Country star Luke Combs covered this last year, saying it was his fave song of all time. As a result, the COUNTRY Music Association acknowledged Tracy Chapman as the songwriter. This made her the first person-of-color AND the first lesbian songwriter to receive this honor. Combs’version was a smash on the country charts, and was nominated for a Grammy. He performed it at this year’s Grammy show. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the music comes up and on stage, singing with Combs was the legend herself, TRACY CHAPMAN. She’s nearly 60 now. And she hadn’t performed in public since 2009. They were AMAZING together. Please react to this LIVE performance, 2024 Grammy Awards Show!
I grew up outside Boston and saw her busking in Harvard Square in 1986 or so. About two years later I was in my dorm at UMass Amherst and I heard THIS song coming from somewhere down the hall. I coud never forget her voice and went down the hall and asked the girls who they were listening too and they held up the ablum cover and it was her! It was the woman I saw busking in Harvard Square.
This song is about NOT being able to break the cycle. She quit school to care for her dad that “Lived with the bottle”. Then she just wants to make it out and finds a man who is just like her father “Stay out drinkin late at the bars, see more of your friends than you do your kids.” She still will not leave “I ain’t got no plans, ain’t goin nowhere.” It is such a relatable song to so many! Tracy Chapman is a treasure! ♥️
I get how people are saying the narrator doesn't break the cycle, but I always thought of this as having a hopeful ending bc she's not letting herself slide down with the boyfriend - she's telling him to move on so she can focus on living her life instead of subsidizing his
I think the lyrics are saying 'I thought we could make it together but with you, I'm not going anywhere, so take your fast car and keep on driving' (as in drive out of her life).
I think you’re right and why it’s poetic. Maybe aim repeated you but both are true. For this season of her life she feels momentary joy that is not usual, “I had a feeling that I belong” For a brief moment she thinks it can be different only if captured. “Leave tonight or live and die this way.”
💯 She's telling the story of millions, then....and the number keeps growing. What's shes NOT on is the American Exceptionalism, upward mobility bullshttt this reactor is going on about. This song is telling a story of a completely different material and cultural condition...The height of Regeanomics, wich is a spiral we've been on for more than 40 years. She works her ass off but still lives in a shelter. The lesson, the message ought to be about how our system produces the conditions this song is about. And the despair those conditions produce.
Tracy Chapman is one of the most highly underrated talented storytellers of our time. It is a crime that she doesn't get the recognition she truly deserves. You have to check out the rest of her catalog, there are songs there that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
She's gotten a lot of recognition, she deserves every bit of it, but she's won several Grammys, a few best musical storyteller awards. She deserves them all, but she's gotten a lot, I honestly don't understand why ppl don't know this?
She has 4 Grammy awards and several other awards. The most recent was in 2023. She is no longer in the highest point of her career but she isn't underrated at all.
underrated...? in germany she was a big star at this time... after 30 years its normal, that our youth didnt know her... same with dylan, cash or young...
Let me clarify, yes, she's won of the hardware and yes, her fans around the world adore her, I'm one of them. I guess the point I was trying to make is that she never seems to be in the discussion when it comes to great songwriters and storytellers, and I never understood that.
yeah, I knee-jerked (internally, mind you) at hearing that little mistake. Came here for the relief hahah. We are strange animals aren't we? Glad you pointed this out
Tracy is an American treasure. This album was nominated for Album of the year, Fast Car was nominated for Song and Record of the year. She won Best New Artist and Best Female performance that year. She's a story teller.
I heard Tracy Chapman play live in Sydney - big empty stage & she walked out by herself with her guitar & mesmerised the audience for the next 2 hours. Solo. I've never experienced anything like it, before or since
@@nealm6764 Darrin is correct. It appears he does know her background. That doesn't in any way limit how brilliant her lyrics are. It's obviously a subject she very much cares about and it matters not that she lived it or not. Truth is truth.
@@nealm6764, Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going. My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it”
@@nealm6764 "songs which tell stories about peoples’ lives and very generally represents the world that I saw it when I was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, coming from a working-class background … In part everything that a person writes is autobiographical but the songs are directly so and most of them were not, and ‘Fast Car’ wasn’t one that was directly autobiographical. I never had a fast car, it’s just a story about a couple, how they are trying to make a life together and they face challenges … "... Tracy's own explanation. A songwriter creates a story, it doesn't have to be based on their own lives to ring true if they express the emotion the lyrics convey. That's what being an artist is about.
Chapman said that "Fast Car" wasn't her personal story. It was the world as she saw it growing up in Cleveland. People in her community were struggling. Everyone worked hard, hoping that their situations would improve.
Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going. My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it.”
"We've got to make a decision; leave tonight or live and die this way." Didn't hit particularly hard as a privileged teen, But it saved my life in my 20s. I literally threw some clothes in a trash bag, grabbed my pets and drove 900 miles overnight because while I was ok living that way, I wasn't ok dying that way, and that was next. It reminded me I did, in fact, have resources, and that this was the time to use them.
For me, this song played constantly on the radio in the late 90s, when I was a young divorced single parent driving to a job I hated in a small town I felt trapped in. I yearned for city life, and I yearned to be someone. I wanted to just drive past my workplace and keep going into the desert, never to return. Later, when I finally did get to the city and had all my adventures, it struck me differently. Some of those adventures led to C-PTSD from an abuser that left me with chronic illnesses. Now with that life in my past, I’m back in my home town and I’ve come full circle. It’s bittersweet knowing that I got to be someone, and do things, even if I can’t now. No regrets.
