FIRST TIME HEARING Tracy Chapman - Fast Car REACTION | THIS HIT DEEP!

[@ursulabklyn_mia6148]

This song always brings tears to my eyes. She was stuck with the responsibility of taking care of her alcoholic dad. I had a very strict up bringing and plotted throughout high school my exit. Cutting class and going to Manhattan's Greenwich Village really opened my eyes to where I felt I really belonged. Everyone was so cool in the 80s, the Village architecture and unique stores. I finally got out when I got my first full time job. I was Independent and always looked forward never back till this day.

[@kellymaher3355]

Yep Suuuch a sad song With such a perfect chorus

[@user-hp4rs7fv9k]

The “Fast Car” is just a metaphor for breaking away from abuse and poverty, brilliant song.

[@luisrodriguez-mb7cc]

And growing up too fast, having to deal with huge responsabilities that shouldn't be yours because you're too young. Not being able to enjoy your youth years, a pretty deep message for a lot of people around the world.

[@johnplaysgames3120]

Another genius part of this song is how the structure of the music actually helps tell the story. On the verses, when Tracy is singing about being stuck in the cycle of poverty that her life has become (continued from her parents' cycle of poverty), the guitar riff she plays is just the same simple riff, repeating over and over, going nowhere (just like her life). On the hook, however, when she's singing about those times in the past where she and her guy were driving in his fast car and both the world and Tracy's future seemed wide open and escape from the cycle of poverty seemed possible, the guitar kicks up into another, more exciting, more joyful riff to reflect that feeling of joy and hope. Then, when the lyrics return to the present moment where Tracy is stuck in the same awful, nowhere life that her parents lived, the guitar returns to that simple little riff that just repeats its pattern and goes nowhere. It's such a great example of a musician using the structure and sound of the music to help emotionally paint the picture that the lyrics are describing. I never appreciated Tracy properly back when she was releasing this music but, as an adult, I've developed a new appreciation for her as a musician and songwriter. Tracy Chapman's the real deal.

[@Cookies_crumbs]

Well said.

[@melissafernandez79]

Excellent analysis of the song.

[@nflr92]

Exactly

[@geraldtaylor8047]

Damn. That's well put.

[@jeannine5604]

Thank you for your insight.

[@Jedicake]

There's a video of her at Wembley in 1988 singing this. Just a lone woman standing on stage with a guitar in front of tens of thousands. It's hard to not get emotional listening/watching

[@BardOfAndromeda]

That's her breakthrough performance too. She got on that stage at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert as a relative unknown. people like Whitney Houston were performing there, she was an absolute superstar at the time. Tracy killed it though, and on the back of that performance her album went on to become one of the biggest selling solo albums of the entire 1980s :D

[@chrisbooth478]

To add a little more to the story... Tracy performed her set did very well (she was still relatively unknown) was walking off stage and was asked if she could continue because Stevie Wonder was running a little late and Tracy performed FAST CAR and the rest is history as they say!

[@millardfilmore1403]

yo please react to this

[@loadedorygun]

I saw her as the first act of a ridiculous lineup for amnesty international: her, Joan Baez, sting, Peter Gabriel and Bruce Springsteen in front of 75,000 people at JFK in Philly. She was again by herself with a guitar. Incredible presence.

[@keetahbrough]

I strongly suggest *Talkin About a Revolution* by Tracy. The girl isn't living a life of negativity. She had to take care of her dad, because someone had to. No, it's not a lovely choice, but when we don't take care of people, the world becomes a lesser place, regardless of its technology. Her voice struggle is about her actualization into self. And yes, it's a profound life's journey... simplified to a song.

[@ccjtv809]

Beautifully put

[@rambowbizz]

Its dope

[@rambowbizz]

love Mountain o things also

[@levistar1996]

Love this song

[@realSimoneCherie]

Bullshit. That’s a rationalized version of child parentification and it’s not OK

[@melissafernandez79]

This is a beautiful and brutal song about escaping poverty and a life that holds little for her. She has a gorgeous, haunting voice. One of those songs that will slip in front of your memory when you see or hear something that strikes the same emotional cord. An outstanding talent. Listen to her sing "Give Me One Reason" or "Baby Can I Hold You." She was "discovered" busking in the metro station :-)

[@dennytaylor1005]

As others have said, Tracey Chapman is a great artist. Sing-songwriter can't quite describe her. I'd call her a singer-story teller. Fun fact: Tracey Chapman's partner in life is Pulitzer prize writer Alice Walker (writer of the book, "The Color Purple")

[@TheDivayenta]

They had a relationship- but she’s been married to Guinevere Turner for 12 years.

