I've loved this for 30 years. The message of having dreams but being unable to rise because of the crushing weight of poverty and lack of opportunity is arguably more relevant today than when it was written.
But the protagonist had a good plan, except it required a reliable partner. However, she linked up with someone that was as useless as her father. It is a human failure that we often tend to recreate the problems we grew up with. @Benjamin Roe None of those things is really the problem. Drugs, perhaps, but there have always been drugs that people mess themselves up with, which is why the Bible and the Koran include warnings against such abuse. But more broadly, people have prevented their progress by distractions fro time immemorial. The car is a concrete symbol of finding an escape from one's problems, but the solution is in oneself. And your reference to capitalism is at best a non sequitur. As Bono has recognized, nothing has lifted more people pout of poverty than free market capitalism.
I was born and raised in little town Indiana and, at 18, I moved from crappy, low paying job to crappy low paying job. I looked around and saw that I did not want to live and die this way. I found my "fast car" in the Army, lived all over the world, married the love of my life overseas (35 years now), and achieved a Bachelors, a Masters, and a Doctorate. Always loved this song. Go find your fast car.
This whole album is gorgeous. It was Massive in the 80's. She was part of a whole group of female singer- songwriters who came out around the same time. This song is so special and heartbreaking. I still have this on CD and will NEVER part with it. ❤
Yeah, I bought a lot of those albums, 10,000 Maniacs, Suzanne Vega, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Sinead O'Connor, The Sugar Cubes and of course, Kate Bush.
Even before Tracy in the 80s there was Joan Armatrading from the 70s. Numerous songs , but you have to listen to "Love and Affection"...BUT listen to album version versus live. Featuring great male voice included in album version.
Tracy is Fire. Everything she sings has substance , and she is an amazing storyteller. Please, please listen to more of her music; Talkin' About a Revolution, Give Me One Reason, Baby Can I hold, The Promise, Telling Stories and so many more!!!!
The thing about Tracy Chapman is that her voice sounds like almost none of the technical elements you find in a lot of modern music. But it's crystal clear that pieces of her soul are woven through every note that she ever sings. And you can't do anything except just sit and let the emotion she's sharing wash over and through you. I'm not much one for spirituality, but listening to Tracy is a legit spiritual experience.
"I'm not much one for spirituality, but listening to Tracy is a legit spiritual experience." It is. I have legit hate for religion, but Traci does something that makes my bleak heart thaw.
The beauty of the song is the full circle it takes. At first, she sings 'we gotta make a decision" and the last verse "you gotta make a decision". In the song, she goes from wanting to run away with him to envisioning how life would be with him and it's not what she wants so then she says he has to go.
And her husband is on the way to become a drunk as her father? Stays out with the boys, sees them more then her and their children. That´s why he has to decide, how he wants to live. With the buddies or the family. That´s how I understand it at least. Not saying it can´t be both, but family should be the first.
It's beautiful songwriting. It takes us all the way from beginning to end and about to start the whole cycle again. I've sometimes wondered if she had Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road and Born To Run in her mind when she wrote this. It seems to be be a female and real world perspective on those songs.
@@leine8999 Yes, "take your fast car and keep on driving" is not celebratory, it's telling her partner that she no longer feels the fantasy life of being with him and he better drive away from her as she's done with him.
This song was such a standout when it first came out in an era of synthesizers and drum machines. It brought back the singer-songwriter storytelling vibe of the early 1970's it's completely timeless, perfect song.
She had several hits and was widely recognized as a great singer/songwriter in the time period. She was kind of a big deal in the 90s. There are a lot of artists like that.
If there was a Nobel Price for singer/songwriters, Tracy would deserve one. This "cry" of breaking out and yet that guitar riff, which is like a loop that indicates there won't be an outbreak, is pure poetry. A perfect combination of words and music.
Tracy Chapman is an exceptional singer and song writer. Her music hits so hard, beautiful yet haunting. Her 1988 album “Tracy Chapman” is an absolute classic! Enjoy and shed a tear along the way.
I always put Tracy in the same category of great American singer-songwriters as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Every song on this album and her 'New Beginnings' LP are incredibly well-crafted. Both are on my playlists for long road trips where I can listen to their entirety. Her soulfully plaintive voice just reaches directly into your soul.
That's the difference between being able to write a catchy tune that is forgotten in 5 years, and the truly great song writers that resonate decades later, Tracy is definitely in that category.
Bob Dylan is pretty heavy company. Their style is very different. Traci's voice is so expressive. She emotes everything in her voice. Heard this song on the radio when I was driving thru a Minnesota blizzard. Things slowly turning white. It hit me different. Thank you Tracy😊
Right? I remember wondering how it even got on the air. Did it get big on college radio first? That was sometimes how great less corporate stuff got on radio.
@@FloraWestI’ve never really thought much about it but it really is crazy that she broke into the mainstream, for so many reasons. But according to her wiki she was fortunate enough to be going to the same school as Brian Koppelman, and the rest is history. Good for her
when I first started learning english, this was one of my "go to" albums. And to this day, I'm still amazed how almost no one notices that at the end Tracy changes "WE gotta make a decision" to "YOU gotta manke a decision". To me that's such a major part of these lyrics . after all they've been through she finaly got rid of of his influence, therefor "YOU gotta make a decision" , because she made her's
This album changed my life and everything I thought about what good songwriting was supposed to be. She totally blew me away. I still play songs from this album to this day. Thanks Britt!
