We Love you Tracy!!! My wife and I got married in 1986 I was 17 and she was 16 and Pregnant.. I remember us lying in bed listening to this song over and over it brought us some comfort in our little crazy world.. 37 Years and 4 Kids later we still love this song..❤❤❤❣💯
For me, it took me back to 1988 when I was a kid. The good times in my life. Now, I listen to this with more mature ears and understanding. It made me tear up. Was great to see Tracy.
I'm 26 years old, my brother and I were very close, we worked together, drank, everything. He died in 2018 in a motorbike accident, this was one of his favourite songs, he was 31 when he died. I'm a man but I cry when I listen to this song. Wish I had more time with my brother
Yeah Luke Combs covering this song revived it a little. Tracy is an amazing artist and Luke really does the song justice. I'm a heavy critic when someone covers a great iconic song like fast car. Just don't f*** it up and again Luke did an amazing job My grandfather just passed last month 84 and this song was on the radio a few days after. It really made me think of him cause he was a riding/driving fool. Lol he loved going on his long rides on the weekends. I'm gonna miss that man so much 😢
@@24starchild I mean... not really. The whole song is one big cycle. The singer escapes a broken household caused by an irresponsible alcoholic father and a mother who just got fed up with him and left. They escape by finding a someone with a fast car and skedaddlin' outta there. Only to end up re-creating that broken household. They have kids, their partner never gets a job and drinks all day, and eventually they get sick of it and leave. Turns out the kinda guy who has a fast car and is willing to uproot themselves MIGHT have some underlying issues! There's a reason that the song's chorus is "I remember when we were driving" and "I HAD a feeling I belonged" and "I HAD a feeling I could be someone," rather than HAVE. It's a melancholic recollection of the promise of a new start, after the hope that it brought was gone. It's a song about desperation and false hope, and the cycle of poverty and abuse. It just sounds nice.
This song is for all of us who didn't grow up in an ideal home environment. We can make something of our life and be someone despite of what we came from. We can be someone because of where we came from. Never lose hope.
Yes right now all I got is me, cheating ass girlfriend., 💔 My 2023 dodge charger that we’re living out of by choice and the jobs that I have. So yes this song hit differently 😢
This song is what gave me the power to leave my abusive family behind at 18, the power to leave when i was alone and pregnant at 22 because the father tried to hit me, the power to travel because thats what makes my soul free. From the bottom of my heart thank you for your words and the beauty of your music Tracy Chapman this song has driven my life since i was a small child.
I think you misinterpreted the song… " somebody's gotta take care of him so I quit school and that's what I did".. I don't think there's much sympathy for the mother in this song .. or at least that's how I heard it. It's to be strong together- simple beginnings
@@PositiveVibesVidsI know what you’re saying, but neither of your interpretations is incorrect. Listen to the last lyrics. She ends the song with , ‘you’ve got a decision to make, leave tonight or live and die this way’…. Your choice. This is what makes the song so heartbreaking: at the beginning the refrain is about love and faith, and each time it changes a little (as time passes) but the music stays stuck on these few chords that keep repeating (like their unfulfilled life), throughout the song till the very end where there’s some question as to what is the right thing to do. Different interpretations of art are always legitimate.
@@houdaa13 - According to Wikipedia: "Fast Car" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on April 6, 1988, as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album.
TRUE TALENT WINS!!! The best part of this... is people of all ages discovering her body of work. I have tears in my eyes thinking of Gen Z kids discovering "Give Me One Reason" or "Baby Can I Hold You Tonight" or any of the deep cuts. This is a great day for music.
I first heard this song when I a 20 year old kid in prison in 2009. I Went in at 17. Got my GED, did a culinary course and got trusty status. Me and 7 other inmates worked at the San Antonio Food Bank after completing the culinary course. I fought tears hearing this song on the bus ride at 5am on the way to work and this song still makes me tear up today.
This afternoon, my fourteen year old daughter (who has been taking guitar lessons for 3 ½ years now) told me that she had begun learning a new song. She'd heard her teacher playing it and asked to learn, because she knew it was a song I liked. The moment she started, I broke down in tears, because it was this song. It was also the very first song that I asked my guitar teacher to teach me when I was younger than her. This has been my favourite song for the majority of my life and it is bred into the hearts of my children. It is such a powerful statement, a beautiful piece of art and I am so very thankful that Tracy Chapman wrote this and stood up and sang it.
She sang it on the Grammy's tonight. That is why I came to her sight to watch it in my day when I first heard it. Love this song so much. Brings back the good times in my life. God Bless.
Exactly. Instead of celebrating the garbage that passes for “music” these days. Taylor Swift breaks the record with 4 Best Album Grammies?! It’s madness. She’s talented, but that’s just madness. I could name a dozen artists with 4 albums better than any of hers.
@@diviningoildesigns no one said the Grammys should be the only way we discover new music, but the Grammys would be so much better if that's what they were about.
I bought the album for my boyfriend at the time, he died a year later in 1989. The entire album is a gem. Congratulations Tracy Chapman on your CMA 35 years later.❤
Her song was HUGE in the 90s - she's doing Allright :-). Still get chills and cry every time I hear this song. Am living it right now in that liminal space between having and needing something more to find fulfillment.
I saw Tracey Chapman in Zimbabwe for the Human Rights Concert along with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, in 1988 when I was only ten years old and my brothers lifted me up on their shoulders! Fast forward. The next time I saw her was in London in 2009. I had just graduated from university the month before! This lady is a legend. And part of my history. This song was my greatest motivation through law school!
1988. The year I graduated high school. This is one of the most amazing songs ever. Tracy is an absolute original and her voice has been sorely missed.
I was 27 and loved this song the first time I heard it, driving through the Great Smoky Mountains of N.C. Thought it was unusual and rather amazing. 35 years later I still feel the same way.
I was 4 years old in 88. Always happy to find great songs like this that I might’ve missed when younger (whether sung by the original artist or a cover)
Man , why am I uncontrollably crying right now. Time to dive into this woman’s music. I’m 32 year old man, have definitely heard this song many times through out my life but it just is hitting different right now. Comment section did not disappoint. I hope everyone’s problems become manageable
@@pedropunjabi7339 Nope. There a very few covers that surpass an original. Luke cannot match Tracy's vocals no matter how he tries. Luke also left the music as original as he could. Tracy recorded her version damn near 40 years ago on equipment that doesn't even exist anymore. I'm sorry but even Luke would tell you that you are crazy 🤣
Testament to how powerful a quiet unpretentious presence can make. Tracy Chapman is a powerhouse of talent and yet she is humble, and simple in her delivery....she shut the Grammys down. Absolutely amazing presentation. What a gift to see her perform live! Thank you for creating such a poignant message that will resonate for generations Ms. Chapman.
Absolutely. Emotive songcraft, yet there was never any ‘tabloid baiting’ behavior, over the top stage show with dancers and theatrics, nor any competitive ‘oneupmanship’ with contemporaries.
@brigitterudman6465 So true. It was a watershed moment seeing Taylor Swift singing along with other celebrities, and people swaying to TC and getting emotional at the parts we all get emotional over. It was like the whole world audience was captured by this song with this singer in that moment. Luke who? Just kidding! I'm grateful to the guy for reintroducing Fast Car to a new generation and for getting Tracy to come back to sing it for us once again.
I'm bawling listening to this song and remembering my days growing up in rural Jamaica....wanting someone to drive me in a fast car out of poverty. I'm doing great now but missing rural Jamaica❤
I wanted to escape a mother who always put me down. The world around me never put me down but like this song, sometimes you can't escape your past... no matter how much you try. ❤️
For me, Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" is a narrative of hope and resilience, embodying the belief that tomorrow holds promise despite today’s struggles. The song captures the longing for change and a future where dreams become realities, reminding me of how far I’ve come. It reinforces that our current shortcomings don’t define us but serve as stepping stones toward a future shaped by determination and courage. While the road may be difficult, the song assures us that with perseverance and hope as our guide, we can rise above our circumstances and become better tomorrow.
I was a teacher at a high school in a very poor area of Oregon. This song makes me cry because it described exactly the lives of so many of my students. The part where I break down is when she said she worked at a convenience store and managed to save up a little money. Just enough to go somewhere, anywhere, where they can be someone, be someone. Rips my guts, those are my students, hundreds of them, trying to find some kind of a better life...
Brother, you said it for me. I teach in a working class university, where my students are the woman in this song, the ones who never give up. In old age I learned how to convert my courses to online so they could keep getting their degree while working at the convenience store or at home parenting toddlers. Do you teach English? Every stylistic trait you and I praise as great poetry is present in this song. It creates an unforgettable character and a whole novel about ten years of her life in four minutes and twenty six seconds.