[@dennytaylor1005]

@@TheDivayenta I didn't know it ended with Alice Walker. Whoever she is with I hope she is happy. :)

[@michaeltveten8458]

The “emotional honesty” in this song is astounding. She’s bearing her soul to the world…….How many of us are this brave?..

[@AGirlNamedBDaY]

One of my ALL TIME favorite songs! “Gimme one reason” is also good, but nothing tops this one.

[@Nickel138]

I feel like she was trying not to leave like her mom did, but after going through it, she saw the same pattern. Her dude was going to end up like her dad, someone she had to take care of. Don’t let people hold you back in your life.

[@donkeygospel6]

This is one of the best written songs of all time. ❤ It's about cyclical poverty. She starts off describing the impoverished background she's from (drunk father, mom left, she dropped out of school) and she meets a man with a fast car who she falls in love with and she wants him to take her away from that terrible life. When they are in his car driving off to the city, she feels her dreams and life opening up with possibilities. But then later on sadly those dreams do not come true. She and the man are living in a shelter, she's working at a convenience store and taking care of the kids at home while her husband is drunk at the bar -- he has become the same man her father was and her life has ended up in the same impoverished place it started. And all she has left are the memories of those dreams she used to have. 😢 It is an INCREDIBLE song and performance!

[@azja6666]

I always thought that this is very sad song😥 no happy ending🥺

[@scottcarr8738]

@@azja6666 Right? Not helping my tearing problem though fr!

[@johnplaysgames3120]

@@azja6666 Yep. At the end, the narrator of the song has given up on her dreams and resigned herself to being stuck in the patterns and cycle of poverty that her parents lived. In the last lyric, she's giving her guy the same advice she gave herself (and him) back when her dreams were still intact: You can either leave the life you know and look for something better or you can "live and die this way." She's telling him to get out while he can (if he can) rather than go down with her sinking ship. She, however, has stopped trying and has simply accepted her fate. And, of course, the song ends with that same simple guitar riff, repeating over and over and going nowhere, just like her life. It is definitely a sad ending but a genius song.

[@TheFairyintheFishBowl]

“Baby can I hold you” would be a great second song to react to, also “Give me one reason”…love Tracy, her songs created the fabric of my life growing up. ❤️

[@Peter-oh3hc]

Love baby can I hold you.

[@hongfang2508]

The song is about being trapped in poverty and trying to get out of cycle. She hopes her companion (with metaphoric fast car) will help her escape the cycle. In the end her companion is a loser just like the losers she tried to escape from and she tells the companion to take the car and fly away. It's a sad song about the cycle of poverty and brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it.

[@johnplaysgames3120]

The saddest part is that she's not just telling her partner to "fly away," she's telling him to escape while he can (if he can) because she's finally given up and accepted her fate of being trapped in the cycle of poverty she learned/inherited from her parents. In a moment that could've been bitter, she's just very simply saying, "Save yourself (or don't), because I'm done trying to swim and am just letting myself go under."

[@hildajensen6263]

Growing up in relative poverty, this song always spoke to me. I remember being really young and annoyed that she apparently choose her partner based on his car and not if he had the qualities that would help her realize her dreams for the future. Then I got a few years older and saw young women / girls do exactly that. - So sad but true. As for the ending. She has a good steady job and maybe she can provide better for the kids without him and his drinking as a financial burden. She never dreamt of being rich, but stability and security, so there's still a chance she can find that on her own. This song is rare that it is equally true taken both litterally and understood metaphorically.

[@fubukifangirl]

@@johnplaysgames3120 She said that she had a job that paid all their bills so it sounds like she just wants the deadbeat out of her life. I think she got some idea why her mother left her dad.

[@BrandonWestfall]

I can't listen to Tracy Chapman without tearing up. Her tone just knows how to reach deep into your soul. She's one of the few artists that sound as good if not better live. Phenomenal underrated artist.

[@indigoeyes100]

This is one of the greatest songs ever written. I remember being blown away by it when it first came out. The older I get the more meaning I see in it.