Tracy is an amazing singer and songwriter. I'm a classic rock, hard rock, and heavy metal guy but I truly appreciate her talents. I love her music. We need more artists like her today.
You should definitely check out her performing this at the Nelson Mandela tribute show back in ‘88. She’s standing in front of thousands of people performing with only a mic and guitar and she has the whole audience with her!
Always stuck in my mind how she came on (I think following a big act) and seemed a bit awestruck by the occasion. Then the crowd quickly quietened down and became awestruck by her performance - and she then gained confidence. That was my first introduction to her. What a class act, and what an album too.
@@johnburton4577 she went on twice. the second time was because some of Stevie Wonder's equipment (I think a CD of samples he needed) went missing and he refused to go on. She stepped in at the last minute to perform again as filler until the next act. The crowd was rowdy and then immediately silent when she started to sing.
Why a movie from the premise of this song was never made is beyond me. The lyrics created a picture story in my mind so clear. It does carry you away as it plays. PURE TIMELESS!!
The recorded version of the song is a bit faster. This hit single was from her 1988 debut album, which was a sensation and won her several Grammys. She was also voted Best New Artist. Since then her output has been sporadic but still effective. She's a very private person. She was involved in a long term relationship with author Alice Walker. Another superb song from that album is "Baby Can I Hold You." (Which she also performed live in a beautiful duet with opera singer Pavarotti.) Later on in the '90s she had a hit with the bluesy rocker "Give Me One Reason."
It’s ironic that she was in a relationship with the author of “The Color Purple”, which has many of the same themes of a woman rising out of a terrible relationship to start a new life.
A country singer just covered this song making Tracy Chapman the first Queen songwriter for a #1 country song in the charts. I'm not a King, but I shed tears when I read that. Loved this song for decades. ❤
Yes, Tracy is a treasure. I’m from Belgium and I know and love this song, still know the lyrics by heart. It was such a hit all over the world and anybody who’s a little older will probably have heard it. Next maybe “ give me one reason “
She just brought together so many things at once. She impacted every genre and will be held up as one of the icons of music for all time. This much I know.
I was a senior in high school when this song dropped and everyone - rap fans, metal heads, Deadheads, rednecks, etc. - loved it. One of those special authentic songs that come along that just spoke to everyone. Still does some 35 years later.
Hearing this song always moves me to tears-and so did your reaction to it. I'm so glad you experienced it and shared it with your audience. Thank you for one of the most beautiful, heartfelt music reactions I've ever seen.
This song brings two others to mind, both very different. Joni Mitchell's The River evokes the same kind of melancholia. "I wish I had a river I could skate away on." And The Animals singing We Gotta Get Outta This Place evokes the same desperation. "My little girl you're so young and pretty. One thing I know is true, you'll be dead before your time is due."
Love this song, worked with "troubled youth" in treatment facilities for several years and this reminds me of a lot of my kids when they got out at 18, mostly worked with girls, and they usually struggled a lot and usually latched on to the first guy that was half nice to them and then it ended badly
This is such a poignant song! It IS a song of hope! But it is also about the tragedy of cycles repeating in each generation. About not knowing how or being able to rise above. Tracy is wonderful! Keep listening to her! She has written some terrific songs! ❤
Yes, Tracy is most definitely a tresure. Something about her voice just penetrates the soul and cannot be denied. To echo some suggestions already mentioned here: Across the lines, Give me one reason, Baby can I hold you and Talking 'bout a revolution are all masterpieces.
This song is amazingly written. It's a song about optimism and hope, but how even our best attempts to start over can end up in a similar cycle as to what we tried to leave. It's such a real song, but it's also so sad because it shows how other people can drag us down and have such a control over our lives when all we're trying to do is be better. It's great that the song ends with her telling the dead weight to get in his car and leave. This song has many layers--it's quite brilliant.
It was the mid to late 90s, I was stationed (Army) in Japan, pulling into the parking lot headed back to work when "Give Me One Reason" came on the radio and I heard Tracy for the first time. I sat in the car and listened to the song, then put the car back in gear, went to the Post Exchange and bought her CD. Perfection is the word that describes her music.
Agree 100% with that. I had already known of Tracy from her debut album when 'Give Me One Reason' came out. As great a song as it is, to me it is not nearly the best song on 'New Beginnings'. The title track, 'Heaven's Here On Earth', 'Cold Feet' there are just so many deeper and more meaningful songs that mainstream radio just ignored that it is a crime didin't get the exposure they deserved.
Tracy Chapman is a great singer-songwriter & storyteller. Have always loved her unusual voice. She is best known for her hit singles "Talkin' 'bout A Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Crossroads", "Give Me One Reason" etc.
Saw her in the early ‘80s in Harvard Square, and as a main act in front of thousands at the Lilith Fair. She is unbelievably good in any setting, not just vocally, but on guitar. And her band was great, too.
@@jamesalexander5623 More often than you know. I was homeless and living in a shelter for a couple years in Boston after being sexually abused by my step dad. Fell into drugs and alcohol. Now I own my home, have been together with the same man for 30 years (18 of them legally married). Took me a long time to realize that booze and drugs were the result of my past trauma. As of this writing, I have six weeks of sobriety under my belt. Thats why this song hits home to me.