@@sanfranciscoprofessor2577 Just got to your message. You're working with the older versions of my students, and they need teachers like you in order to keep pushing, keep fighting. Many of my students become my heroes, they were determined, no matter what, to keep going, to become someone. Most of them came from broken homes, and often, i was their father/uncle/grandfather. Just like you, I did whatever I could to help, if it meant buying them food, tutoring, helping to write papers. accompanying them when they went to unis or community colleges in order that they not get ripped off by the schools. I didn't teach English, Physics/Math were my subjects. The curriculums were horrible, so I would break it down in terms of concepts, rather than just rote learning and memorization. When they realized they weren't stupid, that it was textbooks and curriculums that were keeping them from learning, it was a huge validation. Oregon State U, where I received by BS Physics, had changed their way of teaching because they realized they were graduating people with BS Physics that didn't know Physics. The department had the integrity to realize it wasn't the student's fault, instead the school was culpable, so they began focusing on concepts, knowing the how and why of Physics, which is what I brought to the classroom. My students realized they were always correct, their STEM classes made no sense. You teach in San Francisco?!?! I'm from The City, are you a professor at CCSF, or SF State??
@@sanfranciscoprofessor2577 Without you progressive, inspirational teachers we are nothing! I am not from an underprivileged community or in any way (I feel) disadvantaged, but I have done all my advanced education including my Masters online whilst working full time and raising 2 kids and I really do recognise and appreciate how vital it is in breaking down barriers to opportunities. I’m from the UK and the Open University (who I don’t personally study with) have been a vital tool to so many over the past decades. Keep up the great work.
Same here. I lived in Boston, where Tracy used to play on the MBTA at Harvard Square redline (she was a student at Tufts). I think of the "fast car" being in Boston, but it could be Chi-Town, NYC, LA, or wherever you think. It's such a beautiful, heart-wrenching song.
There with ya Peg. 67 here & I was late for work a couple times because I had to sit in the car to finish listening to the song on the radio. The melancholy is so very beautiful.
You can "feel" her pain, desperation, delusion, broken hearts and promises. Not one thing in her life is really her fault, but her "way out" is that "Fast Car"
One of the absolute best songs ever written. Simple, timeless, so emotional, and wildly relatable. Music just isn't like this anymore. Tracy Chapman is such an amazing artist
Yes, this is one of those classics that you turn up when it comes on the radio. Maybe you're with your friends and you all "sing" along or maybe you're alone and quietly mouth the words. Regardless of the circumstance, once the song ends, most people will agree... "Damn, that is such a great song."
Can't stop crying listening to this. This is for all the people who deserved a better life and haven't had it. Heads up and trust the future. It'll be bright. Edit: thanks to all the beautiful messages down here. Remember: a smile, a greeting, a little word of love, doesn't cost much to us. But it can change the entire day for another person.
Father is dying of cirrhosis and was an abusive father to me. This song is so powerful and I resonated with it since i was little. I am now 35 years old. Timeless music she is the most humble soul.
My abusive alcoholic father passed away due to cirrhosis when I was 15 in ‘96, this song really hit me hard I can’t believe I just now heard about it due to Luke Combs cover. I’ve been listening to her original version on repeat!
This song came out the spring that I was graduating from high school. My friends and I spent the summer listening to this song on repeat as we spent the final summer together before heading off to different colleges all around the country. It all came to a head as I packed up my crappy little car and headed off to college. You know I popped the tape in as I pulled away from the house. I'm 52 years old now, and this song always makes me think about 18 year old me who was heading out into the world.
this song back then hit hard to me because at that time all I had was a fast car. And no direction in life. What I got from the song was passengers who rode with me would not get far. but I could still help get them to their destination.
I feel the same way as I'm turning that age next month and by looking back to the past at a young age listening to that song, and now it has more of a feeling and meaning as we get older. I like the song because of the harmony and the melody it has when you're listening to it. And it's one of the best songs from our past. Happy New Year and God bless you and your family, sir.
I’m 17 years old. I live in a small town in Australia. I try hard at school, but have to help dad at the farm, I’m a girl, yet I do the boy stuff, tree chopping, heavy weeding, shoveling etc. someday after this I dream to go to the big city, get a job outside my small town and be remembered .
Ill never forget being 15 yrs old riding in my husbands car for the first time 17 yrs ago . I felt so free. We got married at 18 and 19 and escaped our abusive families. We started from nothing, worked hard and made a beautiful life together ❤️. Now those car rides feel even more free.
These types of songs we grew up with feels like non existent nowadays. I can’t even think of an artist in this time and age who can match this . I just forwarded this to my 18 y/o son. Glad I came across your post.
This song is an absolute anthem for all the believers and hard workers out there who never gives up 🙌🏼 And she has the most beautiful voice ever, an angel’s voice ❤
@@Augie090it’s crazy it took them 35 years to recognize it. They only did so because it was covered recently and that is the bad thing. This was the best 35 years ago
Yes. I personally love her raw version more than the new version. He has a good voice too and I can see why he got recognition. But I still like her version better. And the words fit better for a young black woman.
This song is a true gem packed with emotions. Chapman was raised by a single mom in a community of people who were struggling where everyone was working hard and hoping that things would get better.
I had the cassette of this song. Can still see it! Played it to death. Flash forward to last Sunday! Seeing Ms Chapman on that stage, her dimples, gorgeous smile, and sheer joy with all the total admiration for her that filled the room. Back in the day, Fast Car, for some reason, spoke to many of us, no matter what background, race, or age. And now it's doing it even bigger with decades of love. Fast car aged as the very finest wines! As did Ms Chapman - didn't age at all! ❤🤗👏🏼🙌🏼🙏🏻
Beautifully said...women for the most part run away from gray hair but Tracy embraced hers and it frames her beautiful face effortlessly...Tracy Chapman is and has always been a rare jewel 💎❣️
I was 13yrs old when I saw and heard this song on MTV. I didn't like it at first because English was my 3rd language and I couldn't understand. But when I heard it being an adult. I cried because it's such a beautiful song and reminds me of my child and adult life. Thanks Tracy for this wonderful song.❤
Congratulations Tracy Chapman for winning Song of the Year 35 years after you released this wonderful song!! We are blessed a second time with your classic hit.❤
As great as the song is and it's award worthy however, how does a song that's not from 2023 get song of the year? I thought that's awarded to songs of that particular year
@@rjmurphyo0because Luke used her lyrics word for word word. The people writing the songs and originally sang it would deserve it more? I'm sure he wouldn't feel comfortable accepting it either. Its hard for people to understand though when you think the performers are at the top when realistically most have writers.
he did! 1st thing he posted it gets best song cause someone is singing it, whether it be today or 35 years later. you sat in the back of the class huh? @@doonfish
I was six when this came out. Sad song, sure. But thats not me. Won't be me. Certainly.not having heard this warning. 20's come and go. 30's almost gone. Only thing now is I don't have the kids, the partner, shitty or not, my car isn't particularly fast. Not often that families start mid 40's to 50's which is the most condensed timeline that is still halfway realistic given im single lonely and have no prospects. Takes time to build something before starting down the road of child rearing. So thats likely to never happen. I've lost 2 lovers, that im certain of - possibly 3, to drug overdoses. Can't imagine why this song hits harder with every passing moment. I actually got close to fatherhood once. She had kids, and they are wonderful. The fathers, not the most...well, lets just say you wouldn't brag to bag em... but she terminated ours without ever telling me what had happened. Not for some time. I dont need a fast car. Just a steep drop.
@@knuckle12356 Hey 👍🏽 I think sharing your experiences with a complete stranger is incredibly brave and I commend you for it. Reading your post, I notice a theme... not giving up. Despite the knock-backs, you keep trying. Losing 3 lovers is heartbreakingly sad, but the fact that it's 3 and not 1 tells me that each time you've dusted yourself off and gone again. This requires spirit which is a priceless gift that cannot be bought. Everyone deserves happiness (this means YOU), so take care of yourself and keep the faith. The Universe (God) has a plan for us all...
This song.......when it came out, I was 16 and didn't really understand it. I didn't get why it was so popular. I liked it but didn't really understand it. At 52, I can't get enough of it. Such a meaningful, heartfelt song. The best version is this one by Tracy. I love it!
This song was my sons favorite's song, he always used to sing it word for word, It was played at his funeral last September, I lost my son he was 34. My hearts broken, God took my son but cant take my memories, I haven't slept in my bed for a year since he passed as we used to chat to each other through the bedroom walls, They say time will heal but i don't see it, It's harder as the days go past i miss him so much, Fly High son, One day i will see you again. Hold your sisters hand she will guide you
May God bless you, I am praying for you 🙏 I am so sorry for your devastating loss, I believe we will be with our loved ones again when we pass, they are with us watching over us until we can be with them again💞
I too lost my son Joey he was 18 ! I miss him forever! My heart is broken forever as well ! I know how you’re feeling and I am so sorry for your loss you’re in my thoughts heart and prayers always Jay Jay ❤❤❤🫶💫😇🙏
It's nice to think you'll be able to see him again but I just can't help knowing how I am and how plenty of others are. We will take it for granted. We all need to take the present as our only time to experience it
The way she paces her vocals is unmatched. She draws you in with slow words then races through other ones. This always makes me stop what I’m doing when this comes on.
She told a whole life story in less than five minutes. Incredible. The song meets my need to be seen. I have not lived that life, but I have felt like I might never dig myself out of my situation. To be honest, I'm still digging, but I have hope.
Hi Alexandra, I have colon cancer and side effects for the past 4 years. I have lived in a hospital and nursing home, surgeries, chemo and radiation. Hopefully one day I'll get better, just wait and see.
