"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.
Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
I'm in a New York state of mind
I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
I know what I'm needin'
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy livin' day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
Oh, yeah
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News
Who, oh, oh whoa, who
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
'Cause I'm in a, I'm in a New York state of mind, yea
Take a holiday from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
I'm in a New York state of mind
I've seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
I know what I'm needin'
And I don't want to waste more time
I'm in a New York state of mind
It was so easy livin' day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
Oh, yeah
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News
Who, oh, oh whoa, who
It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I left them all behind
I'm in a New York state of mind
I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River line
'Cause I'm in a, I'm in a New York state of mind, yea
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More Featured Meanings
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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.
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/
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.
this is an awsome song...everything billy joel does is awsome. hes the coolest guy ever and he grew up on long island just like me he even went to the same high school as my mom. mabye im the only teenager that likes billy joel but when ever "im in a new york state of mind" i take a break from my usual punk and emo ad chill to billy joel. i gotta support a fellow long islander :)
New york smiled when this was written
That feinstein fellowe doesn't like Mr. Joel's works very much, does he? Anyway, I've liked Billy Joel since... oh, preschool, before I knew about artists and song-writing, etcetera, I only knew what I heard on the radio. I distinctly remember several of Billy Joel's songs (not this one, mind you) and Sting's, well, NOW he's Sting, but I remember the Police recordings. Oh, how I ramble on, such a chatterbox for a 13 year old!
RANDY NEWMAN MY ASS!
We sang an arrangement of this song in show choir the year we went to New York. He made us, a bunch of touristy Minnesotans clutching our travalers checks and camera's sing this song in front of a bunch of actual highschool choirs who were probably all laughing at us. Ah... memories.
Dude this song is awesome! my school districts honor choir sang this and it was sooo good! i love this song! BILLY JOEL FOR LIFE!
I love whe he adds "And Newsday too" to the list of NY newspapers when he sings this live. It's great when he makes Long island references at local concerts -- sort of makes you feel somewhat closer to him because you have similar experiences, etc.
This song represents New York - and although I'm one of the least New Yorky New Yorkers...this song is amazing. Right at this very moment I'm in a New York State of Mind. That's what happens when a damn yankee liberal decides to go to college in the heart of Texas.
Anywho, I saw him perform this song live...WITH GARTH BROOKS...IN CENTRAL PARK. What an amazing concert. Just Garth was amazing, but when Billy came out ALL my dreams came true. I've been listening to him before I could even remember. And the only thing that I'm the least bit proud about - is the fact that I walked down the same halls he once walked at the HMS (formally HHS)...ahh Billy.
Well, anywho... - if you wanna take a break from the same old, same old listen to this song. It's an amazing piece of music. Billy knows how to do it.
One of the best Billy Joel songs. I love all the major 7th chords and how he emphasizes the notes. just beatiful
Billy wrote this song literally days after returning to NY from California. Next time you listen to the song, picture him on a Greyhound bus, looking out the window, as it drives along the Hudson River towards his new house - and thinking the lyrics to himself (because that is basically how the song came about).