My absolute favourite artist of all time.. her songwriting & storytelling abilities and Tonality in her lower register cuts right to my soul when she sings.. she has them perfect imperfections in her Tone that is everything for me. She is a prime example of a Timeless Artist.. check out her songs, Cross Road & I’m Ready, Be Carful Of My Hart, trust me, your going to need it in your playlist. Tracy Chapman is just the truth. If Angelina covers any of Tracy Chapmans storytelling songs, I’ll probably pass Out.. it will be a Musical Match Made in Heaven.
I've always loved this song. "Give me one reason" is another song of hers that got mainstream attention. It's a shame that she didn't as much attention as other musicians.
Fast Car was an instant classic when it was releast in the spring of 1988. And the young, shy and humble Tracy was catapulted from nowhere into the world stage of music in just a few weeks.
Tracy Chapman was a POWERFUL story-teller from the 80's ... SO many amazing songs which touched people's souls. It was rhythmic... it was tribal... it spoke to people. "Mountains O'Things" is a personal favorite
In the last verse she’s telling him to get in his car and leave because she’s paying all the bills whilst he is unemployed, hangs out in the bars, and sees his friends more than his kids… so sad… And relatable. I adore this song and your reactions. Give me one reason is another great one from her.
@@ryanmartin4053 The boyfriend that she ran away with. The story told in the song is they ran away but he basically never held up his end and fell into bad habits. In that way it's very much a circle of being back in similar situation to what she original ran away from with her father. That's life.
@@ryanmartin4053 Both. Her mother left her father, and later she leaves her SO for the same reason. The fast car gives her a glimmer of hope and wholeness that she can never hold on to as the cycle continues. 😢
@@Kaddywompous Well put. The difference in how she broke the cycle, though, is that she stayed and told HIM to go. She kept her kids and probably gave them the best chance to grow up without becoming her.
This was her major hit that made the world notice her music. Give Me One Reason was also popular later on, but not many other hits really made it. But she has good music. This song played a great deal in the ending of the 80s. Based on your statement of years, it would appear you were born near the time this was popular, or a tad afterward. But by the time you would be old enough to notice music, it would not have been played as much. Without many major hits, it could fade into obscurity, unless people stumble upon it. Then they realize it is worth playing more regularly. There was a summer that was marked by this song. I remember this song more than the summer when it played so much.
I have had this song on my mp3 player for over 20 years now and can understand how you feel. I've got to say, your reaction to this song defines the reason I watch you. You are real and let it out. You may not have consciously thought of it, but reactions like yours are a real benefit, not only to you but to all your listeners. You are introducing yourself to new information (a much harder job than most people understand) but you are also sharing that new information with 100,000 others. And, while it is nice to learn new stuff for yourself, by sharing with others you are helping to create a shared culture -- you are showing all your viewers how much they have in common that they can all appreciate something they had not seen before. It is that commonality, a shared culture, that brings us together and lets us live in peace. Thanks.
Good reaction. Tracy is a very shy and private person who doesn't really enjoy playing in public but thankfully has shared her talents with us. I think you will enjoy her song 'Baby Can I Hold You'
I love that she takes it at a slower tempo in this performance - it really clears space for the melody and lets her tell the story without rushing it through that forest of words. Stone cold classic. Check out three great songs from her second album: “Crossroads”, “This Time”, and “Born To Fight”.💖🎶😎
Tracy is a woman with a very husky,deep,unique voice.I saw her in the early 90's when she released this,and she was amazing,super talented! Hits ya right in the soul.🎙🎶👊
This album came out my junior year of high school and no one had heard anything quite like it! She made an immediate, beautiful impact. Please dig deep into her catalog!
I love Tracy's music, one of her other big songs would be "Give me one reason", one of my favourites is "The Promise", it is such a beautiful song. Fast Car is probably the first of Tracy's songs I heard, it is a catchy song, but a sad one.
This song reminds me of the desperation of wanting to have a different life, dreams of living normally to be with the one you love, have jobs that make you smile, having a couple of kids, surrounding your lives in peace & love ❤.
Love Tracy :) Listen to the studio version too, it's a bit different - very much more bass-heavy. It was released 1987 so it's amazing you never heard it before :)
I like to pair this song with Paula Cole's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" They have similar themes about a relationship ending because only one person is putting in the work. Tracy gives me chills when I listen to this one. The raw emotion of the I-I in the chorus hits me right in the feels.
The song begins with hope, then life happens and you have to turn your attention to life. Your dreams take the back burner and you live life. fast car rides will always be there for mental freedom. She tells a universal story. Hope, life, sacrifice, love.....i can't listen to it without taking me back to the lows I was having when I really resonated with this song. Great song. I'll get my "fast car" one day....#KeepDoingYou
She is amazing. Don't know why her career didn't go farther. Her voice and writing talents were underrated. Give Me One Reason was probably her biggest hit, and is really a showcase of her vocal talents.
This song was a favourite of Elaine ,who I cared for for 19 years .She knew the words , always sang along She had mental health issues all her life but never gave up, worked, always always looked for better. ALWAYS thought the best of people ..like Tracey Chapmans song.
Back in the 80s, I was a hard rock/heavy metal guy. All my buddies were the same. It was all Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, etc... all the time. But every single one of us got deep into Tracy Chapman. There was just something about her songwriting, playing and singing, that was just so simple yet brilliant.