@@orlandogarcia7082 I wish you the best on the rest of your journey dealing with cancer. You are so strong for making it this far, I can’t imagine going through all that so I genuinely wish the best upon you!
It describes the generational cycle of life, Only one person can break that cycle and changes the future generations' life and only one person can take it back to where it all began after having a good life.
This is mine and my daughter's song. She passed on June 11th, 2024. My heart is so broken 💔. I am so blessed to be her mama and when I hear this song, I will always picture us dancing together and being us. She had non verbal autism and epilepsy. It has always been just me and her. Everything changed in a split sec. Our memories will always remain. WE ALL miss you monkey. You are a beautiful angel in heaven, as you are on earth. Much love and many blessings to all. Stay safe and cherish every single sec that you have here, with the ones you love. 😇
This song came out when i was nearly homeless with no running water and eating MREs. Married my high school sweetheart and had an early family. We worked hard and invested everything we could. Put the kids through college and we retired early. This timeless classic always takes me back to those dark days.
@@ImmanuelL33 If god was good kids wouldnt get cancer. Fuck any "god" that would willingly create torture for its beings. And don't give me any bullshit about "oh good cant come without bad.". These kids get no god damn good.
Dedicated to all those trying to escape a past they did not create because they were born in a poor community in a poor family in an impoverished country. Always hope for better, never stop trying.💗💯💪
4 года назад+20
@Horizon Black You and me both, friend. 41 years; I'll give up when they put me in the fucking ground, and this song will flash across my tombstone.
I grew up poor. Father was a laborer and my mom didn't work because mental disorders. They both were dead by the time I turned 35. As an adult I am successfully. But I still and always struggle to escape the past.
Just discovered this song today. I can tell that it means a great deal to the many who have struggled mightily during their lives, and may still be struggling. I have been so blessed by being raised in a great family that was relatively well-off, so I haven't suffered nearly as much as many here have. But I expect that many of us have had lost loves, no matter how smooth other things may have been, and those leave a scar that never heals. But it is "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all..."
Whoever reading this doesn't matter if Ur black, white or yellow we are all one race that's the human race I love u and. Wish u all the best in life 🙏🏾
@@michaelandreipalon359 That's the point, I think. She left thinking she was changing her fate, but because she left her fated path for a man who didn't want to leave his fate behind, she ended up living the life she was so desperate to leave. Throughout is the same message, that she and her partner need to leave *together* to get to that better place. But because he did not leave that fate, because he won't get a better job and he won't be a presence in their children's lives, because he doesn't want to act like a partner, she was doomed to join him in repeating the same patterns that she was trying to escape. Because he won't leave, she is left asking over and over, and in the end, it's she who has to leave -- without him if need be. And in a funny way, she's repeating the same cycle, because that's what her mother did. The song is so haunting because it's so desperate against the futility of escaping poverty and struggle.
This song flipped a switch in me. I hadnt cried in years, despite everything. Then in the first 30 seconds i was bawling. I was done by the end, but it was all i needed. Tracy chapman made a masterpiece that let me finally have a short release. I feel great! I hope whoever reads this is great too and appreciates this song
Yes there is something about it. I cry every time. The hope expressed while she’s so clearly painting a bleak picture with the lyrics. We want her to find her dreams but we know it’s so unlikely and that everything is stacked against her.
I didnt even know this song was from that era I thought it was from the 90s Im an 80s baby not really an 80s kid per se cause I grew up really in the 90s born in 86
My father is a narcissistic alcoholic and I always understood how close I came to this song being true for me. Please everyone, put your mental health first!
@@rhiannajd4412 two answers 1. An alcoholic ie just that. Nothing ever about you. Im sry. But it isn't 2. Look up her talking about the song in ani interview .. shed changed into that line from another. Another safer yet more common. Sad af
@@margaretr5701 I just didn't realize it was a song from the 80s! It just got covered by a country singer and I definitely thought it was a newer song than that.
Coming from a working class family who struggled to make ends meet I can relate to this track so much. This track I can relate to so much. God bless you Tracy Chapman, you are in touch with what it means to go without the simple things in life, love you Tracy, Louise Jamieson
Tracy: I just wanted you to know that your Grammy performance was stellar. You are still so beautiful with your genuine smile that comes from your heart.
Her voice is so powerful, I don't know how to explain it but when I listen to this song I just want to close my eyes and it's like I feel every word with the emotion she sings it in. This song is perfect. It's cool that so many want to cover it and it's even cooler that the covers and bringing so many here to hear the original version. Nobody could ever make a version better than this one though, NOBODY, EVER.
The song hits me in the chest every time I hear it. When I first heard it, I was a pregnant teen, my mom had bounced out on my dad, dad was sick and struggling with heart problems and diabetes, I dropped out of school to focus on my pregnancy and the home, dreamed that some day, some how I could be someone. I never did. Just keep going with the flow through life at this point. I feel every single line of this song in my soul.
The story is still running... For all of us. Don't give up! And keep trying... You don't know what is waiting for you, just around the corner. Don't stop dreaming! And trust in the Good Lord: hear Him (He has something to share with you, for sure). Regards!
@@MrTexaszx2, hmmmp, some people just want to belong, jump on the bandwagon, feel as if they were there when this was originally released. Some just want to join the discussion. I grew up on this song and it has always been a favorite.
My daughter’s father Sam loved this song. He listened to it constantly. He struggled with life and addiction and on February 11, 2024, less than 2 weeks ago, he died from an overdose, alone in a hotel room. My daughter just turned 10 months old and she’ll never know her father, but she will know that he loved this song, because now I’m the one who’s constantly playing it. We will be playing this at his celebration of life service. RIP Samuel Stumhofer, you were loved beyond words, and you’ve given me the greatest gift anyone could ever have, our beautiful daughter Alaina. I’ll see you in my dreams❤
I can close my eyes hear this song and think of my struggles through life and feel grateful I made it. I made peace with the trauma my demons and the chaos that surrounded me. Raised my kids with my beautiful wife and find myself wiser and happier than ever.
Dunno why but it always rouses up emotions in me. Close to tears I won't lie, can't for the life of me understand why. Beautiful song, beautiful, beautiful song.
Tracy Chapman saw me through many dark places in my life. Her words have always manage to sooth a place I couldn’t quite explain or understood. I’m a fan for life. 🥰
@@Nothingseen I think the narrator dares her husband to leave her at the end. In the last verse, she says "So, take your fast car and keep on driving," and in the last refrain at the very end, she changes the "we gotta make a decision" from earlier to "you gotta make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way." And it's unresolved what happens. Maybe he leaves. Maybe he stays. Maybe they live and die the way things are. Maybe the dare is a wakeup call to change things. That it's up in the air is, I think, a big part of what makes this song truly great. Indeed, it's also possible that the "you" in the last refrain is actually directed at the listener who might be in a similar situation that she was.
"Leave tonight or live and die this way" This is a very sad song. I never heard as detailed as the story of this one. Trying to escape poverty is hard while keeping your hopes and beliefs that things will get better. Life is not always what you planned. People change. Not all love gives hope to a person. Sometimes, this is what slowly killing our dreams in life.
I guess we're all people want to live a good life a good life u can call even it is just simple little food a home u can call a home. I always think of running away but I never do that cause I know the life outside for me in now I can't find a decent job for now cause I am still in high school waiting for me to graduate maybe talk to someone where I can find a work as fast as possible. It is a hard life but I am still thankful I'm still here breathing ,alive.
I just don't know what life is like my social anxiety is a bad thing because I'm always irritated shy but I'm not bad. 😭 But I need to change that I know . I know I need to change that way.
@@mariatheresafloresca4166 I understand you. It's not too late to change and plan. Everyday is a new beginning and opportunity for everyone. Just live and do the things that you know is good for you. Life is beautiful, Life is pain, Life is laughters and tears in order for us to appreciate the little things. Don't worry so much about the things that you can't for now. Pray.. and little by little reach all your dreams in life.
In every note, in every syllable you feel what she’s feeling. Decades after first hearing it it still grabs my heart and puts a lump in my throat. Glad the song is finding new fans. For me it’s this version. ❤
I’m 51, have always loved this song. But I just listened to it again after many years, really listened to the lyrics. I cried. This song is a poetic masterpiece, more relevant now than ever. Inner city, generational poverty is worse even now than when this song was written. Men, fathers, please pour out your life for your wife, and for your children. Building something worthwhile is hard, but something you were created for. Far more rewarding than a self-focused life. Cling to God for the strength. Blessings.
Only the sick seek a doctor. Only those who are convinced of their own sin before God will see their need and seek after the Savior. Jesus. We mark our calendar by Him, not any of the other 4,999 “gods”.
Man, I listen to almost entirely death metal, slam and grindcore but there's something about this song that just hits right when you need a break from the chaos. Very few artists outside of my comfort zone hit this hard, absolute classic.
![Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8UVNT4wvIGY/mqdefault.jpg)
We Love you Tracy!!! My wife and I got married in 1986 I was 17 and she was 16 and Pregnant.. I remember us lying in bed listening to this song over and over it brought us some comfort in our little crazy world.. 37 Years and 4 Kids later we still love this song..❤❤❤❣💯
So young starting a family and still going! That is amazing! Congratulations!