[@newinLV]

A timeless song, indeed.

[@827dusty]

There is no "Fast Car," it's just an analogy of her life. She had to become her father's caregiver, when he was old and sick, forcing her to put her life on hold. What a beautiful and unselfish thing to do for someone. A lot of us have had to this for one parent or another as they get old. God Bless her.

[@juliogarcia7865]

Love this song since the day it came out. A song with a deep meaning unlike most music today that don't mean nothing and most people will never remember the song. This song will never get old because it touches the heart and soul of the listener.

[@FleagleSangria]

The greatest songs have both personal (personal to the writer and to the person listening) and universal (the song relates to a bigger message and to everyone) messages.

[@christophermcconnell3867]

I usually bawl when I listen to this lol. Luka by Suzanne Vega makes me cry too lol. Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms viewing!

[@marcovtjev]

That's a good one indeed.

[@siridh1]

She has a such a beautiful voice, you can hear music in it. She does a song acapella, I think on this album, that you don't even notice doesn't have music.

[@billwicketvogel1787]

Tracy is a rock God . Some of the greatest music ever created is by her .

[@corawheeler9355]

There's a video of her in Paris playing the song 'New Beginning' on a didgridoo. Amazing talent.

[@newgrl]

This is such a crushingly sad song. Every time I hear it I root for the protagonist... and every time she loses.

[@pennydaytreasures8173]

One of my favorite songs song by a female. It’s SUCH a good song. When we are young we have these dreams we will be different than our parents but many times we perpetuate the bad parts we want to escape and pass it down to our own children. I worked HARD to not be my parents but there are still parts of them I can’t escape and have likely passed down. However the older I get I realize not everything was bad and they did the best they knew how.

[@tomasgonzalezmarin6118]

Tracey Chapman was really exceptional... Regards from Chile! :-)

[@ramathorne1331]

Best song ever

[@EVERLYNFRIENDS]

Such a great song

[@QueenbAndrea]

I love her music I seen her twice in concert and got a sign autograph she is a sweet kind soul

[@LynneMargaretBrown]

Shes dreaming of a life that could be… shes SO good.❤ All of her music - listen to talking bout a revolution whew..

[@AE-xs5ze]

Gets me every time. Hope and disappointment. Desperation and betrayal and hopelessness. Even though I didn't go through these particular hardships, we can all relate on some level and she tells this story so well.

[@ramathorne1331]

This song is so deep. Gotta listen to the story.

[@stephaniewashburn7700]

I cry every single time I listen to this song. Pure perfection 🖤

[@galaxytraveler5779]

I love this song so much. I used to hear this on the radio all the time. Back when cable TV was a privilege that a lot of people didn't have. So many times hearing this on the radio as a kid doing chores out in the barn. Never understood the meaning of the lyrics back then though.

[@woodedlane]

To me, this song has always represented someone who wished for a better life - a fast car taking them to new heights. One person striving for more than those around her, no matter how much she tried to light a fire under them - she will be the one who breaks the barrier and succeed.

[@joannepowell1503]

This song should be the song of the Century. It brings up so many emotions to listen to..love it and love Tracy Chapman.❤

[@profanepersonality]

She has alot of good tunes. I can never get In Living Color's spoof of her out of my head when I hear her though, lol. Kim Wayans portrays her in the skit. It is hilarious.

[@jasonnelson9707]

Kim Wayans was amazing and ridiculous for real. Every once in a while I will legit sing out load her Crystal Waters spoof.

[@loadedorygun]

“Finally see what it means to be living.” That always gets me. That’s all so many people are just looking for. A way to live without being on the knife edge of having nothing all the time.

[@gregb8759]

This was my partners song when she was in cancer treatment…..this was our song in college,…..when we were happy…she beat it and we are great …we saw her in concert in 1999

[@davidbarnes1113]

Tracy is finally getting more recognition from POC like she deserves thanks to these reaction videos. She has so many amazing songs. Please try “Give Me One Reason “ and “Baby Can I Hold You Tonight” . I think you Gus would also love an artist named Me’Shell N’dege Ocello “If That’s Your Boyfriend(He wasn’t last Night) or “Step Into The Projects”.

[@hockemeyer1]

If you like this type of song you may like Harry Chapin's "Taxi" or his "Cats in the Cradle" OR Paul Simon's "Sparrow", "At the Zoo" or "Leaves that are Green".