I love that you really listened to this song and love it. It is a work of art and so deep and real and sad and so many reactors don’t hear the message in it. ❣️
I was always into 80’s metal music in the 80’s but I always loved this song. Glad it is getting revived and getting recognition it deserves. She is getting the recognition she deserves and rediscovered. ❤️
"Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman... is one of those songs that I always seem to go back to since I was young. Her words just hit differently. This song as well. ♥
I almost always listen to this song when I walk down the street. It's such a bittersweet folk pop song that can make you feel happy and melancholic at the same time. Tracy Chapman was a great musical discovery at the end of the 80's. It is very sad that her career has not been valued all over the world after her first album.
My friend John Denver once shared with me that Tracy was his favorite singer and that "if I were born in her circumstances I might have written and sung songs like hers."
Her whole self titled album from the 80s was magic. I love so many of her songs. You need to listen to Talkin’ about a Revolution. Tracy is a brilliant singer songwriter. There is something about her that puts her with Pete Seeger, Jim Croce, or Harry Chapin in my mind. Those live minds, and active hearts telling stories, and doing good things in the world around them.
The first thing I ever knew about Tracy Chapman was her voice, and it was magnificent. An awesome voice, and she reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's lyrics and support for the poor, the working class, the disenfranchised. Stunning is the right word. This song is pure poetry, poetry about so much of America's heartache behind the power and the glamour. Real talk.
Same category as Jim Croce in storytelling and heart. Absolutely adore her.❤ (she tells him to take a fast car and keep on driving I think, it’s the cycle, she ended up differently than she hoped)
Haven't heard this one in a few years but I'm grateful that when I needed it most, I could listen to it on repeat. Got quite emotional, not just at the song and where it takes me back to in my biography but your reaction to it too. Life-changing is right. Life-saving, in some cases. Know what? I too will download it to my phone again. Music, like hope, can be so powerful.
I just heard someone cover this amazing tune today. I said to myself, "Nope! Nope! Nope! No one should be doing this song except Tracy." She's awesome!
this tune fires on all 8 cylinders , the simpler the song gets the harder they are to write and that is where the true artist shows their stuff , sad the one thing we all want is a better life but we are to busy destroying everyone else's life
This song makes me emotional every time I hear it. One of the best songs ever written. I think so many girls/women living and growing up in the circle of poverty/addiction have felt this.
I've loved this for 30 years. The message of having dreams but being unable to rise because of the crushing weight of poverty and lack of opportunity is arguably more relevant today than when it was written.
Yeah this song is and was probably relevant in EVERY age of time. But more so in the age of drugs, cars, and capitalist society.
But the protagonist had a good plan, except it required a reliable partner. However, she linked up with someone that was as useless as her father. It is a human failure that we often tend to recreate the problems we grew up with.
@Benjamin Roe None of those things is really the problem. Drugs, perhaps, but there have always been drugs that people mess themselves up with, which is why the Bible and the Koran include warnings against such abuse. But more broadly, people have prevented their progress by distractions fro time immemorial. The car is a concrete symbol of finding an escape from one's problems, but the solution is in oneself. And your reference to capitalism is at best a non sequitur. As Bono has recognized, nothing has lifted more people pout of poverty than free market capitalism.
Yeah I think this is a lot more about seeking a life partner to help get them out together, and that partner not being up to the task.
It was always relevant for black folks, though, so, equally relevant for us.
@@LadyAstarionAncunin It was always relevant for poor any one.
I was born and raised in little town Indiana and, at 18, I moved from crappy, low paying job to crappy low paying job. I looked around and saw that I did not want to live and die this way. I found my "fast car" in the Army, lived all over the world, married the love of my life overseas (35 years now), and achieved a Bachelors, a Masters, and a Doctorate. Always loved this song. Go find your fast car.
God I love this. I grew up in Granger, IN. My fast car was my wife.
What a lovely story, thanks for sharing it!
This whole album is gorgeous. It was Massive in the 80's. She was part of a whole group of female singer- songwriters who came out around the same time. This song is so special and heartbreaking. I still have this on CD and will NEVER part with it. ❤
Yeah, I bought a lot of those albums, 10,000 Maniacs, Suzanne Vega, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Sinead O'Connor, The Sugar Cubes and of course, Kate Bush.
Even before Tracy in the 80s there was Joan Armatrading from the 70s. Numerous songs , but you have to listen to "Love and Affection"...BUT listen to album version versus live. Featuring great male voice included in album version.
Great comment! And love every response. All parties are correct.❤
Absolutely one of the greatest records in music history
Tracy and Linda Perry are top on my list from this era for songwriting
Tracy is easily one of greatest musical story tellers of a generation. In truth, this song is an unmatched masterpiece.
Tracy is Fire. Everything she sings has substance , and she is an amazing storyteller. Please, please listen to more of her music; Talkin' About a Revolution, Give Me One Reason, Baby Can I hold, The Promise, Telling Stories and so many more!!!!
Tin Man and Heaven's Here on Earth are fantastic
'New Beginning' live in Paris ... Tracy plays a didgeridoo
She and Pavarotti also have an excellent duet.
@@garyjacobs1183 And a "Thrill Is Gone" duet with BB King
Tracy is awesome ❤ Please listen to "give me One Reason". That one song hooked me on her music forever. And the music video of that song is great.