❤ Congratulations
❤
Wow. You’re killing me. But glad it all worked out for you.
jajaja no pegaba una el dogor
Raise your hand if seeing Tracy Chapman perform at the Grammys made you shed a tear or two. Thank you for sharing your gift with us again.
I bawled lol.
Didn't watch the Grammys, but I'm crying now.
Yes, and she looked so surprised and touched when she got the standing ovation.
For me, it took me back to 1988 when I was a kid. The good times in my life. Now, I listen to this with more mature ears and understanding. It made me tear up. Was great to see Tracy.
Been hearing this for 30 years . Definitely still hits
I'm 26 years old, my brother and I were very close, we worked together, drank, everything. He died in 2018 in a motorbike accident, this was one of his favourite songs, he was 31 when he died. I'm a man but I cry when I listen to this song. Wish I had more time with my brother
Stay Strong May Your Brother RIP Much Love 💪🏼❤
Thanks
Can’t imagine the loss of a sibling. I am so sorry for your pain. My condolences.
@@cassidybaar Thank you
Thats too young! Im 36 and so sorry!
This song ages like fine wine. It gets better and better as the years roll on. Tracy Chapman is a national treasure.
Agreed.
How was your day today Maria
International. But yes!
You correct. I take a bus
I'm a 43 year old metal head and I still believe this is one of the best songs ever written.
What A superb Artist❤
I agree
Definitely one of the best ever written.
I also agree.
Yeah Luke Combs covering this song revived it a little. Tracy is an amazing artist and Luke really does the song justice. I'm a heavy critic when someone covers a great iconic song like fast car. Just don't f*** it up and again Luke did an amazing job
My grandfather just passed last month 84 and this song was on the radio a few days after. It really made me think of him cause he was a riding/driving fool. Lol he loved going on his long rides on the weekends. I'm gonna miss that man so much 😢
This song captures the quiet desperation that everyone feels when the life they know isn’t quite how they had planned.
True
It still uplifts me
But it’s still full of hope, that’s the whole point
@@24starchild I mean... not really. The whole song is one big cycle. The singer escapes a broken household caused by an irresponsible alcoholic father and a mother who just got fed up with him and left. They escape by finding a someone with a fast car and skedaddlin' outta there. Only to end up re-creating that broken household. They have kids, their partner never gets a job and drinks all day, and eventually they get sick of it and leave. Turns out the kinda guy who has a fast car and is willing to uproot themselves MIGHT have some underlying issues!
There's a reason that the song's chorus is "I remember when we were driving" and "I HAD a feeling I belonged" and "I HAD a feeling I could be someone," rather than HAVE. It's a melancholic recollection of the promise of a new start, after the hope that it brought was gone. It's a song about desperation and false hope, and the cycle of poverty and abuse. It just sounds nice.
That is basically life as a human. Best to enjoy the ride, no matter what, eh?
This song is for all of us who didn't grow up in an ideal home environment. We can make something of our life and be someone despite of what we came from. We can be someone because of where we came from. Never lose hope.
We can help others because of where we came from, what we survived IF we get the help we need and choose to pass it on.
So true John, but I made it out.
This song is an anthem for people living in poverty, dysfunction.
So true, it hits the nail on the head, God bless you Tracy Chapman
Especially those who refuse to learn from history
They both thought they wanted the same things, then life changes and turns out you don’t.
Yes right now all I got is me, cheating ass girlfriend., 💔 My 2023 dodge charger that we’re living out of by choice and the jobs that I have. So yes this song hit differently 😢
This song is what gave me the power to leave my abusive family behind at 18, the power to leave when i was alone and pregnant at 22 because the father tried to hit me, the power to travel because thats what makes my soul free. From the bottom of my heart thank you for your words and the beauty of your music Tracy Chapman this song has driven my life since i was a small child.
You're incredible.
Congratulations!
I think you misinterpreted the song… " somebody's gotta take care of him so I quit school and that's what I did".. I don't think there's much sympathy for the mother in this song .. or at least that's how I heard it.
It's to be strong together- simple beginnings
@@PositiveVibesVidsI know what you’re saying, but neither of your interpretations is incorrect. Listen to the last lyrics. She ends the song with , ‘you’ve got a decision to make, leave tonight or live and die this way’…. Your choice.
This is what makes the song so heartbreaking: at the beginning the refrain is about love and faith, and each time it changes a little (as time passes) but the music stays stuck on these few chords that keep repeating (like their unfulfilled life), throughout the song till the very end where there’s some question as to what is the right thing to do.
Different interpretations of art are always legitimate.
"Leave tonight or live and die this way". I left and saved myself. I learned to not back down.
The fact that so many people don’t realise this song is from 1988 is a testament to how great it is. The lyrics are a poem, great story telling
Shows whites don't listen to greatness unless it looks like them
Indeed and written by " Lord Kenneth Milsom " .
I was born in 1988...I was 26 years old at the time😢
Je penser qu'elle était sortit en 1998.
@@houdaa13 - According to Wikipedia:
"Fast Car" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on April 6, 1988, as the lead single from her 1988 self-titled debut studio album.
Attention: this brilliant beautiful song just won a CMA award! I am so happy for her she deserves this.
It won song of the year, even though the song is almost 40 years old. That’s wild!
Recognition should have been achieved YEARS AGO!!
Deservedly!
TRUE TALENT WINS!!! The best part of this... is people of all ages discovering her body of work. I have tears in my eyes thinking of Gen Z kids discovering "Give Me One Reason" or "Baby Can I Hold You Tonight" or any of the deep cuts. This is a great day for music.
How is this song country???? I love this song it's definitely not crap country.
Life is kicking my butt. My grown son sent me this song today. 😢❤
Never give up! Stay Strong!
@@jmendez4594thank you
Kick its butt back then. 🌏🦵🏼 even in checkmate the king has one moved left 👑♟ 🤝🏼
@@jaymoeayit I'm trying but that is much easier said than done. Thank you 💖
I first heard this song when I a 20 year old kid in prison in 2009. I Went in at 17. Got my GED, did a culinary course and got trusty status. Me and 7 other inmates worked at the San Antonio Food Bank after completing the culinary course. I fought tears hearing this song on the bus ride at 5am on the way to work and this song still makes me tear up today.
Congrats on your GED and culinary course!! Head high, you're going in the right direction 🥰
Where the fuck is Rick? Did he quit the show and got to work for "Meta"?
You rock my friend God Bless You
@@johnworthington4556 wow, so edgy
That means your a real human.
This afternoon, my fourteen year old daughter (who has been taking guitar lessons for 3 ½ years now) told me that she had begun learning a new song. She'd heard her teacher playing it and asked to learn, because she knew it was a song I liked. The moment she started, I broke down in tears, because it was this song. It was also the very first song that I asked my guitar teacher to teach me when I was younger than her. This has been my favourite song for the majority of my life and it is bred into the hearts of my children. It is such a powerful statement, a beautiful piece of art and I am so very thankful that Tracy Chapman wrote this and stood up and sang it.
Your post made me cry. This song is why I want to learn to play guitar. So much nostalgia attached to this piece of art.
She sang it on the Grammy's tonight. That is why I came to her sight to watch it
in my day when I first heard it. Love this song so much. Brings back the good
times in my life. God Bless.
Beautiful Story!!!
Wow. Some story! that's what true music does dude, brings hearts together, regardless of their age.
She gave you a core memory ❤
This is what the Grammys should be all about, turning people on to good music
Exactly. Instead of celebrating the garbage that passes for “music” these days. Taylor Swift breaks the record with 4 Best Album Grammies?! It’s madness. She’s talented, but that’s just madness. I could name a dozen artists with 4 albums better than any of hers.
@@curadhanpowell5007 The problem isn't Taylor Swift. Its a problem that the media focuses on celebrity because it sells and not music because it heals
No. Education should not be just when the Grammys are on. That’s the problem.
@@diviningoildesigns no one said the Grammys should be the only way we discover new music, but the Grammys would be so much better if that's what they were about.
how you didn't know this song before the grammy's is a failure on your part.
"Is it fast enough so we can fly away" fuckin amazing lyric.. "leave tonight or die this way" beautiful 😭
😢😢😢😢😢
❤
It's just my opinion but I profoundly believe this is one of the best songs ever created. I don't know a single person who doesn't love it.
You are absolutely right. This is by far one of my favorite songs.
I don’t.
@@DexterHeisenbergBruh funny
@@DexterHeisenbergBruhdon't love it but your here on yt listening to it 😅😅
perfection
I bought the album for my boyfriend at the time, he died a year later in 1989. The entire album is a gem. Congratulations Tracy Chapman on your CMA 35 years later.❤
May his soul rest in peace, god bless you and memories❤
so who you gonna kill next?
@@MrTweetyhackgrow up little doofus
@@MrTweetyhackHopefully you
Rest easy.
Tracy Chapman was a true social pioneer and not recognized enough
She’s still on!
She never wanted to be.
Her song was HUGE in the 90s - she's doing Allright :-). Still get chills and cry every time I hear this song. Am living it right now in that liminal space between having and needing something more to find fulfillment.