I will never forget 1988, the "Free Nelson Mandela" concert in Wembley. All the big name bands and musicians of the era on those stages with all their up to date equipment... and then, inbetween all the big names and shows, there was this young lady, stepping onto the stage. In a sweat shirt and jeans with nothing but her acustic guitar. And she made the world stop and listen. Blew up over night because of her performance there.
I graduated Year 12 in Australia 1988. It was an important time, and there was music that told the story. I can never forget. Trying to educate my daughters about politics, humanity, life through music, but it’s a losing battle with what they want to listen to these days. God, help us.
She sang this at Live Aid at Wembley stadium and it's a must watch. The crowd was loud and a little rowdy but after she started singing it just got quiet. And she also sang it this year with Luke Combs at the Grammy's. Both are just great performances.
@chrismorgan9153 You are right. It's funny that her performance at Wemblay in 1988 is often labeled Live Aid. Turns out it was a Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert. Still worth a watch. Thanks!
Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going. My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it.”
The character in the story repeats the cycle. She got together with a man that acted like her father. A drunk that cared more about himself then about the people around him.
Tracy Chapman is one of the most impactful artist in my lifetime, in 1988, I left NYC and headed out to LA for a new beginning, it was a new struggle in my life but I remember walking by a record store in downtown LA with my cousin and purchased her CD. my Cousin and I got in the car that afternoon and drove on the 101 North to San Francisco and on the entire 300+ miles trip we only listened to Tracy Chapman and we were hooked ever since. Tracy’s music left an indelible impact in my life in the Summer of 1988. Even til this day, I remain a huge admirer of her music, she has been one of my favorite artist for the past 35 years.❤🎉.
@@DefenestrateYourself what are you talking about? I merely stated the story within the song was fictional and that she doesn’t come from the type of background most think she does. You’re taking it like stating facts are putting her down?! The diminishing is all in YOUR head. I’ve been a fan of hers since this first aired on MTV.
Also, at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in November 2023, she became the first Black woman to ever take home a CMA Award, winning Song of the Year for "Fast Car", which also made her the first Black songwriter to win that award.
Had to reread that because I couldn't imagine Darius Rucker hadn't won anything, but you said black woman. Why did she win a 2023 award for a song from 1988? That confuses me. Did she release a country version?
@@Goblingraphx So how did she win an award for a song someone else sang? Do they give the songwriter the award with the artist for Song of the Year? That seems really weird.
When this came out, I remember it being in the back of my mind, my wife's father was the deadbeat. Her mom was unsure of me because I liked the drink when I was young. We married when I was 21, when our twins were born, I was still fond of drink. her mom still was unsure. I grew up and left drink behind, she got diagnosed with Breast cancer in 2000. We had been together 17 years. The "Bird" her mom as I called her affectionately, told me years later how wrong she was about me. She lived with us from the time the twins were almost 2 until she passed last June. She was as much a mom to me as my own was. Sorry for the raving, but this song reminded me that we got our fast car, and we made it. My beautiful wife is still with me, 41 years. We started a company in 2015 and now two of my three sons work with me, I had her retire five years ago to care for her mom, so she could have all the time she needed with her.
Exactly, she’s supporting him, like she supported her dad. There is some cycle breaking concepts in this song that are addressed that were missed in the commentary
We hadn't heard anything like Tracy when she came along. Beautiful heartfelt songs. She blew up 'overnight' after being a last minute replacement for Stevie Wonder at a 1988 concert for Nelson Mandella's Birthday. It was her second set of the day. In the two weeks following the concert she sold 2 M. copies of her album.
tracy's talents are just so amazing. this sing actually inspired lots of domestic violence victims to actually leave their situations. she is truly inspiring
This was released 1988 but was recently brought back into the light when she performed this song with Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammys. You should check that video as well. 36 years have passed and she has lost nothing.
Tracy was raised by her mom after her parents divorced. She went to Tuffs University to study Anthropology and use to busk in and around the subways in Boston.
The last line, “You’ve got a fast car, it fast enough so you can fly away? You’ve gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way.” Breaks my heart every rime.
The song isn’t directly autobiographical, Tracy was raised by her mother after her parents divorced, she has said in interviews that the subject of “Fast Car” is something she saw many times in her community in Cleveland, Ohio as she grew up.
I'd had a hell day at work and was stuck behind a fender bender in rush hour - this song came on the radio and when she sang about her fathers alcoholism and leaving school to take care of him I burst into tears. This song will stay with me forever.
Tracy is a natural treasure!! A country singer, Luke Combs, covered this song and he and Tracy sang it at this year's (2024) Grammy's, it was absolutely precious. It took some doing to get Tracy to the Grammy's as well, as she had lived away from the limelight for some years.
Tracy gave Luke permission to do the cover. It it #1 last year! Worth the listen. Pretty nice version!!! Grammy performance Luke and Tracy was so special!!!!!!!
This has always been one of my favorite songs. So powerful. Give Me One Reason is another outstanding track. My favorite track of hers is a lesser known one called Remember The Tinman.
She has a number of great songs! "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", "Give Me One Reason", "Baby Can I Hold You" are 3 of my favorites. A beautiful voice that is so soulful and expressive and a wonderful songwriter.
@@amyk9175 I was going to add The Promise, I totally love that song. It's very hard to pick a favorite Tracy Chapman song because they are ALL good, but The Promise is a strong contender for which one would be my actual favorite.
First time I saw/heard Tracy Chapman was in 1988, live at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert in Wembley Stadium, London. Massive occasion, massive arena, massive stage. And she was standing there on her own, with an acoustic guitar. Looking so tiny. And then her voice came out, so strong. Love her. (If you like her you must check out Joan Armatrading)
I saw her in 1985 in the Human Rights concert in Costa Rica. She came right after Sting and Peter Gabriel, who had dozens of people on stage, then the lights turned off and after a while they turned back on and there was a black young woman sitting on a chair by herself with a guitar, and she blew the concert away, there, just sitting by herself. It was genius.