The thing about Tracy Chapman is that her voice sounds like almost none of the technical elements you find in a lot of modern music. But it's crystal clear that pieces of her soul are woven through every note that she ever sings. And you can't do anything except just sit and let the emotion she's sharing wash over and through you. I'm not much one for spirituality, but listening to Tracy is a legit spiritual experience.
yes! what Ro said!!!
In today's business they would filter her voice to oblivion.
"I'm not much one for spirituality, but listening to Tracy is a legit spiritual experience."
It is. I have legit hate for religion, but Traci does something that makes my bleak heart thaw.
@@jice7074 Don´t underestimate artists. No serious musician would sign a deal that would force them to bend over like this.
I think so underrated
The beauty of the song is the full circle it takes. At first, she sings 'we gotta make a decision" and the last verse "you gotta make a decision". In the song, she goes from wanting to run away with him to envisioning how life would be with him and it's not what she wants so then she says he has to go.
And her husband is on the way to become a drunk as her father? Stays out with the boys, sees them more then her and their children. That´s why he has to decide, how he wants to live. With the buddies or the family. That´s how I understand it at least. Not saying it can´t be both, but family should be the first.
It's beautiful songwriting. It takes us all the way from beginning to end and about to start the whole cycle again.
I've sometimes wondered if she had Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road and Born To Run in her mind when she wrote this. It seems to be be a female and real world perspective on those songs.
Exactly...many people miss that part.
Spot-on!
@@leine8999 Yes, "take your fast car and keep on driving" is not celebratory, it's telling her partner that she no longer feels the fantasy life of being with him and he better drive away from her as she's done with him.
I don't care if you like metal, bluegrass or pop, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman is an amazing song!
its so thick with emotions, yet so beautifully simple.
This song was such a standout when it first came out in an era of synthesizers and drum machines. It brought back the singer-songwriter storytelling vibe of the early 1970's it's completely timeless, perfect song.
Tracy is criminally underrated as a genius and powerful songwriter and performer.
Tracy is fire and she never got the Recognition she deserved
She had several hits and was widely recognized as a great singer/songwriter in the time period. She was kind of a big deal in the 90s. There are a lot of artists like that.
The whole album was fire!
@@williamslater-vf5ymyeah people knew who she was lol. I grew up in the middle of nowhere and heard “Gimme One Reason” about 10,000 times
If there was a Nobel Price for singer/songwriters, Tracy would deserve one. This "cry" of breaking out and yet that guitar riff, which is like a loop that indicates there won't be an outbreak, is pure poetry. A perfect combination of words and music.
Tracy Chapman is an exceptional singer and song writer. Her music hits so hard, beautiful yet haunting. Her 1988 album “Tracy Chapman” is an absolute classic! Enjoy and shed a tear along the way.
I always put Tracy in the same category of great American singer-songwriters as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. Every song on this album and her 'New Beginnings' LP are incredibly well-crafted. Both are on my playlists for long road trips where I can listen to their entirety. Her soulfully plaintive voice just reaches directly into your soul.
That's the difference between being able to write a catchy tune that is forgotten in 5 years, and the truly great song writers that resonate decades later, Tracy is definitely in that category.
Agreed. New Beginnings is one of the great albums ever recorded.
Bob Dylan is pretty heavy company. Their style is very different. Traci's voice is so expressive. She emotes everything in her voice. Heard this song on the radio when I was driving thru a Minnesota blizzard. Things slowly turning white. It hit me different. Thank you Tracy😊
Tracy is a women, and one of the best singers and most unique sounds ive ever heard, it’s angelic
It’s hard to overstate how different this song was on the radio when it came on the first time. Brilliant is a great word to use.
Right? I remember wondering how it even got on the air. Did it get big on college radio first? That was sometimes how great less corporate stuff got on radio.
@@FloraWestI’ve never really thought much about it but it really is crazy that she broke into the mainstream, for so many reasons. But according to her wiki she was fortunate enough to be going to the same school as Brian Koppelman, and the rest is history. Good for her
Ah! Well glad he used his power for good.@@alanfulcher460
This is a great performance, and the studio version is also great. Tracy was a breath of fresh air when she hit the scene in the late 80s.
when I first started learning english, this was one of my "go to" albums. And to this day, I'm still amazed how almost no one notices that at the end Tracy changes "WE gotta make a decision" to "YOU gotta manke a decision".
To me that's such a major part of these lyrics . after all they've been through she finaly got rid of of his influence, therefor "YOU gotta make a decision" , because she made her's
'Leave tonight or live and die this way' 😢
No matter how many times I've heard her, never fails to make my eyes glisten.
Hon you talked over the key point! She decides to dump the loser and tells him, "Take your fast car and keep on driving."
That's it. She married someone who had the same demons as her father. Heartbreak of a song. "So take your fast car and keep on driving."
Thank you. I finally listened to the lyrics closely enough to understand how the story ends up.
It is the combination of sadness, desperation and hopefulness that are blended with a beautiful, understated tune, that makes this song so good.
This album changed my life and everything I thought about what good songwriting was supposed to be. She totally blew me away. I still play songs from this album to this day. Thanks Britt!
She is dreaming of getting away from her dreary life, but they seem just dreams. It's such a powerful song
One of best songs from Traci
Tracy is an amazing singer and songwriter. I'm a classic rock, hard rock, and heavy metal guy but I truly appreciate her talents. I love her music. We need more artists like her today.