One song makes you a pioneer?
@@tommoore4717 well during the 90's, there was no other artist that put folk rock on the map; that constitutes as being a pioneer for the genre.
I saw Tracey Chapman in Zimbabwe for the Human Rights Concert along with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, in 1988 when I was only ten years old and my brothers lifted me up on their shoulders! Fast forward. The next time I saw her was in London in 2009. I had just graduated from university the month before! This lady is a legend. And part of my history. This song was my greatest motivation through law school!
Sometimes a cover is a good thing. Look at how many young people who had never heard of Tracy Chapman now are fans.
I feel bad I thought she was a dude from
The thumbnail 😭
Shit, I'm 30 and grew up on this song as a kid in the 90s. Truly is a timeless masterpiece.
@JayCor-er7oj Well now days ya never know anyway. Guys pretending to be girls and vice versa all over the place.
AutoTune has a lot to answer for. It’s ruing the real music we used to know and love.
It’s the silver lining, but now anytime I hear the cover I cringe, like “the original is so much better, whyyy”
1988. The year I graduated high school. This is one of the most amazing songs ever. Tracy is an absolute original and her voice has been sorely missed.
I was born in 88. God bless you. 🚗💨
I was in 9th grade....class of 91 & today still loving Tracy (especially her dreads) ❤
I discovered this song back in early 2000s thinking it was a new song. 😂
I was 27 and loved this song the first time I heard it, driving through the Great Smoky Mountains of N.C. Thought it was unusual and rather amazing. 35 years later I still feel the same way.
I was 4 years old in 88. Always happy to find great songs like this that I might’ve missed when younger (whether sung by the original artist or a cover)
Man , why am I uncontrollably crying right now. Time to dive into this woman’s music. I’m 32 year old man, have definitely heard this song many times through out my life but it just is hitting different right now. Comment section did not disappoint. I hope everyone’s problems become manageable
Check out Neville Goddard. Maybe you’ll like what he has to say, maybe not. I wish you well man 🙏🏻
The emotion is so deep in this song.
You're 🥲😥😢 because you might've been through a few storms in your life time
🚗💨💨💨💨
I'm 32 as well and have heard this song many times in my life and it just recently just hit different for me too! Beautiful song I have it on repeat
She has much more to offer. She is a true artist and very much underappreciated.
This is one of those songs that crosses all generations. It's timeless.
No one ever could sing this song like Tracy Chapman.
Luke Combs does it justice at least he did an amazing job covering it a lot of people butcher songs when they cover them
Luke Combs KILLED IT. His version is BETTER
@@pedropunjabi7339 Nope. There a very few covers that surpass an original. Luke cannot match Tracy's vocals no matter how he tries. Luke also left the music as original as he could. Tracy recorded her version damn near 40 years ago on equipment that doesn't even exist anymore. I'm sorry but even Luke would tell you that you are crazy 🤣
@@pedropunjabi7339not better, but it is good
Pedro 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 Tracy’s is the best by far
Testament to how powerful a quiet unpretentious presence can make. Tracy Chapman is a powerhouse of talent and yet she is humble, and simple in her delivery....she shut the Grammys down. Absolutely amazing presentation. What a gift to see her perform live! Thank you for creating such a poignant message that will resonate for generations Ms. Chapman.
Perfectly said
Yes! Seen and so well stated.
Hopefully, she will release a new record one day
Absolutely. Emotive songcraft, yet there was never any ‘tabloid baiting’ behavior, over the top stage show with dancers and theatrics, nor any competitive ‘oneupmanship’ with contemporaries.
@brigitterudman6465 So true. It was a watershed moment seeing Taylor Swift singing along with other celebrities, and people swaying to TC and getting emotional at the parts we all get emotional over. It was like the whole world audience was captured by this song with this singer in that moment. Luke who? Just kidding! I'm grateful to the guy for reintroducing Fast Car to a new generation and for getting Tracy to come back to sing it for us once again.
I'm bawling listening to this song and remembering my days growing up in rural Jamaica....wanting someone to drive me in a fast car out of poverty. I'm doing great now but missing rural Jamaica❤
I wanted to escape a mother who always put me down. The world around me never put me down but like this song, sometimes you can't escape your past... no matter how much you try. ❤️
Hang in there …leave when you can
@@kellyb3540 You don't have to accept it. You don't.
Take a trip and head back to your roots. Jamaica is the place to be.
It IS kinda funny how that works. It's all part of being human.
For me, Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" is a narrative of hope and resilience, embodying the belief that tomorrow holds promise despite today’s struggles. The song captures the longing for change and a future where dreams become realities, reminding me of how far I’ve come. It reinforces that our current shortcomings don’t define us but serve as stepping stones toward a future shaped by determination and courage. While the road may be difficult, the song assures us that with perseverance and hope as our guide, we can rise above our circumstances and become better tomorrow.
I was a teacher at a high school in a very poor area of Oregon. This song makes me cry because it described exactly the lives of so many of my students. The part where I break down is when she said she worked at a convenience store and managed to save up a little money. Just enough to go somewhere, anywhere, where they can be someone, be someone. Rips my guts, those are my students, hundreds of them, trying to find some kind of a better life...
Brother, you said it for me. I teach in a working class university, where my students are the woman in this song, the ones who never give up. In old age I learned how to convert my courses to online so they could keep getting their degree while working at the convenience store or at home parenting toddlers. Do you teach English? Every stylistic trait you and I praise as great poetry is present in this song. It creates an unforgettable character and a whole novel about ten years of her life in four minutes and twenty six seconds.
We're all looking for a better life. Some start out a little further down the road, but we're all going in the same direction.
@@sanfranciscoprofessor2577 Just got to your message. You're working with the older versions of my students, and they need teachers like you in order to keep pushing, keep fighting. Many of my students become my heroes, they were determined, no matter what, to keep going, to become someone. Most of them came from broken homes, and often, i was their father/uncle/grandfather. Just like you, I did whatever I could to help, if it meant buying them food, tutoring, helping to write papers. accompanying them when they went to unis or community colleges in order that they not get ripped off by the schools.
I didn't teach English, Physics/Math were my subjects. The curriculums were horrible, so I would break it down in terms of concepts, rather than just rote learning and memorization. When they realized they weren't stupid, that it was textbooks and curriculums that were keeping them from learning, it was a huge validation. Oregon State U, where I received by BS Physics, had changed their way of teaching because they realized they were graduating people with BS Physics that didn't know Physics. The department had the integrity to realize it wasn't the student's fault, instead the school was culpable, so they began focusing on concepts, knowing the how and why of Physics, which is what I brought to the classroom. My students realized they were always correct, their STEM classes made no sense.
You teach in San Francisco?!?! I'm from The City, are you a professor at CCSF, or SF State??
@@sanfranciscoprofessor2577 Without you progressive, inspirational teachers we are nothing!
I am not from an underprivileged community or in any way (I feel) disadvantaged, but I have done all my advanced education including my Masters online whilst working full time and raising 2 kids and I really do recognise and appreciate how vital it is in breaking down barriers to opportunities.
I’m from the UK and the Open University (who I don’t personally study with) have been a vital tool to so many over the past decades. Keep up the great work.
You definitely are a cringe liberal and you're from Oregon? Not surprised.
I was 33 years old when this song came out. Now 33 years later I’m 66 years old. Still love this song❤️❤️❤️
Same here. I lived in Boston, where Tracy used to play on the MBTA at Harvard Square redline (she was a student at Tufts). I think of the "fast car" being in Boston, but it could be Chi-Town, NYC, LA, or wherever you think. It's such a beautiful, heart-wrenching song.
There with ya Peg. 67 here & I was late for work a couple times because I had to sit in the car to finish listening to the song on the radio. The melancholy is so very beautiful.
Me too, same age, always been a favorite.
Nobody cares
This is nice🎉.
Watching her now live on the 2024 Grammys! So great seeing her 💫🤎
Me too!!!
Same, she sounds and looks fantastic! Very nostalgic for me
Took the words right out my mouth 👏
Absolute chills and tears in my eyes!
Somos dos ❤
She's the only one to sing this song. Raw emotion.
It is.
You can "feel" her pain, desperation, delusion, broken hearts and promises. Not one thing in her life is really her fault, but her "way out" is that "Fast Car"
One of the absolute best songs ever written. Simple, timeless, so emotional, and wildly relatable. Music just isn't like this anymore. Tracy Chapman is such an amazing artist
agreed and i am a metal head usually
It is very good yes , I can't stop my body from grooving on this one , Ballet ❤💃😁
LiL your so right, Music will never be like this ever again, it’s so said, This Type of music only comes from the Heart.
agreed...
Yes, this is one of those classics that you turn up when it comes on the radio. Maybe you're with your friends and you all "sing" along or maybe you're alone and quietly mouth the words. Regardless of the circumstance, once the song ends, most people will agree... "Damn, that is such a great song."
This song is 4 minutes but the story is a lifetime.....
❤️❤️❤️
This song always remind me of the shitty marriage I had
Songs so deep will also stay for a lifetime, even longer
This song...it tells such a story...I feel it in my heart
@@morneotto4881 face pic
Im glad that a new generation is experiencing Tracy's genuis. I still have this CD from my youth.