Its cyclical. The father of her children became what her father was that made her want to leave in the first place. In the end her life went from supporting one dead beat to supporting another. Its quite tragic.
One correction - You’re assuming she’s referring to a man in this verse…. You got a fast car I got a job that pays all our bills You stay out drinking late at the bar See more of your friends than you do of your kids Tracy is a lesbian.
Tracy was in a relationship with author, Alice Walker (The Color Purple), in the 90s. It blows my mind that two such amazing storytellers found each other…if even just for a while.
Baby, give me one reason! Tracy Chapman is in her 60s and still performing and her voice still sounds immaculate! She has written hit after hit and is one of the most underrated singer songwriters ever. You don’t hear about her life because she lives a good decent, quiet life.
Tracy Chapman is one of the greatest songwriters of her generation, she does more story-telling in the first minute and a half of this song than most do in their entire careers.
Tracy Chapman is one of the most impactful artist in my lifetime, in 1988, I left NYC and headed out to LA for a new beginning, it was a new struggle in my life but I remember walking by a record store in downtown LA with my cousin and purchased her CD. my Cousin and I got in the car that afternoon and drove on the 101 North to San Francisco and on the entire 300+ miles trip we only listened to Tracy Chapman and we were hooked ever since. Tracy’s music left an indelible impact in my life in the Summer of 1988. Even til this day, I remain a huge admirer of her music, she has been one of my favorite artist for the past 35 years.❤🎉
Totally underrated singer! She had a job, he didn’t. She worked hard trying to break the cycle of poverty, he didn’t. She told him “take your car and keep on driving “. She doesn’t need him. You should see her perform this live and recently a country star covers the (Chris Stapleton maybe) song and they perform it live.
Country artist Luke Combs loves this song. Added it to his album. He and Ms. Chapman won a Grammy. Please watch their LIVE performance recently. It is INCREDIBLE 😲 !! She is still incredible. Mad respect 🙏 🫡
I remember listening to this in a friends car in 89 and it absolutely blew my mind with the storytelling and how incredible her voice was. She is a brilliant and unique talent a legend.
Great reaction! This song changes as you age. I first heard it in 1988, young woman who dated a guy with a fast car. All I heard in the song was hope. She's working hard to get to a better future. Now I'm MUCH older and when I hear it I understand the long fight against poverty, alcoholism, and how even unknowingly we repeat the patterns through the generations. In the story she talks about how her mother left when she was young. Father was an alcoholic. She quit school to take care of him, right there sacrificing her own future. She gets her own man with a fast car and thinks it's what she wants because she feels like she belongs. But that man too drinks too much and doesn't get a job to work. She mentions that HER job pays all their bills. And in the end it seems that shes trying to decide if she should take the fast car and leave, like her mother did, or if she should stay, live and die that way. Today when I hear it I don't hear the hope any more.
The verse is -you still ain’t got a job - he is partying and not trying like she is , it’s the crushing defeat of generational poverty. Tracy used to Busk near my apartment in Cambridge. She was mesmerizing even then . Her has so much great music first 3 albums are so gorgeous
Talkin' About a Revolution, is another one her creative masters. She is completely phenomenal. That guitar is her. Lovely, full of light & grace. Thank you for sharing this one. She is now truly a legend.
In the UK we call them working class. Because of the sacrifices my mother made and the values she installed in me I achieve a degree, 2 x masters degree and a Phd. Sometimes I use the title when I am dealing with stupid parents. My mother's response "I used to wipe your arse as a child', she taught me hoe to reach for the stars but be grounded. She is 84 years old and drives a Porsche .... she is a goddess
One of those songs that can still give me chills nomatter how many times i hear it. It's one of those songs i listen to when i need to just come back to center.
I was born in 73, been listening to this song and her other my whole life. Songs that did not fit the mold of the current pop sensibility, but were still huge hits because when a song is good, when there is truth, when it stings a little, when you find your self standing in those shoes or know someone who is. It’s not a pop song on the radio anymore, it’s just the spirit of life.
Tracy Chapman is amazing. The guitar playing is her. Listen to all her stuff. “Behind the Wall” is heartbreaking. “Talkin’ about a Revolution” is brilliant. And “Give Me One Reason” slaps.
Behind The Wall is so sad but also shows the state of the world today, how people are so willing to ignore things right in front of them as "none of my business".
This song was a crossover hit! It was played on country stations and rock/pop stations. That voice, the guitar, and the storytelling won over many, many fans. It's still on some of my playlists. It doesn't get old.
Dude Tracy’s entire first album is so GOOD. I still to this day sing Mountains o Things at work. It’s rare for modern artists to make music as authentic as this anymore.
I'm so grateful to you for your thoughtful review. This song impacted me when it first came out. It still does. As a 988 crisis counselor, I speak with many people who could have easily written this song. Tracy is beseeching quietly to the universe - to God for a better life. Harry Chapin has a song, Dreams go by, that has a similar message. Thank you for your reaction. I think your Mom would be proud.
Over the course of her career Tracy Chapman has won numerous awards including four Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. She was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
Tracy Chapman is an amazing singer/musician/song writer. Her beautiful voice is perfect for communicating the emotions of the story in this song. No one could do it better.
One of my favorite artists. She brings you right in and makes you feel the desperation, hope, resignation, and defiance on display in this song. She is exquisitely talented.
