alright
Come on, man, listen
It was alright
It was alright
And it was alright
Alright!
It's alright
Alright!
Yeah, it's alright now
Alright!
Yeah, it's alright now
Alright!
It is all alright
Alright!
Yeah, alright now
Alright!
And it's alright right now
Alright!
And it's alright now
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Oh baby
Alright!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Alright!
Now it's alright now
Alright!
Ooh, it's alright now
Alright!
Oh, alright
Alright!
Alright now
Alright!
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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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.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
probably the single greatest rock song ever.
RIP Lou! <3
this song is the greatest ballad about the power of rock ever. Ever. Its is a fucking amazing song
I have standing orders with the girlfriend to have "His life was saved by rock 'n' roll" put on my headstone. Not joking.
This song is truth. Rock and roll is a religion to me; this is my Psalm 23.
just a good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll song about listenig to the genre
I love the guitar solo on this.
i love this song live
jane's addiction does a really good cover of this, i think you can find it on "strays". fantastic song.
@aceofhearts1 Actually, the cover of The Velvet Underground's 'Rock and Roll' is on the 1987 self-titled live album 'Jane's Addiction'.
This is more than just a song it's an opiate for the mind to escape from the dulldrum of life and rock to something that truly is one of the greatest rock songs ever made from an underappreciated legendary band.