😊 I used to have her tape. I listened to it all the time and about wore it out-;)
I had not listened to this since the 90's... Now I listening to all her music!
Amen. 🙏🏾🙏🏾
anyone else burst into tears at "be someone" because things perhaps did and didnt get better.
everything is a blessing and also so much is missed.
Can't stop crying listening to this. This is for all the people who deserved a better life and haven't had it. Heads up and trust the future. It'll be bright.
Edit: thanks to all the beautiful messages down here. Remember: a smile, a greeting, a little word of love, doesn't cost much to us. But it can change the entire day for another person.
You too! Stay strong 💪
I've gone through a abusive dad and he hurt my mum brother and sister swell as me and I'm so depressed I just wanna end things
@@braydengilman663 what man? Are you pretending? Cause if it's a joke it's a bad one.
@@gabrielepassoni8598 why would I be pretending
@@braydengilman663 mate what's the meaning of "end things"? I imagine uou refer to the bad things in your life...
This is legitimately one of the greatest songs ever written.
Indeed it is brother, indeed it is.
I second that
Poopie I’m sure we all know it’s a cover but you go find a better one out there and I’ll retract my statement
Amen brother
My life
Father is dying of cirrhosis and was an abusive father to me. This song is so powerful and I resonated with it since i was little. I am now 35 years old. Timeless music she is the most humble soul.
My abusive alcoholic father passed away due to cirrhosis when I was 15 in ‘96, this song really hit me hard I can’t believe I just now heard about it due to Luke Combs cover. I’ve been listening to her original version on repeat!
Hurt, Johnny Cash version. And Hate Me by Blue October
From 1988 till 2024, and this Tracy Chapman hit is still a Golden Gem ✨🔥
Pandemic 😷😷😔😷🦠🦠💉💉💊💉
This song came out the spring that I was graduating from high school. My friends and I spent the summer listening to this song on repeat as we spent the final summer together before heading off to different colleges all around the country. It all came to a head as I packed up my crappy little car and headed off to college. You know I popped the tape in as I pulled away from the house. I'm 52 years old now, and this song always makes me think about 18 year old me who was heading out into the world.
hello Will. This story doesn't mention either herion or death..? please delet comment
@@whitty6341 *delete. Like delete yourself.
this song back then hit hard to me because at that time all I had was a fast car. And no direction in life. What I got from the song was passengers who rode with me would not get far. but I could still help get them to their destination.
I feel the same way as I'm turning that age next month and by looking back to the past at a young age listening to that song, and now it has more of a feeling and meaning as we get older. I like the song because of the harmony and the melody it has when you're listening to it. And it's one of the best songs from our past. Happy New Year and God bless you and your family, sir.
It reminds me of better times.
I’m 17 years old. I live in a small town in Australia. I try hard at school, but have to help dad at the farm, I’m a girl, yet I do the boy stuff, tree chopping, heavy weeding, shoveling etc. someday after this I dream to go to the big city, get a job outside my small town and be remembered .
All the best
Good luck! I wish you all the best. Have a good life👌👌
Good luck sis
never stop dreaming - that's the way you will get to what you want in life
You got this sis !
Ill never forget being 15 yrs old riding in my husbands car for the first time 17 yrs ago . I felt so free. We got married at 18 and 19 and escaped our abusive families. We started from nothing, worked hard and made a beautiful life together ❤️. Now those car rides feel even more free.
Beautiful story. Glad you built something out of escaping tragedy.
living the dream, fr fr
Beautiful story! Keep it up and keep enjoying the ride!
What a simple but touching story. These are the kind of people I admire. Well done you 2.
I am so happy for you guys...hang tough stay safe God Bless
These types of songs we grew up with feels like non existent nowadays. I can’t even think of an artist in this time and age who can match this . I just forwarded this to my 18 y/o son. Glad I came across your post.
This song is an absolute anthem for all the believers and hard workers out there who never gives up 🙌🏼 And she has the most beautiful voice ever, an angel’s voice ❤
CRAZY to BELIEVE she won a CMA AWARD today, for this SONG!! And it's been 35 YEARS!!!🫢🙆
@@Augie090it’s crazy it took them 35 years to recognize it. They only did so because it was covered recently and that is the bad thing. This was the best 35 years ago
Yes. I personally love her raw version more than the new version. He has a good voice too and I can see why he got recognition. But I still like her version better. And the words fit better for a young black woman.
Awe men to that!!! :--))
Still brings tears to my eyes and hope to my heart!! What a treasure 🙏💞
This song lit the Grammy award 2024. She performed!! It became the most memorable moment of the night.
God bless
This song is a true gem packed with emotions. Chapman was raised by a single mom in a community of people who were struggling where everyone was working hard and hoping that things would get better.
True
Made cry. Even when Luke Combs sings it. He has so much respect for her
Who here with me in 2024
Me😅
Me
Me
Right here...every time I hear this song I think of my husband who passed in 2015.... I miss and love you Dave always and forever baby!
I am with you
"Leave tonight,
Or live and die this way"
Powerful Quote
Yep...
I was in a situation like that, once. I knew if I didn't make a move at a particular time, it was never going to happen.
King kali your so right
💜
That lyric inspired me to end a friendship/relationship spanning over 13 years but was abusive. Powerful stuff.
You cannot remaster Perfection.
36 years ago, it was Perfection.
It still is TODAY.
Right? That voice chills♥️
A
Agree
Agree❤
I can’t stand the remake. All I hear is his nasals.
I had the cassette of this song. Can still see it! Played it to death. Flash forward to last Sunday! Seeing Ms Chapman on that stage, her dimples, gorgeous smile, and sheer joy with all the total admiration for her that filled the room. Back in the day, Fast Car, for some reason, spoke to many of us, no matter what background, race, or age. And now it's doing it even bigger with decades of love. Fast car aged as the very finest wines! As did Ms Chapman - didn't age at all! ❤🤗👏🏼🙌🏼🙏🏻
Beautifully said...women for the most part run away from gray hair but Tracy embraced hers and it frames her beautiful face effortlessly...Tracy Chapman is and has always been a rare jewel 💎❣️
❤🎉
❤❤❤
I’ve had this CD since the release I revisit every few years what a gift. The Grammies was such a wonderful performance so happy for the two of them
This song will never age💜💜💜💜💜💜💗💗💗💗
I was 13yrs old when I saw and heard this song on MTV. I didn't like it at first because English was my 3rd language and I couldn't understand. But when I heard it being an adult. I cried because it's such a beautiful song and reminds me of my child and adult life. Thanks Tracy for this wonderful song.❤
Congratulations Tracy Chapman for winning Song of the Year 35 years after you released this wonderful song!! We are blessed a second time with your classic hit.❤
As great as the song is and it's award worthy however, how does a song that's not from 2023 get song of the year? I thought that's awarded to songs of that particular year
❤
@@rjmurphyo0because Luke used her lyrics word for word word. The people writing the songs and originally sang it would deserve it more? I'm sure he wouldn't feel comfortable accepting it either. Its hard for people to understand though when you think the performers are at the top when realistically most have writers.
@@Sean-Johnyou didn’t answer the question
he did! 1st thing he posted it gets best song cause someone is singing it, whether it be today or 35 years later. you sat in the back of the class huh?
@@doonfish
Tracy Chapman is an Icon! 🌼 🌸 🌻 🌹 Here's your flowers Sis! I can't wait to watch you at
the Grammys!!!
The older I get, the sadder this song feels...
I was six when this came out. Sad song, sure. But thats not me. Won't be me. Certainly.not having heard this warning. 20's come and go. 30's almost gone.
Only thing now is I don't have the kids, the partner, shitty or not, my car isn't particularly fast. Not often that families start mid 40's to 50's which is the most condensed timeline that is still halfway realistic given im single lonely and have no prospects. Takes time to build something before starting down the road of child rearing.
So thats likely to never happen. I've lost 2 lovers, that im certain of - possibly 3, to drug overdoses.
Can't imagine why this song hits harder with every passing moment.
I actually got close to fatherhood once. She had kids, and they are wonderful. The fathers, not the most...well, lets just say you wouldn't brag to bag em... but she terminated ours without ever telling me what had happened. Not for some time.
I dont need a fast car. Just a steep drop.
@@knuckle12356 Hey 👍🏽 I think sharing your experiences with a complete stranger is incredibly brave and I commend you for it. Reading your post, I notice a theme... not giving up. Despite the knock-backs, you keep trying. Losing 3 lovers is heartbreakingly sad, but the fact that it's 3 and not 1 tells me that each time you've dusted yourself off and gone again. This requires spirit which is a priceless gift that cannot be bought. Everyone deserves happiness (this means YOU), so take care of yourself and keep the faith. The Universe (God) has a plan for us all...
@@aarons1811 appreciate your words.
@@knuckle12356 I believe what I say and say what I believe 😁👍🏽
@@knuckle12356 I hope you’re doing well.
This song.......when it came out, I was 16 and didn't really understand it. I didn't get why it was so popular. I liked it but didn't really understand it. At 52, I can't get enough of it. Such a meaningful, heartfelt song. The best version is this one by Tracy. I love it!