It is weird with these kinds of reaction - you could maybe get this with a disinterested teenager, but a 40 year old musician... i just dk. At some point, they must be avoiding music.
Beautiful reaction ❤ - glad you have found her music. True - this song does reflect the times now even from the other side of the world. Tracy has the voice of an angel with lyrics that stay with you. I was lucky enough to see her in concert, which was extraordinary. My whole family was there. Her song "Behind the wall" - still breaks my heart.
❤ one of my all time favorite sings. It will forever remind me of leaving the beach from vacation early because the then husband didnt want to be away from.the motorcycle anymore. Even though our 3cyear old was so enjoying vacation. I knew that drive this was not a forever thing. He could never put anyone, not even his only child before his wants..a song for the ages.
Something about this song makes me tear up just a little bit every time I hear it. She has the ability to make you feel her words like no one else I've ever listened to. It's almost a crime how underrated she is as an artist. I remember feeling this song so hard back in the 90s when I first heard it, and it still hits me like that today. What a voice
Give me one reason another hit. Tracy Chapman deserves so many accolades. Her voice is so beautiful
Seriously this song is dope
She's won a lot awards for this song, why don't ppl know this already?
@@zoebella314 i do know that- but this and one more reason - beyond that most ppl don't know her body of work, which is unfortunate 😕
"Baby can I hold you" was also one of her hits
Oh yes 💕💞
Country star Luke Combs covered this last year, saying it was his fave song of all time. As a result, the COUNTRY Music Association acknowledged Tracy Chapman as the songwriter. This made her the first person-of-color AND the first lesbian songwriter to receive this honor. Combs’version was a smash on the country charts, and was nominated for a Grammy. He performed it at this year’s Grammy show. Unbeknownst to the crowd, the music comes up and on stage, singing with Combs was the legend herself, TRACY CHAPMAN. She’s nearly 60 now. And she hadn’t performed in public since 2009. They were AMAZING together. Please react to this LIVE performance, 2024 Grammy Awards Show!
I loved that performance! I nearly cried watching her be so humbled and flattered at the reception she got from the audience!
Thank You for that. I just looked it up. Amazing
Agreed! The performance with Luke Combs at the cma's was bomb! She definitely deserves accolades. She's truly a classy lady!
I usually hate covers, but his was actually pretty good. Tracy's was better of course, but his wasn't bad at all.
Quite the moment.
I grew up outside Boston and saw her busking in Harvard Square in 1986 or so. About two years later I was in my dorm at UMass Amherst and I heard THIS song coming from somewhere down the hall. I coud never forget her voice and went down the hall and asked the girls who they were listening too and they held up the ablum cover and it was her! It was the woman I saw busking in Harvard Square.
Awesome story!!!!❤❤❤❤
same same
Hearing her busking in Harvard Square was one of those moments that stopped me dead in my tracks...absolutely mesmerized by her voice.
During her busking period she was a student at Tufts
@@tomroy7332 a testimony to Tufts that they had her for a student!
This song is about NOT being able to break the cycle. She quit school to care for her dad that “Lived with the bottle”. Then she just wants to make it out and finds a man who is just like her father “Stay out drinkin late at the bars, see more of your friends than you do your kids.” She still will not leave “I ain’t got no plans, ain’t goin nowhere.”
It is such a relatable song to so many!
Tracy Chapman is a treasure! ♥️
I get how people are saying the narrator doesn't break the cycle, but I always thought of this as having a hopeful ending bc she's not letting herself slide down with the boyfriend - she's telling him to move on so she can focus on living her life instead of subsidizing his
I think the lyrics are saying 'I thought we could make it together but with you, I'm not going anywhere, so take your fast car and keep on driving' (as in drive out of her life).
I think you’re right and why it’s poetic. Maybe aim repeated you but both are true. For this season of her life she feels momentary joy that is not usual, “I had a feeling that I belong” For a brief moment she thinks it can be different only if captured. “Leave tonight or live and die this way.”
YES!❤
💯 She's telling the story of millions, then....and the number keeps growing. What's shes NOT on is the American Exceptionalism, upward mobility bullshttt this reactor is going on about. This song is telling a story of a completely different material and cultural condition...The height of Regeanomics, wich is a spiral we've been on for more than 40 years. She works her ass off but still lives in a shelter. The lesson, the message ought to be about how our system produces the conditions this song is about. And the despair those conditions produce.
Tracy Chapman is one of the most highly underrated talented storytellers of our time. It is a crime that she doesn't get the recognition she truly deserves. You have to check out the rest of her catalog, there are songs there that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
She's gotten a lot of recognition, she deserves every bit of it, but she's won several Grammys, a few best musical storyteller awards. She deserves them all, but she's gotten a lot, I honestly don't understand why ppl don't know this?
She has 4 Grammy awards and several other awards. The most recent was in 2023. She is no longer in the highest point of her career but she isn't underrated at all.
underrated...? in germany she was a big star at this time... after 30 years its normal, that our youth didnt know her... same with dylan, cash or young...
Let me clarify, yes, she's won of the hardware and yes, her fans around the world adore her, I'm one of them. I guess the point I was trying to make is that she never seems to be in the discussion when it comes to great songwriters and storytellers, and I never understood that.
Same goes for Joan Armatrading too except she's English obviously :)
Tracy is an American Hero. Glad that she's getting her well deserved shine now.
She's the one working. She's the responsible one. He's the deadbeat. She's then telling him that he's got a choice to leave or do his share.
yeah, I knee-jerked (internally, mind you) at hearing that little mistake. Came here for the relief hahah. We are strange animals aren't we? Glad you pointed this out
He missed that big part. He let her down when she had a plan for better.