You should definitely check out her performing this at the Nelson Mandela tribute show back in ‘88. She’s standing in front of thousands of people performing with only a mic and guitar and she has the whole audience with her!
Always stuck in my mind how she came on (I think following a big act) and seemed a bit awestruck by the occasion.
Then the crowd quickly quietened down and became awestruck by her performance - and she then gained confidence.
That was my first introduction to her. What a class act, and what an album too.
@@johnburton4577 she went on twice. the second time was because some of Stevie Wonder's equipment (I think a CD of samples he needed) went missing and he refused to go on. She stepped in at the last minute to perform again as filler until the next act. The crowd was rowdy and then immediately silent when she started to sing.
Why a movie from the premise of this song was never made is beyond me. The lyrics created a picture story in my mind so clear. It does carry you away as it plays. PURE TIMELESS!!
The recorded version of the song is a bit faster. This hit single was from her 1988 debut album, which was a sensation and won her several Grammys. She was also voted Best New Artist. Since then her output has been sporadic but still effective. She's a very private person. She was involved in a long term relationship with author Alice Walker. Another superb song from that album is "Baby Can I Hold You." (Which she also performed live in a beautiful duet with opera singer Pavarotti.) Later on in the '90s she had a hit with the bluesy rocker "Give Me One Reason."
She wanted to put the song" Give me one reason", on an earlier album but the record company did not want it.
It’s ironic that she was in a relationship with the author of “The Color Purple”, which has many of the same themes of a woman rising out of a terrible relationship to start a new life.
A country singer just covered this song making Tracy Chapman the first Queen songwriter for a #1 country song in the charts. I'm not a King, but I shed tears when I read that. Loved this song for decades. ❤
Yes, Tracy is a treasure. I’m from Belgium and I know and love this song, still know the lyrics by heart. It was such a hit all over the world and anybody who’s a little older will probably have heard it. Next maybe “ give me one reason “
Tracy, she is such a beautiful soul!!
Such an amazing song! And her voice is just... like butter. Gimme one reason is another of her hits and is really good as well!
the best part of your videos is when you sing along with the songs you have just heard... it means you have got to the heart of the song
She just brought together so many things at once. She impacted every genre and will be held up as one of the icons of music for all time. This much I know.
I was a senior in high school when this song dropped and everyone - rap fans, metal heads, Deadheads, rednecks, etc. - loved it. One of those special authentic songs that come along that just spoke to everyone. Still does some 35 years later.
Hearing this song always moves me to tears-and so did your reaction to it. I'm so glad you experienced it and shared it with your audience. Thank you for one of the most beautiful, heartfelt music reactions I've ever seen.
This song brings two others to mind, both very different. Joni Mitchell's The River evokes the same kind of melancholia. "I wish I had a river I could skate away on." And The Animals singing We Gotta Get Outta This Place evokes the same desperation. "My little girl you're so young and pretty. One thing I know is true, you'll be dead before your time is due."
Love this song, worked with "troubled youth" in treatment facilities for several years and this reminds me of a lot of my kids when they got out at 18, mostly worked with girls, and they usually struggled a lot and usually latched on to the first guy that was half nice to them and then it ended badly
This is such a poignant song! It IS a song of hope! But it is also about the tragedy of cycles repeating in each generation. About not knowing how or being able to rise above. Tracy is wonderful! Keep listening to her! She has written some terrific songs! ❤
Yes, Tracy is most definitely a tresure. Something about her voice just penetrates the soul and cannot be denied. To echo some suggestions already mentioned here: Across the lines, Give me one reason, Baby can I hold you and Talking 'bout a revolution are all masterpieces.
So nice to find out so many people feel the same way I do about this song and Tracy Chapman
This song is amazingly written. It's a song about optimism and hope, but how even our best attempts to start over can end up in a similar cycle as to what we tried to leave. It's such a real song, but it's also so sad because it shows how other people can drag us down and have such a control over our lives when all we're trying to do is be better. It's great that the song ends with her telling the dead weight to get in his car and leave. This song has many layers--it's quite brilliant.
It was the mid to late 90s, I was stationed (Army) in Japan, pulling into the parking lot headed back to work when "Give Me One Reason" came on the radio and I heard Tracy for the first time. I sat in the car and listened to the song, then put the car back in gear, went to the Post Exchange and bought her CD. Perfection is the word that describes her music.
Agree 100% with that. I had already known of Tracy from her debut album when 'Give Me One Reason' came out. As great a song as it is, to me it is not nearly the best song on 'New Beginnings'. The title track, 'Heaven's Here On Earth', 'Cold Feet' there are just so many deeper and more meaningful songs that mainstream radio just ignored that it is a crime didin't get the exposure they deserved.
Tracy Chapman is a great singer-songwriter & storyteller. Have always loved her unusual voice. She is best known for her hit singles "Talkin' 'bout A Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Crossroads", "Give Me One Reason" etc.
Saw her in the early ‘80s in Harvard Square, and as a main act in front of thousands at the Lilith Fair. She is unbelievably good in any setting, not just vocally, but on guitar. And her band was great, too.
I saw her live at the Lilith Fair as well. :)
This song always hits. Great lyrics that paint a picture. Sad, yet hopeful. someone trying to get up and get out.