Tracey's Chapman's version is now #1 on ITunes. Wow!!! How cool is that?
Of course it is. No one can do it better. I don't even think I have a copy anymore. I need one.
Yay ! So happy for her. She deserves this Renaissance!
This song brings me to it time after time.
This song was my sons favorite's song, he always used to sing it word for word, It was played at his funeral last September, I lost my son he was 34.
My hearts broken, God took my son but cant take my memories, I haven't slept in my bed for a year since he passed as we used to chat to each other through the bedroom walls, They say time will heal but i don't see it, It's harder as the days go past i miss him so much, Fly High son, One day i will see you again. Hold your sisters hand she will guide you
May God bless you, I am praying for you 🙏 I am so sorry for your devastating loss, I believe we will be with our loved ones again when we pass, they are with us watching over us until we can be with them again💞
🙏💪
He will always be with you. Go to bed at night and talk to him, he can hear you.
I too lost my son Joey he was 18 ! I miss him forever! My heart is broken forever as well ! I know how you’re feeling and I am so sorry for your loss you’re in my thoughts heart and prayers always Jay Jay ❤❤❤🫶💫😇🙏
It's nice to think you'll be able to see him again but I just can't help knowing how I am and how plenty of others are. We will take it for granted. We all need to take the present as our only time to experience it
The way she paces her vocals is unmatched. She draws you in with slow words then races through other ones. This always makes me stop what I’m doing when this comes on.
19 years old
Fresh in university
Kinda lost in life
This song is helping me connect with my soul a bit whenever I listen
She told a whole life story in less than five minutes. Incredible. The song meets my need to be seen. I have not lived that life, but I have felt like I might never dig myself out of my situation. To be honest, I'm still digging, but I have hope.
Alex, where there is live there is hope. Keep strong and keep digging.
Sometimes hope is all we have.
Hi Alexandra, I have colon cancer and side effects for the past 4 years. I have lived in a hospital and nursing home, surgeries, chemo and radiation. Hopefully one day I'll get better, just wait and see.
Bailey nice coment
@@orlandogarcia7082 I wish you the best on the rest of your journey dealing with cancer. You are so strong for making it this far, I can’t imagine going through all that so I genuinely wish the best upon you!
What I love about this song is that it doesn’t end with everything being OK. It’s open ended. That’s where we get to decide where we go from here.
Straight up
It describes the generational cycle of life, Only one person can break that cycle and changes the future generations' life and only one person can take it back to where it all began after having a good life.
He's left her with kids, alone
@@Kiki-D-Kimonothat certainly doesn’t signify some sort of end. Heck! It’s just the beginning….
@@Kiki-D-Kimono yeah i always thought the last verse was pretty bleak and depressing
This is mine and my daughter's song. She passed on June 11th, 2024. My heart is so broken 💔. I am so blessed to be her mama and when I hear this song, I will always picture us dancing together and being us. She had non verbal autism and epilepsy. It has always been just me and her. Everything changed in a split sec. Our memories will always remain. WE ALL miss you monkey. You are a beautiful angel in heaven, as you are on earth. Much love and many blessings to all. Stay safe and cherish every single sec that you have here, with the ones you love. 😇
Awh im so sorry for your loss 🕊️❤️
❤😢
So sorry for your loss 🫂🫂🫂
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤Beautiful 🎵 🎶 I use to play this album on repeat until my sister broke it I was 19 I'm now 44
So sorry for your loss
I only EVER want to hear this song this way, with Tracy Chapman singing!
Same!!!!!!
Same
Same fawk luke combs 😂😂
Yea luke combs version is terrible
Check out IMY2's version - heartbreaking, just like Tracy Chapman's.
This song came out when i was nearly homeless with no running water and eating MREs. Married my high school sweetheart and had an early family. We worked hard and invested everything we could. Put the kids through college and we retired early. This timeless classic always takes me back to those dark days.
Is it nostalgic or more like a nightmare?
Amen I’m glad it worked out for you God is good🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾
@@ImmanuelL33 If god was good kids wouldnt get cancer. Fuck any "god" that would willingly create torture for its beings. And don't give me any bullshit about "oh good cant come without bad.". These kids get no god damn good.
MREs? Expensive, unless you had some military supply source. If this was high school, your family must have been the prepper type?
eh?
@@rich9536 wh?
Dedicated to all those trying to escape a past they did not create because they were born in a poor community in a poor family in an impoverished country. Always hope for better, never stop trying.💗💯💪
@Horizon Black You and me both, friend. 41 years; I'll give up when they put me in the fucking ground, and this song will flash across my tombstone.
💓
@ yeah 😳
Hear here! There’s no truer way to live than those of us who were born to try.
I grew up poor. Father was a laborer and my mom didn't work because mental disorders. They both were dead by the time I turned 35. As an adult I am successfully. But I still and always struggle to escape the past.
Her voice is so beautiful. Coming from the grammys 2024
Just discovered this song today. I can tell that it means a great deal to the many who have struggled mightily during their lives, and may still be struggling. I have been so blessed by being raised in a great family that was relatively well-off, so I haven't suffered nearly as much as many here have. But I expect that many of us have had lost loves, no matter how smooth other things may have been, and those leave a scar that never heals. But it is "better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all..."
👍 if 2024 Grammy brought u here....superb Performance! She seems so humble, what a beautiful soul! Luke did a spectacular tribute
Ella sabe que lo realmente importante es lo que llevamos en el corazón. ❤
2 of my favourite singers, legendary song.❤❤❤
Yup.....ageless song❤
Now I understand where the soul from this song is originated from
We’re all glad to be here
'We gotta make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way'
That line really hits me hard. Thank you Tracy Chapman!
Same here
One of the best songs ever. We all have to make decisions for ourselves. As painful as it my be. I am going on 18 years but still fill the fast car.
What does this mean?
“Had a feeling I belonged. I had a feeling I could be someone” that line hits hard also
Wow read ur comment as she sang that line
Just watched her perform this on the Grammys!
She still sings it great, live! ❤️👏
Whoever reading this doesn't matter if Ur black, white or yellow we are all one race that's the human race I love u and. Wish u all the best in life 🙏🏾
Same to you my friend. Live the good life, love and be loved.
"Leave tonight or live and die this way"....sometimes life is about that ONE moment we get to change our future. One of the most haunting lines
do you like this voice that sings tracy chapman?
ruclips.net/video/s7l7-emr86g/видео.html
And yet, almost nothing changed in the song subject's life, if one reads the lyrics carefully.
We always get more than ONE moment. Just a matter of keeping your mind open to the possibilities, needs and present opportunities
@@michaelandreipalon359 That's the point, I think. She left thinking she was changing her fate, but because she left her fated path for a man who didn't want to leave his fate behind, she ended up living the life she was so desperate to leave. Throughout is the same message, that she and her partner need to leave *together* to get to that better place. But because he did not leave that fate, because he won't get a better job and he won't be a presence in their children's lives, because he doesn't want to act like a partner, she was doomed to join him in repeating the same patterns that she was trying to escape. Because he won't leave, she is left asking over and over, and in the end, it's she who has to leave -- without him if need be. And in a funny way, she's repeating the same cycle, because that's what her mother did. The song is so haunting because it's so desperate against the futility of escaping poverty and struggle.
@@rachelfox8108 Yes, exactly. And sadly, too true for too many people still.
This song flipped a switch in me. I hadnt cried in years, despite everything. Then in the first 30 seconds i was bawling. I was done by the end, but it was all i needed. Tracy chapman made a masterpiece that let me finally have a short release. I feel great! I hope whoever reads this is great too and appreciates this song
Wow . Same for me. I wish the best for you.
Good for both of you !
Good for you man,I have issues with drugs and cry a lot
@adambradley8734 nothing wrong with crying man! As long as its an appropriate time and place. I hope you can work on your drug issues. Stay safe
Yes there is something about it. I cry every time. The hope expressed while she’s so clearly painting a bleak picture with the lyrics. We want her to find her dreams but we know it’s so unlikely and that everything is stacked against her.
I was an arrogant 16-year-old punk rock kid in 1988: this song stopped me dead in my tracks and made me reassess quite a few things.
i need comments like these .
Exactly the same age that I am. The summer that I left school was probably one of the best times of my life.
congratulations! for the NEW YOU!
I didnt even know this song was from that era I thought it was from the 90s Im an 80s baby not really an 80s kid per se cause I grew up really in the 90s born in 86
Punk forever 🤘🏽
These Tracy Chapman lyrics are truly Timeless
My father is a narcissistic alcoholic and I always understood how close I came to this song being true for me. Please everyone, put your mental health first!
Unrelated but you’re a baddie.
Hey ☺️
So true, song came out when I was 19, alcoholic father and abusive boyfriend with a fast car. Left both of them
@@rhiannajd4412 two answers
1. An alcoholic ie just that. Nothing ever about you. Im sry. But it isn't
2. Look up her talking about the song in ani interview .. shed changed into that line from another. Another safer yet more common. Sad af
The Grammy show was amazing, but NOTHING beats Tracy Chapman singing this song by herself.
Thank you!!!! I’m trying to let the new one grow on me but no one better than Tracy!!!