True. He never worked a single day over the course of this song.
Yep, just like her father was before.
The first time I heard this song I cried. Now I'm a 65 year old man and I just teared up again. Deep, deep song.
48 but same. 😢 What a throwback to my teenage years.
Very much so. And her truly deep and amazing voice is perfect singing it. One of my top 10
67 same
57
65. 😢
Tracy is an American treasure. This album was nominated for Album of the year, Fast Car was nominated for Song and Record of the year. She won Best New Artist and Best Female performance that year. She's a story teller.
I heard Tracy Chapman play live in Sydney - big empty stage & she walked out by herself with her guitar & mesmerised the audience for the next 2 hours. Solo. I've never experienced anything like it, before or since
The song wasn't written about Chapman, but written from pure empathy and understanding a person who wants to leave poverty behind....
Absolutely.
Do you know her background, or just assuming she never dealt with struggling to get out of poverty etc?
@@nealm6764 Darrin is correct. It appears he does know her background. That doesn't in any way limit how brilliant her lyrics are. It's obviously a subject she very much cares about and it matters not that she lived it or not. Truth is truth.
@@nealm6764, Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going.
My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it”
@@nealm6764 "songs which tell stories about peoples’ lives and very generally represents the world that I saw it when I was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, coming from a working-class background … In part everything that a person writes is autobiographical but the songs are directly so and most of them were not, and ‘Fast Car’ wasn’t one that was directly autobiographical. I never had a fast car, it’s just a story about a couple, how they are trying to make a life together and they face challenges … "... Tracy's own explanation. A songwriter creates a story, it doesn't have to be based on their own lives to ring true if they express the emotion the lyrics convey. That's what being an artist is about.
"You'll get a job & I'll get promoted." He never got a job. He lived off her.
That is the moment you knew she had married a man just like her father
😢😢😢😢😢😢
Just like mom and dad
Chapman said that "Fast Car" wasn't her personal story. It was the world as she saw it growing up in Cleveland. People in her community were struggling. Everyone worked hard, hoping that their situations would improve.
Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going.
My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it.”
❤️ to both comments
"We've got to make a decision; leave tonight or live and die this way."
Didn't hit particularly hard as a privileged teen, But it saved my life in my 20s. I literally threw some clothes in a trash bag, grabbed my pets and drove 900 miles overnight because while I was ok living that way, I wasn't ok dying that way, and that was next. It reminded me I did, in fact, have resources, and that this was the time to use them.
For me, this song played constantly on the radio in the late 90s, when I was a young divorced single parent driving to a job I hated in a small town I felt trapped in. I yearned for city life, and I yearned to be someone. I wanted to just drive past my workplace and keep going into the desert, never to return. Later, when I finally did get to the city and had all my adventures, it struck me differently. Some of those adventures led to C-PTSD from an abuser that left me with chronic illnesses. Now with that life in my past, I’m back in my home town and I’ve come full circle. It’s bittersweet knowing that I got to be someone, and do things, even if I can’t now. No regrets.
I will never forget 1988, the "Free Nelson Mandela" concert in Wembley. All the big name bands and musicians of the era on those stages with all their up to date equipment... and then, inbetween all the big names and shows, there was this young lady, stepping onto the stage. In a sweat shirt and jeans with nothing but her acustic guitar. And she made the world stop and listen. Blew up over night because of her performance there.
Never will forget that. It was powerful
I graduated Year 12 in Australia 1988. It was an important time, and there was music that told the story. I can never forget. Trying to educate my daughters about politics, humanity, life through music, but it’s a losing battle with what they want to listen to these days. God, help us.
She sang this at Live Aid at Wembley stadium and it's a must watch. The crowd was loud and a little rowdy but after she started singing it just got quiet. And she also sang it this year with Luke Combs at the Grammy's. Both are just great performances.
Tracy Chapman didn't perform at Live Aid.
@chrismorgan9153 You are right. It's funny that her performance at Wemblay in 1988 is often labeled Live Aid. Turns out it was a Nelson Mandela Tribute Concert. Still worth a watch. Thanks!
@@chrismorgan9153 th-cam.com/video/teZsA_ci-7E/w-d-xo.htmlsi=2OD3LEnmAdCaIjaD
She's the one that had the job throughout, btw.
Chapman stated, “I believe that I wrote the song “Fast Car” in 1986. At the time that I wrote the song, I actually didn’t really know who I was writing about. Looking back at it, and this happens with other songs as well, that I feel like I understand it only later… I think that it was a song about my parents… And about how when they met each other they were very young and they wanted to start a news life together and my mother was anxious to leave home. My parents got married and went out into the world to try to make a place for themselves and it was very difficult going.
My mother didn’t have a high school diploma and my father was a few years older. It was hard for him to create the kind of life that he dreamed of… With the education that he had…. With the opportunities that were available to him… In a sense I think they came together thinking that together they would have a better chance at making it.”
The character in the story repeats the cycle. She got together with a man that acted like her father. A drunk that cared more about himself then about the people around him.
yeah, its heartbreaking
Sounds definitely,and unfortunately,he was a narcissist!!!! I can relate,both my parents,etc.Sad!!! This song,Years ago,hit me deep!!! 🫶🫶🫶🩷🩷🩷🩷🌹🌹🌹🌹
She got together with a woman but not one like her dad. I don’t know where you got that.
Yep. One of the saddest songs I know. Every time I hear it, I root for the protagonist. And every time she ends up stuck. It's sooooo depressing.
@@NancyMoran-r3b From the Song? She = The Song's Protagonist, not Tracy herself. What are we listening to?!