I always wonder how many times this story has played out in real life! .... 'merica!
@@jamesalexander5623 More often than you know. I was homeless and living in a shelter for a couple years in Boston after being sexually abused by my step dad. Fell into drugs and alcohol. Now I own my home, have been together with the same man for 30 years (18 of them legally married). Took me a long time to realize that booze and drugs were the result of my past trauma.
As of this writing, I have six weeks of sobriety under my belt. Thats why this song hits home to me.
My absolute favourite artist of all time.. her songwriting & storytelling abilities and Tonality in her lower register cuts right to my soul when she sings.. she has them perfect imperfections in her Tone that is everything for me. She is a prime example of a Timeless Artist..
check out her songs, Cross Road & I’m Ready, Be Carful Of My Hart, trust me, your going to need it in your playlist.
Tracy Chapman is just the truth.
If Angelina covers any of Tracy Chapmans storytelling songs, I’ll probably pass Out.. it will be a Musical Match Made in Heaven.
I've always loved this song. "Give me one reason" is another song of hers that got mainstream attention. It's a shame that she didn't as much attention as other musicians.
Fast Car was an instant classic when it was releast in the spring of 1988. And the young, shy and humble Tracy was catapulted from nowhere into the world stage of music in just a few weeks.
Tracy Chapman was a POWERFUL story-teller from the 80's ... SO many amazing songs which touched people's souls. It was rhythmic... it was tribal... it spoke to people. "Mountains O'Things" is a personal favorite
"take your fast car and keep on driving…" fantastic song
In the last verse she’s telling him to get in his car and leave because she’s paying all the bills whilst he is unemployed, hangs out in the bars, and sees his friends more than his kids… so sad… And relatable. I adore this song and your reactions.
Give me one reason is another great one from her.
Is she talking about her alcoholic father she was taking care of? Or a boyfriend/significant other?
@@ryanmartin4053 The boyfriend that she ran away with. The story told in the song is they ran away but he basically never held up his end and fell into bad habits. In that way it's very much a circle of being back in similar situation to what she original ran away from with her father. That's life.
@@ryanmartin4053 Both. Her mother left her father, and later she leaves her SO for the same reason. The fast car gives her a glimmer of hope and wholeness that she can never hold on to as the cycle continues. 😢
@@Kaddywompous Spot on. It's a masterclass in songwriting.
@@Kaddywompous Well put. The difference in how she broke the cycle, though, is that she stayed and told HIM to go. She kept her kids and probably gave them the best chance to grow up without becoming her.
My late father used to play Tracy's songs in the car when I was little all the time. She's forever linked in my mind to memories of him.
This was her major hit that made the world notice her music. Give Me One Reason was also popular later on, but not many other hits really made it. But she has good music. This song played a great deal in the ending of the 80s. Based on your statement of years, it would appear you were born near the time this was popular, or a tad afterward. But by the time you would be old enough to notice music, it would not have been played as much. Without many major hits, it could fade into obscurity, unless people stumble upon it. Then they realize it is worth playing more regularly. There was a summer that was marked by this song. I remember this song more than the summer when it played so much.
I have had this song on my mp3 player for over 20 years now and can understand how you feel. I've got to say, your reaction to this song defines the reason I watch you. You are real and let it out. You may not have consciously thought of it, but reactions like yours are a real benefit, not only to you but to all your listeners. You are introducing yourself to new information (a much harder job than most people understand) but you are also sharing that new information with 100,000 others. And, while it is nice to learn new stuff for yourself, by sharing with others you are helping to create a shared culture -- you are showing all your viewers how much they have in common that they can all appreciate something they had not seen before. It is that commonality, a shared culture, that brings us together and lets us live in peace. Thanks.
Good reaction. Tracy is a very shy and private person who doesn't really enjoy playing in public but thankfully has shared her talents with us. I think you will enjoy her song 'Baby Can I Hold You'
I love that she takes it at a slower tempo in this performance - it really clears space for the melody and lets her tell the story without rushing it through that forest of words. Stone cold classic. Check out three great songs from her second album: “Crossroads”, “This Time”, and “Born To Fight”.💖🎶😎
Tracy is a woman with a very husky,deep,unique voice.I saw her in the early 90's when she released this,and she was amazing,super talented! Hits ya right in the soul.🎙🎶👊
I am so happy you reviewed and enjoyed this song. When it came out, the world stopped and listened. Tracy Chapman is a gift.
It’s so cool to see you have the exact same reaction to her as we all did 35 years ago! I still get emotional listening to it.
This album came out my junior year of high school and no one had heard anything quite like it! She made an immediate, beautiful impact. Please dig deep into her catalog!
Tracy is a female. Another song of hers that's lesser known is "Crossroads." I recommend giving it a listen.
This song never gets old. So gorgeous. Tracy definitely left her mark on the world with this song. ❤❤
I love Tracy's music, one of her other big songs would be "Give me one reason", one of my favourites is "The Promise", it is such a beautiful song. Fast Car is probably the first of Tracy's songs I heard, it is a catchy song, but a sad one.
This song reminds me of the desperation of wanting to have a different life, dreams of living normally to be with the one you love, have jobs that make you smile, having a couple of kids, surrounding your lives in peace & love ❤.