[@mikeybeeee07]

First time I ever heard of Tracy Chapman and Fast Car was during Ab Soul's first verse on Zip That Chop That by Black Hippy where he references this song. Happy Mother's day.

[@MyargonautsJason]

the singer you might have been thinking of when you said "Aora" is Fiona Apple, another female singer with a very unique voice who also sings in a lower register like Tracy. Both are wonderfully talented artists with many other songs to check out.

[@darkesthour9955]

This is one of my all time favorite songs. Love storytellers!

[@alanlantz8663]

When her album came out it was huge in the mid 90's. This song brought her instant fame and this song played everywhere

[@dyannastevens4862]

This song usually destroys me. For me the song is about someone trapped by life, dreaming of leaving that life but still falling into the same traps that keep them down. Sad and brutal truths.

[@realSimoneCherie]

Same

[@DWQJVB]

Absolute classic

[@Fear-Who]

One of my all time favorite songs. Chapman is one of a kind

[@damonhines8187]

Simple on the surface, eloquent and universal. Tracy is a masterful artist, glad you appreciate her. 'Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution', 'Baby Can I Hold You', 'Give Me One Reason', 'Open Arms.' Enjoy, Happy Mother's Day, Crys.

[@rhyssanders9122]

It's so timeless that when I first heard it in 2014 I thought it was a new song xD like damn its so good

[@randywatson8347]

Tge firstctime I hear her sing I kept listening to her voice and the lyrics that tell a story cause it's so down to earth strong.

[@tylerhackner9731]

Was just listening to this classic last night!

[@raffaojeda]

She won 8 fucking grammy awards! Thank yoy tracy for your sencitivity as a composer , muscician!

[@pellajoe]

This song is almost 40yrs old and still hits just as hard today as it did then

[@stepheninglett3447]

I forget if it was 6th or 7th grade when this came out but I loved her then and now. Such a deep song.

[@scuppernog1]

“Give Me One Reason” is another great song by Tracy.

[@jamesfish2177]

I would hear this song every single morning on my way to work. It always made me cry, for some reason. She has an amazing voice and so much feeling in her voice and songs.

[@parappasan]

This song was always like driving on an empty desert highway to Hell. Just a relentlessly hopeless cycle of poverty.

[@liveinwisdom3610]

Behind the wall, by Tracy chapman is also great and underrated song.

[@elainedixon1954]

Remember this song come out, beautiful song, to me its taking a fast car to a future , get their jobs and start to live life

[@scottcarr8738]

This one always gets me teary, both ways. I was doing the same today thinking of Riqo's old intro LOL🤣.

[@makembounce69]

Great song , Tracy had great vocals , story telling to this classic

[@leroyrs]

That's a great song.

[@JCourts2k23]

One of my all time favorite songs

[@willjinx]

I ❤️ you both but lady you know exactly what it's all about. Love from UK x

[@ksousap]

tracy chapman was and is a blessing from somewhere else................

[@qlazz]

Love hearing your reactions. Glad you guys are open and very respectful to different music genres. Keep it up!

[@williamjones6031]

I haven't heard this since it's MTV days. Thanks for the replay mates

[@seangibson9040]

The last verse is her saying that she reached her goal, but her partner didn’t change their ways, so keep on driving.

[@Gregory11811]

She may have reached her goal, but by the end, she had no plans and wasn’t going anywhere, and with kids at home she was just as stuck as she was at the beginning.

[@ChristinaMcF]

She was full of hopes and dreams. Such a sad but true song.

[@livealittle1100]

I'm an ordinary man. When I hear this song, tears just drop from my eyes. The voice, the lyrics. Everything is perfect 😭 27 years old and jamming to 80s. Wish teenagers these days try listening to 80s.

[@Scotty19]

Hey you two one off my favourite songs Tracy chapman fast car amazing song loved your reactions 😎😎

[@midnightblue6668]

Great song and gave Tracy a great start. Check out "Give Me One Reason". Her whole New Beginnings album is great.