Tracy Chapman “The Promise”, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It is a must listen. Vote this up peoples👍🏻
I agree. Baby can I hold you is such a great song as well. Did she have a bad song?
totally agree 100% “The Promise” is an amazing song❤🎉😊
Tracy Chapman is one of the most impactful artist in my lifetime, in 1988, I left NYC and headed out to LA for a new beginning, it was a new struggle in my life but I remember walking by a record store in downtown LA with my cousin and purchased her CD. my Cousin and I got in the car that afternoon and drove on the 101 North to San Francisco and on the entire 300+ miles trip we only listened to Tracy Chapman and we were hooked ever since. Tracy’s music left an indelible impact in my life in the Summer of 1988. Even til this day, I remain a huge admirer of her music, she has been one of my favorite artist for the past 35 years.❤🎉.
Tracys net worth is now 6 million.
She made it!
I love her music.
She is amazing,BELIEVED in herself,YES!!!!!!!🙏💖🫶💜🩷🩵🎵🎶🔮💪🌟⭐️🌈
She started off in a well to do home and went to college. This is a fictional story.
@@lez0n she still made it. Most musicians don’t. Let’s not diminish her hard work and and the accolades she’s accrued
@@DefenestrateYourself what are you talking about? I merely stated the story within the song was fictional and that she doesn’t come from the type of background most think she does. You’re taking it like stating facts are putting her down?! The diminishing is all in YOUR head. I’ve been a fan of hers since this first aired on MTV.
@@DefenestrateYourself She became a lawyer, she's not just a musician.
I was shocked that you had not heard Tracy. So Iconic , I am sure you will dig deeper into her genius.
Also, at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in November 2023, she became the first Black woman to ever take home a CMA Award, winning Song of the Year for "Fast Car", which also made her the first Black songwriter to win that award.
And the first lesbian songwriter.
Had to reread that because I couldn't imagine Darius Rucker hadn't won anything, but you said black woman. Why did she win a 2023 award for a song from 1988? That confuses me. Did she release a country version?
@@michaelrudolph7003 Luke Combs has covered Fast Car and its become a big hit again.
@@Goblingraphx So how did she win an award for a song someone else sang? Do they give the songwriter the award with the artist for Song of the Year? That seems really weird.
@@michaelrudolph7003i don’t know the specifics but song of the year probably reward the team that worked on the song.
When this came out, I remember it being in the back of my mind, my wife's father was the deadbeat. Her mom was unsure of me because I liked the drink when I was young. We married when I was 21, when our twins were born, I was still fond of drink. her mom still was unsure. I grew up and left drink behind, she got diagnosed with Breast cancer in 2000. We had been together 17 years. The "Bird" her mom as I called her affectionately, told me years later how wrong she was about me. She lived with us from the time the twins were almost 2 until she passed last June. She was as much a mom to me as my own was. Sorry for the raving, but this song reminded me that we got our fast car, and we made it. My beautiful wife is still with me, 41 years. We started a company in 2015 and now two of my three sons work with me, I had her retire five years ago to care for her mom, so she could have all the time she needed with her.
You misheard the lyrics. HE doesn't have a job, she is working in the market as a check-out girl!!
Exactly, she’s supporting him, like she supported her dad. There is some cycle breaking concepts in this song that are addressed that were missed in the commentary
Tracy Chapmen is an incredible singer...Listen to Give me one reason...
We hadn't heard anything like Tracy when she came along. Beautiful heartfelt songs. She blew up 'overnight' after being a last minute replacement for Stevie Wonder at a 1988 concert for Nelson Mandella's Birthday. It was her second set of the day. In the two weeks following the concert she sold 2 M. copies of her album.
Joan Armatrading. Tracy is great but Joan did it first.
tracy's talents are just so amazing. this sing actually inspired lots of domestic violence victims to actually leave their situations. she is truly inspiring
This was released 1988 but was recently brought back into the light when she performed this song with Luke Combs at the 2024 Grammys. You should check that video as well. 36 years have passed and she has lost nothing.
Tracy Chapman has one of the most beautiful, and immediately identifiable voices in music. She’s brilliant.
The greatest song about trying to escape poverty and homelessness. Thanks BP.😊
Tracy was raised by her mom after her parents divorced. She went to Tuffs University to study Anthropology and use to busk in and around the subways in Boston.
The last line,
“You’ve got a fast car, it fast enough so you can fly away? You’ve gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way.” Breaks my heart every rime.
0:42 I find it odd when people say they’ve not heard some songs which are iconic, timeless… love her work. Love the album!
The song isn’t directly autobiographical, Tracy was raised by her mother after her parents divorced, she has said in interviews that the subject of “Fast Car” is something she saw many times in her community in Cleveland, Ohio as she grew up.
I'd had a hell day at work and was stuck behind a fender bender in rush hour - this song came on the radio and when she sang about her fathers alcoholism and leaving school to take care of him I burst into tears. This song will stay with me forever.
she was the one with the job the entire time
She never let the industry take her talent, she kept her power and her talent. I love this woman, beautiful voice, beautiful person!!!
Tracy is a natural treasure!! A country singer, Luke Combs, covered this song and he and Tracy sang it at this year's (2024) Grammy's, it was absolutely precious. It took some doing to get Tracy to the Grammy's as well, as she had lived away from the limelight for some years.
Tracy gave Luke permission to do the cover. It it #1 last year! Worth the listen. Pretty nice version!!! Grammy performance Luke and Tracy was so special!!!!!!!
I hate that trash country version. It lacks spirit and integrity.
I grew up in the UK listening to Tracy - just beautiful
The lyric “City lights lay out before us, and your arm felt nice wrapped around my shoulder” is such an awesome lyric
For me "his body is too young to look like this" is my favorite. Brilliant song.
