"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.
I've nothing much to offer
There's nothing much to take
I'm an absolute beginner
And I'm absolutely sane
As long as we're together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same
CHORUS
If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Could laugh at the ocean/sail over heartaches second time
Just like the films
There's no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It's absolutely true
Nothing much could happen
Nothing we can't shake
Oh we're absolute beginners
With nothing much at stake
As long as you're still smiling
There's nothing more I need
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
But if my love is your love
We're certain to succeed
CHORUS
There's nothing much to take
I'm an absolute beginner
And I'm absolutely sane
As long as we're together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same
CHORUS
If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Could laugh at the ocean/sail over heartaches second time
Just like the films
There's no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It's absolutely true
Nothing much could happen
Nothing we can't shake
Oh we're absolute beginners
With nothing much at stake
As long as you're still smiling
There's nothing more I need
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
But if my love is your love
We're certain to succeed
CHORUS
Lyrics submitted by LilBowieGirl
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Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
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."
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
It's the title song for the homonymous 1986 film, starring David Bowie as well. About the song, ok, it's a simple tune, with simple lyrics; but not without depth. To me, the guy says: I'm absolutely, deeply in love... but I'm not mad, not crazy ('And I'm absolutely sane'). He is mature, and lived enough to recognize a deep emotion without the blindness off love madness. On the other hand, the relationship is just beginning, but he's sure that it will survive whatever lif throws at them, and it's a concious, cerebral statement ('With eyes completely open'). I can relate to it particulary in the seeing your couple as your whole world ('As long as we're together, the rest can go to hell'). This song is about maturity, the rediscover of a feeling of youth, with a new perspective, and the nervousness of the projections.
Nobody has commented on this song? One of my all-time favorites. Brings tears to my eyes each and every time I hear it. It's about the value and simplicity of true love and that it takes nothing, no effort, to embrace and enjoy it. The lyrics are few which I think is quite symbolic of the true meaning of the song. Love carries you thru the "hard times". Love conquers all...without it life is empty....souls are empty.
Great movie too. :)
What movie? As for the lyrics, everyone is a beginner. There's always that first step. There's also fear of rejection; embarrassment; failure; etc. What in life does not require risk? Some times one hurdle is all it takes to relieve fears. And sometimes that one hurdle is simply too much...
Ahem,I would refer one to ; <br /> imdb.com/title/tt0090585/
I've dedicated this song to a lover of mine...it totally describes our relationship and maybe ajust a little more. The music video is fascinating. Yeah...right...those must be very powerful cigarettes...to turn from a cigarette box into a black and white-striped girl.
What a pure romantic and love song from one of the best artist of all times! What an elegant, soft, pure, deep and charming sound from the White Duke! I have been in love with this song since I was 6!
@PeluCrespins interesting that you call Bowie “White Duke”, I saw a documentary on Bowie’s career and apparently, The Absokute Beginners session(s?) was the last time Bowie used cocaine, which of course was a huge problem for him in the “Thin White Duke” days. They got some for inspiration, apparently it all worked out, and if the doc is to be believed, DB never touched it again.
Great song ! " I absolutely love you , but we're absolute beginners , but if my love is your love , we're certain to succeed " ... I absolutely like this song
Well, it was from what was probabily the pits of Bowie's creativity. I don't know, I still kinda' like it though. Very sweeping and nice.
@Bonehead XL he wasn’t cranking out long form (LP) masterpieces anymore at this point, but he could still crank out a good song that ranks up there with his better stuff, now and again. I always thought “Little Wonder” was really good, as well as Absolute Beginners, Blue Jean, etc...and this was a time when Bowie had a less-obvious impact on popular culture.
I think its a bit harsh to criticise the creativity in this song.
Its certainly easier to appreceiate the depth in a song with more gravity, such as Cygnet Committe etc
This song is simple , short and optimistic I think one of the stongest and most powerful pieces of advice I have ever heard is "Love More"
And I think this song beautifully captures the depth of that thought. It is unashamedly optimistic and innocent but not naive
An optimistic backlash to the often expressed "Ah but we all thought that when we were your age" and "Ah yeah but you're still in your honeymoon period"
I love the chorus of this song. If you watch the music video, however, David is chasing a girl through the streets who seems to symbolize his cigarette addiction. He goes for a pack of 'Zebra' brand from a vending machine but doesn't have the change. She shows up decked out in a zebra-stripe outfit. When he catches her and kisses her, she vanishes, leaving a smouldering cigarette at his feet.
Kinda suggests that plastiksjael is on to something with the drug reference. It's just tobacco he can't do without!
some people never get what's at the core of simplicity this song talks so well of young love, of 2 people trying hard to believe in something, for most everyone love is the greatest answer to the overwhelming feelings we come to feel in our lives love's as well a complete uncertainty, when you're still pure in your desire, only wanting to keep the good precious love you've found; you're still full of high hopes, yet for this you might as well be the strongest and the righteous you'll ever be. or it's only just because you don't know anything more than that.. all that naivety is at the center of this strong and melodious song that is as simply beautiful for all these reasons