Fast Car is Tracy Chapman’s most popular song: written in 1986 it’s one of the last song she wrote before recording her first album, known under the name of The Debut Album, it’s also her biggest hit worldwide. Learn everything about Fast Car in this article!
Introduction to Fast Car
Soon after she performed Fast Car at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert on June 11, 1988, Chapman’s song began its rise on the US charts; it became a Number 6 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 27, 1988. While it’s her biggest hit in the USA, Fast Car didn’t release as a single worldwide. In France for instance, it wasn’t even air on the radio, maybe because cars are not that much into French culture (but the Revolution is, that would explain the Talkin’Bout A Revolution success in this country). Fast Car won the “Best Pop Vocal Performance Female” 1989 Grammy Awards (and was nominated that same year for the Song of the Year “Fast Car”).
Many many fans can relate to this song (if you’re not convinced then buy this Dear Tracy book) and for most of them, it remains the song that made them know Tracy Chapman. Not a day without hundreds of people mentioning Fast Car on Twitter, not a day without someone purchasing this song on iTunes.
If you attend a Tracy Chapman concert hoping that she will sing it then you will be lucky, Fast Car is always included to the setlist. Waiting for this bright day, look at live videos of Tracy Chapman singing Fast Car live.
If you love Fast Car, then share this page on Twitter or Facebook or like the dedicated Facebook page. Help this song to be even more known!
Fast Car meaning: Tracy Chapman talks about “Fast Car”
Tracy Chapman talked about Fast Car on the BBC radio in 2010:
On March 25, 1996 Tracy Chapman was telling to CIDR :
On April 18, 2024, Tracy talked about writing “Fast Car” in an interview with the New York Times Style Magazine:
Fast Car meaning: fans give their own interpretation of the song
Many people think they know the true meaning of the song “Fast Car.” It’s because they project onto it what they have experienced, what they felt when they listened to it for the first time, while most of them were going through a difficult period.
Each personal story is true, as it has been lived. It’s interesting to read the discussions on this Reddit thread. Even though it’s a bit old, “Fast Car” is timeless anyway!
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byu/rabani111 from discussion
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