Hi
@@debbiewilliams940 👋🏼 Howdy!
The only reason that Luke guy even got a hit is her great writing.
Absolutely
Still can't believe this song is 35yrs old but still hits the spot you can't consciously reach.
Verdade ,,, uma boa música 🎶 nunca envelhecer 🎉😊
Stop. I'm the same age as this amazing song?! Yikes.
@@margaretr5701 I just didn't realize it was a song from the 80s! It just got covered by a country singer and I definitely thought it was a newer song than that.
@@chelliz88 I know, time flies!
I'm 36 this song has been my life's theme song!
Coming from a working class family who struggled to make ends meet I can relate to this track so much. This track I can relate to so much. God bless you Tracy Chapman, you are in touch with what it means to go without the simple things in life, love you Tracy, Louise Jamieson
Sister act 2
What does 'Sister Act 2' mean, can you elaborate
Tracy: I just wanted you to know that your Grammy performance was stellar. You are still so beautiful with your genuine smile that comes from your heart.
Real
Her voice is so powerful, I don't know how to explain it but when I listen to this song I just want to close my eyes and it's like I feel every word with the emotion she sings it in. This song is perfect. It's cool that so many want to cover it and it's even cooler that the covers and bringing so many here to hear the original version. Nobody could ever make a version better than this one though, NOBODY, EVER.
It’s a guy u dick
He
@@twoiniecehester7766 you are dumb.
She's not Jennifer Holiday calm down.
Her voice is soft and powerful at the same time. I’ve never heard anything like it!
The song hits me in the chest every time I hear it. When I first heard it, I was a pregnant teen, my mom had bounced out on my dad, dad was sick and struggling with heart problems and diabetes, I dropped out of school to focus on my pregnancy and the home, dreamed that some day, some how I could be someone. I never did. Just keep going with the flow through life at this point. I feel every single line of this song in my soul.
We all have pathways to follow. No one is exempt from pain, and it is essential to know that. Travel with care for yourself and others ❤️
The story is still running... For all of us.
Don't give up! And keep trying...
You don't know what is waiting for you, just around the corner.
Don't stop dreaming! And trust in the Good Lord: hear Him (He has something to share with you, for sure).
Regards!
I never really listened to this when it came out. But now as an old man these lyrics are real life ! We made it this far! Just keep going.
You only like this song because of Luke 😂
@@notthatguypal14 lol. I’m not a fan of Luke’s version tbh 😂
Hugs to anyone going through tough times
Everyone is fighting a battle you don't know about it
Not a Grammy visitor. We’ve been here since The Real MTV days…✌🏽❤️🎶
Congrats… want a Grammy for that?
I can't believe the people brought here by a Grammy performance has thousand of likes but listeners only 125.
@@MrTexaszx2, hmmmp, some people just want to belong, jump on the bandwagon, feel as if they were there when this was originally released. Some just want to join the discussion.
I grew up on this song and it has always been a favorite.
BET n VH1.. I remember pop video on VH1 did this video . MTV n VH1 need to change there meaning asap cause they don't play music videos at all
Facts 💯💯💯
One of the greatest songs ever written. An absolute masterpiece.
I have loved this song forever. Yeah, I'm old LOL
So it's a country song now?
It's just so honest and deep and universal.
it is really good
😆
My daughter’s father Sam loved this song. He listened to it constantly. He struggled with life and addiction and on February 11, 2024, less than 2 weeks ago, he died from an overdose, alone in a hotel room. My daughter just turned 10 months old and she’ll never know her father, but she will know that he loved this song, because now I’m the one who’s constantly playing it. We will be playing this at his celebration of life service. RIP Samuel Stumhofer, you were loved beyond words, and you’ve given me the greatest gift anyone could ever have, our beautiful daughter Alaina. I’ll see you in my dreams❤
🙏🏽
Dios contigo❤
Terrible 💔
🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂🫂
😢
I'm here !!! August 2024❤️
We're 2gether
You're sick looking for thumbs
Yup
Had another but it gone 4:26
Me too!
*This song serves to remind me of just how many of us have struggled through our journeys. May God be with us.*
Amen
Godbless you too.
I can close my eyes hear this song and think of my struggles through life and feel grateful I made it. I made peace with the trauma my demons and the chaos that surrounded me. Raised my kids with my beautiful wife and find myself wiser and happier than ever.
Dunno why but it always rouses up emotions in me. Close to tears I won't lie, can't for the life of me understand why. Beautiful song, beautiful, beautiful song.
Happy To hear that bud. This makes me smile. Hoping I can tell the same tale
Tracy Chapman saw me through many dark places in my life. Her words have always manage to sooth a place I couldn’t quite explain or understood. I’m a fan for life. 🥰
Same 💯
The most touching song I've ever heard.
For those who just discovered Tracy Chapman during 2024 Grammys... WELCOME!
For those.. please listen to her whole self-titled album
We’ve been waiting for you guys for 25 years
Wonderful!!!! Stories that tell themselves! She’s beautifully 💕🎶💕
Never really knew her, but like her so much now❣️
Enjoy for those who were just introduced this amazing artists. Just one example of her Talent no other than Tracy Chapman, Be Inspired !!!
Leaving an alcoholic father to date an alcoholic boyfriend. The cycle of abuse. Such a sad and powerful song
Then marry him, have kids with him, and leave him behind the exact way her mother did. It's very sad.
Same. You work with tools you were given. ❤❤❤ Sending love.
To be fair Tracy is gay and was never married to a man. She had a serious relationship with Author Alice Walker during this period of her life.
@@bleedingreenbetty9795 - Just a rumor? She has neither confirmed nor denied it.
@@Nothingseen I think the narrator dares her husband to leave her at the end. In the last verse, she says "So, take your fast car and keep on driving," and in the last refrain at the very end, she changes the "we gotta make a decision" from earlier to "you gotta make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way."
And it's unresolved what happens. Maybe he leaves. Maybe he stays. Maybe they live and die the way things are. Maybe the dare is a wakeup call to change things.
That it's up in the air is, I think, a big part of what makes this song truly great. Indeed, it's also possible that the "you" in the last refrain is actually directed at the listener who might be in a similar situation that she was.
This song is truly timeless, no boundaries, no colors, just raw truth. Love it. ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely timeless. You are so correct I love just listening to the song.
I WAS LISTENING TO YOU IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA...45 YEARS AGO..!!!.. I'M IN AUSTRALIA AND I STILL LOVE YOU SO MUCH 😢😢😢😢...WE HAVE A SAME BIRTHDAY... MARCH
"Leave tonight or live and die this way"
This is a very sad song. I never heard as detailed as the story of this one. Trying to escape poverty is hard while keeping your hopes and beliefs that things will get better. Life is not always what you planned. People change. Not all love gives hope to a person. Sometimes, this is what slowly killing our dreams in life.
poverty will chase the people who do not fight it.
Vo Jek: Your last 2 sentences are so profound & poetic. Thank you
I guess we're all people want to live a good life a good life u can call even it is just simple little food a home u can call a home. I always think of running away but I never do that cause I know the life outside for me in now I can't find a decent job for now cause I am still in high school waiting for me to graduate maybe talk to someone where I can find a work as fast as possible. It is a hard life but I am still thankful I'm still here breathing ,alive.
I just don't know what life is like my social anxiety is a bad thing because I'm always irritated shy but I'm not bad. 😭 But I need to change that I know . I know I need to change that way.
@@mariatheresafloresca4166 I understand you. It's not too late to change and plan. Everyday is a new beginning and opportunity for everyone. Just live and do the things that you know is good for you. Life is beautiful, Life is pain, Life is laughters and tears in order for us to appreciate the little things. Don't worry so much about the things that you can't for now. Pray.. and little by little reach all your dreams in life.
In every note, in every syllable you feel what she’s feeling. Decades after first hearing it it still grabs my heart and puts a lump in my throat. Glad the song is finding new fans. For me it’s this version. ❤
No doubt! Absolutely! For us lesbians, it was an anthem for perseverance amid hate.
I agree, but the lyrics should have been a poem instead of being this musically _boring_ song. 😎
@@gmann7082Yeah poems are a real blast 🤨🧐🙄
It sure does
@@gcgangsta9140 It's a real blast, especially if you don't run fast enough after lighting the fuse =💥👀😂😂😂
I’m 51, have always loved this song. But I just listened to it again after many years, really listened to the lyrics. I cried. This song is a poetic masterpiece, more relevant now than ever. Inner city, generational poverty is worse even now than when this song was written. Men, fathers, please pour out your life for your wife, and for your children. Building something worthwhile is hard, but something you were created for. Far more rewarding than a self-focused life. Cling to God for the strength. Blessings.
Words of wisdom. God bless you.
Great comment!
That was deep but very true you are an awesome person
God bless
Only the sick seek a doctor. Only those who are convinced of their own sin before God will see their need and seek after the Savior. Jesus. We mark our calendar by Him, not any of the other 4,999 “gods”.
Man, I listen to almost entirely death metal, slam and grindcore but there's something about this song that just hits right when you need a break from the chaos. Very few artists outside of my comfort zone hit this hard, absolute classic.