Love Tracy :) Listen to the studio version too, it's a bit different - very much more bass-heavy. It was released 1987 so it's amazing you never heard it before :)
Recorded -87 and released in April -88
"Baby Can I Hold You" gives me chills. It's so beautiful, going from mournful to belts effortlessly.
I like to pair this song with Paula Cole's "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" They have similar themes about a relationship ending because only one person is putting in the work. Tracy gives me chills when I listen to this one. The raw emotion of the I-I in the chorus hits me right in the feels.
That’s a perfect pairing of songs!
This is such a haunting song, so well done. I can listen to her for hours.
The song begins with hope, then life happens and you have to turn your attention to life. Your dreams take the back burner and you live life. fast car rides will always be there for mental freedom. She tells a universal story. Hope, life, sacrifice, love.....i can't listen to it without taking me back to the lows I was having when I really resonated with this song. Great song. I'll get my "fast car" one day....#KeepDoingYou
Classic song. Never understand why it isn't celebrate more for its ability to tell such an emotional story. 😭
She is one of a group of singers with truly unique voices. Another is Suzanne Vega. You should try Suzanne’s song My Name Is Luka.
She is amazing. Don't know why her career didn't go farther. Her voice and writing talents were underrated. Give Me One Reason was probably her biggest hit, and is really a showcase of her vocal talents.
During my worst times,Tracy Chapman's 1st album was the album that I turned to listen to most to calm me down. Every song on that album is so good.
This song was a favourite of Elaine ,who I cared for for 19 years .She knew the words , always sang along She had mental health issues all her life but never gave up, worked, always always looked for better. ALWAYS thought the best of people ..like Tracey Chapmans song.
This whole album is fire 🔥. Love Tracy
Great voice and beautiful songwriter
Back in the 80s, I was a hard rock/heavy metal guy. All my buddies were the same. It was all Ozzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, etc... all the time.
But every single one of us got deep into Tracy Chapman.
There was just something about her songwriting, playing and singing, that was just so simple yet brilliant.
I love that you really listened to this song and love it. It is a work of art and so deep and real and sad and so many reactors don’t hear the message in it. ❣️
I was always into 80’s metal music in the 80’s but I always loved this song. Glad it is getting revived and getting recognition it deserves. She is getting the recognition she deserves and rediscovered. ❤️
Tracy Chapmann was my oldest brothers first CD back in 89. She is an amazing singer and artist.
"Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman... is one of those songs that I always seem to go back to since I was young. Her words just hit differently. This song as well. ♥
The message in every song is amazing her vocals are on fire and please listen to more from her
Tracy Chapman is a beautiful and powerful artist. She should be much more widely known by the current generation. Her music is timeless.
Incredible music and lyrics in any of her works, but this song is magically beautiful.
What a women, what a voice, what a song! Tracey's music took place in my heart from the very first moment I heard it. Greetings from Germany.
She really does have such a unique voice it’s beautiful. Great reaction and love that you did a live version ♥️
She's one of the greatest songwriters ever. A great human. This is just one of many masterpieces.
Nothing I can say about Tracy that hasn't already been said. This song is 35 years old and still relates to many people today.
If anyone ever asked me who my favorite female artist was… Tracy Chapman would be the answer every single time
I almost always listen to this song when I walk down the street. It's such a bittersweet folk pop song that can make you feel happy and melancholic at the same time. Tracy Chapman was a great musical discovery at the end of the 80's. It is very sad that her career has not been valued all over the world after her first album.
My friend John Denver once shared with me that Tracy was his favorite singer and that "if I were born in her circumstances I might have written and sung songs like hers."
Her whole self titled album from the 80s was magic. I love so many of her songs. You need to listen to Talkin’ about a Revolution. Tracy is a brilliant singer songwriter. There is something about her that puts her with Pete Seeger, Jim Croce, or Harry Chapin in my mind. Those live minds, and active hearts telling stories, and doing good things in the world around them.
"Give Me One Reason" is my favorite Tracy song! 🥰, PJ
She is just so so talented. Love her voice her songs!! She did a solo performance at an Oakland concert and blew the audience away.
The first thing I ever knew about Tracy Chapman was her voice, and it was magnificent. An awesome voice, and she reminds me of Bruce Springsteen's lyrics and support for the poor, the working class, the disenfranchised. Stunning is the right word. This song is pure poetry, poetry about so much of America's heartache behind the power and the glamour. Real talk.
Same category as Jim Croce in storytelling and heart. Absolutely adore her.❤ (she tells him to take a fast car and keep on driving I think, it’s the cycle, she ended up differently than she hoped)
You're absolutely correct. This song is phenomenal. And so is Tracy Chapman.
Haven't heard this one in a few years but I'm grateful that when I needed it most, I could listen to it on repeat. Got quite emotional, not just at the song and where it takes me back to in my biography but your reaction to it too. Life-changing is right. Life-saving, in some cases. Know what? I too will download it to my phone again. Music, like hope, can be so powerful.
I just heard someone cover this amazing tune today. I said to myself, "Nope! Nope! Nope! No one should be doing this song except Tracy." She's awesome!
this tune fires on all 8 cylinders , the simpler the song gets the harder they are to write and that is where the true artist shows their stuff , sad the one thing we all want is a better life but we are to busy destroying everyone else's life
sheeiit that's deep
This song makes me emotional every time I hear it. One of the best songs ever written. I think so many girls/women living and growing up in the circle of poverty/addiction have felt this.