Yes I remember feeling the excitement every time I heard that line as I was a teenager wanting to get away discover a new life when this song came out
I was singing that line wrong my whole life. My version was pretty physically impressive though … “your arms and legs wrapped ‘round my shoulders” 😂
Tracy is a Poet, along with a songwriter singer. She is unique.
This has always been one of my favorite songs. So powerful. Give Me One Reason is another outstanding track. My favorite track of hers is a lesser known one called Remember The Tinman.
She said this song reflected a lot people she knew when she lived in Cleveland. Beautiful guitar work. Her catalog is wonderful, actually.
She has a number of great songs! "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", "Give Me One Reason", "Baby Can I Hold You" are 3 of my favorites. A beautiful voice that is so soulful and expressive and a wonderful songwriter.
All so great! I’d add The Promise (less familiar with most but as beautiful as Baby, Can I Hold You) and For My Lover.
Revolution is an amazing song 🎵
@@amyk9175 I was going to add The Promise, I totally love that song. It's very hard to pick a favorite Tracy Chapman song because they are ALL good, but The Promise is a strong contender for which one would be my actual favorite.
My favorite was always "Remember the Tinman".
Revolution should be the next reaction 🎉
First time I saw/heard Tracy Chapman was in 1988, live at a Nelson Mandela tribute concert in Wembley Stadium, London. Massive occasion, massive arena, massive stage. And she was standing there on her own, with an acoustic guitar. Looking so tiny. And then her voice came out, so strong. Love her. (If you like her you must check out Joan Armatrading)
As moving and powerful now as it was in 1988.
I saw her in 1985 in the Human Rights concert in Costa Rica. She came right after Sting and Peter Gabriel, who had dozens of people on stage, then the lights turned off and after a while they turned back on and there was a black young woman sitting on a chair by herself with a guitar, and she blew the concert away, there, just sitting by herself.
It was genius.
Its cyclical. The father of her children became what her father was that made her want to leave in the first place. In the end her life went from supporting one dead beat to supporting another. Its quite tragic.
One correction - You’re assuming she’s referring to a man in this verse….
You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
Tracy is a lesbian.
What children? Did she mention children?
@@NancyMoran-r3byes… See more of your friends than you do of your kids
@@NancyMoran-r3b "See more of your friends than you do of your kids."
@@zivo24except the song is not about Tracy, she went to private school and graduated from Tufts. She’s just telling a story with this song
Revolution is such a relevant song. He entire Fast Car album is fire.
Tracy was in a relationship with author, Alice Walker (The Color Purple), in the 90s.
It blows my mind that two such amazing storytellers found each other…if even just for a while.
Baby, give me one reason! Tracy Chapman is in her 60s and still performing and her voice still sounds immaculate! She has written hit after hit and is one of the most underrated singer songwriters ever. You don’t hear about her life because she lives a good decent, quiet life.
She's not underrated at all, and she hadn't performed for many years before the recent cover of Fast Car became a hit.
I’ve heard this song hundreds of times and it still brings tears to my eyes
It's soooooo depressing.
Same
Tracy Chapman is one of the greatest songwriters of her generation, she does more story-telling in the first minute and a half of this song than most do in their entire careers.
Truth!
"Give Me One Reason" is fire!
The version with Clapton is good too
Saw her in concert. Her, her guitar and a chair and she had the place mesmerized. She was opening for a much bigger name and all I remember is her.
I saw her in concert too - 1996. Best concert I’ve ever seen.
Tracy Chapman is one of the most impactful artist in my lifetime, in 1988, I left NYC and headed out to LA for a new beginning, it was a new struggle in my life but I remember walking by a record store in downtown LA with my cousin and purchased her CD. my Cousin and I got in the car that afternoon and drove on the 101 North to San Francisco and on the entire 300+ miles trip we only listened to Tracy Chapman and we were hooked ever since. Tracy’s music left an indelible impact in my life in the Summer of 1988. Even til this day, I remain a huge admirer of her music, she has been one of my favorite artist for the past 35 years.❤🎉
The recent duet Tracy did with Luke Combs is precious, she never really seeks the limelight and the audience reaction is fab.
Tracy Chapman is a LEGEND !! Her music is Great ! ALWAYS RESPECT TO TRACY !
Tracy Chapman is iconic and her music is timeless. She’s a brilliant songwriter. Go down that rabbit hole. You won’t regret it.
I love this song. Tracy is the real deal...an amazing singer/songwriter! This song was an instant classic when released in 1988!💖💖
Hey Bro, another 1980's kid, I've been listening to this song since it came out. Some life lessons learned and taught through this song.
One of the best story tellers of the times. The music will be a hit forever and always will cross genres.
Totally underrated singer! She had a job, he didn’t. She worked hard trying to break the cycle of poverty, he didn’t. She told him “take your car and keep on driving “. She doesn’t need him. You should see her perform this live and recently a country star covers the (Chris Stapleton maybe) song and they perform it live.
Country artist Luke Combs loves this song. Added it to his album. He and Ms. Chapman won a Grammy. Please watch their LIVE performance recently. It is INCREDIBLE 😲 !! She is still incredible. Mad respect 🙏 🫡
Yes!
I remember listening to this in a friends car in 89 and it absolutely blew my mind with the storytelling and how incredible her voice was. She is a brilliant and unique talent a legend.
Great reaction! This song changes as you age. I first heard it in 1988, young woman who dated a guy with a fast car. All I heard in the song was hope. She's working hard to get to a better future. Now I'm MUCH older and when I hear it I understand the long fight against poverty, alcoholism, and how even unknowingly we repeat the patterns through the generations. In the story she talks about how her mother left when she was young. Father was an alcoholic. She quit school to take care of him, right there sacrificing her own future. She gets her own man with a fast car and thinks it's what she wants because she feels like she belongs. But that man too drinks too much and doesn't get a job to work. She mentions that HER job pays all their bills. And in the end it seems that shes trying to decide if she should take the fast car and leave, like her mother did, or if she should stay, live and die that way. Today when I hear it I don't hear the hope any more.
This ENTIRE album is amazing. Every single song!
The verse is -you still ain’t got a job - he is partying and not trying like she is , it’s the crushing defeat of generational poverty. Tracy used to Busk near my apartment in Cambridge. She was mesmerizing even then . Her has so much great music first 3 albums are so gorgeous
This woman is an absolute LEGEND!
8:08 she had the job he didn’t. In the scheme of things that might not matter but it’s an important part of this story.
Their song "Baby Can I Hold You" was also very successful. I'm Brazilian and Tracy Chapman is one of my fond memories from my teenage years!
Tracy is held in the Highest regard here in New Zealand, she has given us all wonderful memories ✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️
Talkin' About a Revolution, is another one her creative masters. She is completely phenomenal. That guitar is her. Lovely, full of light & grace. Thank you for sharing this one. She is now truly a legend.
In the UK we call them working class. Because of the sacrifices my mother made and the values she installed in me I achieve a degree, 2 x masters degree and a Phd. Sometimes I use the title when I am dealing with stupid parents. My mother's response "I used to wipe your arse as a child', she taught me hoe to reach for the stars but be grounded. She is 84 years old and drives a Porsche .... she is a goddess
One of those songs that can still give me chills nomatter how many times i hear it. It's one of those songs i listen to when i need to just come back to center.
I was born in 73, been listening to this song and her other my whole life. Songs that did not fit the mold of the current pop sensibility, but were still huge hits because when a song is good, when there is truth, when it stings a little, when you find your self standing in those shoes or know someone who is. It’s not a pop song on the radio anymore, it’s just the spirit of life.
I grew up listening to Tracy Chapman. All her songs are soulful and amazing. You definitely should listen to more
Tracy Chapman is amazing. The guitar playing is her. Listen to all her stuff. “Behind the Wall” is heartbreaking. “Talkin’ about a Revolution” is brilliant. And “Give Me One Reason” slaps.
Behind The Wall is so sad but also shows the state of the world today, how people are so willing to ignore things right in front of them as "none of my business".
Love Tracy! Her voice is so amazing! Definitely check out Give Me One Reason! That's one of her other big hits!
My favorite Tracy Chapman song is Talking About A Revolution, which btw is very much applicable today's day & age surprisingly
This song was a crossover hit! It was played on country stations and rock/pop stations. That voice, the guitar, and the storytelling won over many, many fans. It's still on some of my playlists. It doesn't get old.
Dude Tracy’s entire first album is so GOOD. I still to this day sing Mountains o Things at work. It’s rare for modern artists to make music as authentic as this anymore.
I'm so grateful to you for your thoughtful review. This song impacted me when it first came out. It still does. As a 988 crisis counselor, I speak with many people who could have easily written this song. Tracy is beseeching quietly to the universe - to God for a better life.
Harry Chapin has a song, Dreams go by, that has a similar message. Thank you for your reaction. I think your Mom would be proud.
first time i heard this when it was released i knew this would be around a long time. amazing lyrics amazing voice she is special
Over the course of her career Tracy Chapman has won numerous awards including four Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards. She was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.
This has been and forever will be one of my absolute favorite songs and artists of all time. Both are incredible.
Tracy Chapman is an amazing singer/musician/song writer. Her beautiful voice is perfect for communicating the emotions of the story in this song. No one could do it better.
One of my favorite artists. She brings you right in and makes you feel the desperation, hope, resignation, and defiance on display in this song. She is exquisitely talented.
Tracy is awesome. "Give me one Reason" Another great song by her.
This song always broke my heart.
I took my daughter to see Tracy Chapman when see was 13..It still bonds us..
I don't understand how a musician could have not heard of this song. It's arguably one of the greatest songs ever written.
It is weird with these kinds of reaction - you could maybe get this with a disinterested teenager, but a 40 year old musician... i just dk. At some point, they must be avoiding music.
Same! This tune and Tracey is ICONIC!
GIVE ME ONE REASON TO STAY HERE another great
Beautiful reaction ❤ - glad you have found her music. True - this song does reflect the times now even from the other side of the world. Tracy has the voice of an angel with lyrics that stay with you. I was lucky enough to see her in concert, which was extraordinary. My whole family was there. Her song "Behind the wall" - still breaks my heart.
Love her voice. The guitar just sets the mood. Every time I hear this song, I stop whatever I'm doing and just get lost in it.
❤ one of my all time favorite sings. It will forever remind me of leaving the beach from vacation early because the then husband didnt want to be away from.the motorcycle anymore. Even though our 3cyear old was so enjoying vacation. I knew that drive this was not a forever thing. He could never put anyone, not even his only child before his wants..a song for the ages.
Talkin Bout A Revolution. Such a fucking powerful song.
Something about this song makes me tear up just a little bit every time I hear it. She has the ability to make you feel her words like no one else I've ever listened to. It's almost a crime how underrated she is as an artist. I remember feeling this song so hard back in the 90s when I first heard it, and it still hits me like that today. What a voice
One of the best songs ever written. Simple as that. Gets me every time although I had a different life. Or perhaps because of that
Beautiful song ❤❤ Tracey Chapman is perfection.