[@Shantros1985]

I have a few bands to recommend if yall have time. Before I gotta say I love yalls channel. I watch like every video I see up. Band "Brothers of metal" song "yggdrasil " it's a full on viking band. You'll understand when ya see them. Band "powerwolf" song "demins are a woman's best friend" if your very religious maybe not that one and ya can pick any other song of there's lol. Band "citizen soldier" song "would anyone care" they are a group who has focused all there music on mental health and helping those with mental health. They are amazing and will hit ya hard if you have ever suffered from any mental illness. I speak from experience.

[@thomasbeauchemin1298]

It is a deep song but few reactors so quickly grasp what she meant!! So good job kids and happy mother's day Crys😊

[@AuntSusie50]

Catching up on reactions and am sooo happy y'all came across her. She doesn't get anywhere near the amount of credit for her unbelievably remarkable talent that she deserves. I would recommend Give Me One Reason, Talkin' bout a Revolution, & Baby Can I Hold You as fillow ups.

[@paulbosveld4576]

Give me a reason is another fantastic song by her

[@paulbosveld4576]

Oops it's give me one reason

[@TheJuberry1]

Great reaction to the fabulous Tracy Chapman. Please check out some more of her, esp Behind the Wall, For My Lover and Baby Can I Hold You the duet of this with Pavarotti is stunning)

[@MEGATRON1069]

A lot of memories to this song!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@olivervandebeer7492]

She has a beautiful way to express her pain and ours as well.

[@mredible475]

Tracy is a true artist. She can reach all people with her lyrics and talents. Theirs a song that has a great vibes for your guys channel. Kid Rock…”Roll On” great video show blend of inner city community. 🔥❤️✌🏿

[@JAMESMOORE-gq4vv]

you like it alot, she loved it, she was holding back tears, you don't have to hide your emotions, it don't make you weak to cry, it just shows you have feelings, it's ok, let it flow.

[@dianedarby442]

Happy Mother's Day! - Check out her - Give Me One Reason, too - fantastic!

[@gamexsimmonds3581]

Tracey got some hits fam. Gotta tap in, I suggest the song New Beginning by Tracey Chapman. Fast Car is one of the best songs ever honestly, it's so honest that you can rum away from your problems only to find new ones. But still you have to have the drive to want a better life and can't be scared to make changes for the better and a "fast car" is only the beginning of that the rest falls to you Also how are those records being held to the wall? Did yall tape em. Or use sticky tact?

[@dawnsmith2436]

Just love her voice. Please do more ❤🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✌️

[@vorbis4860]

Whoever you are and whatever music you're into, this is just a remarkable song.

[@rk41gator]

Joan Armatrading is another similar singer with several wonderful tunes and lyrics.

[@cindybird3247]

Tracy is a very talented songwriter with a haunting voice. Please react to her song "Give me One Reason"- try to find the original video. Happy Mother's Day Kris!

[@edwardcrews2952]

She is fantabulous. Saw her live a few times. Totally talented

[@vivianphillips8519]

"Gimme One Reason" was my other favorite by her.

[@charlenewebb5893]

Your Going To Love Her Music We All Do

[@clairelofty3015]

I so love that you guys are so open to different eras of music, I know plenty of younger people who wouldn't even entertain listening to music from back in day ❤🙏🌈

[@jamesrountree3991]

Looooove this tune, takes me back, even though it was released late 80's it was breathing life into that early 90's motown soul - Boyz 2 men, all for one etc should definitely do some reactions to Montell Jordan Boyz 2 men Keith sweat and those type 'o jamz too

[@thatonedude1003]

She didn’t want to be a star. Her friend had a dad that was “in the business.” She said “no” to his showing his father her music. Later on, he snuck some demos to the right people…and the rest is history.

[@glastonbury4304]

she definitely has that Joan Armatrading vibe ❤

[@happymethehappyone8300]

Tracy Chapman "Mountains O' Things" & "Happy"

[@marcovtjev]

I think the thing I like most is the fast and euphoric vs slow and somewhat depressing dynamic in a way that sounds heartfelt.

[@StephaniePittman14]

i believe - blessid union of souls

[@jonathonfleming8679]

This is in my top 5 songs of all times.. check her other songs revolution live was amazing

[@61rudster]

What a great song. Currently she has a miserable existence. They live in a shelter, she’s taking care of her father who is an alcoholic that the mother left. She really has hopes and wants to try to get better and do better. Who’s ever driving her in this fast car is the highlight of her life at this point. Driving in a fast car going fast with his arm around her shoulder is the best feeling she has for that little bit of time in the fast car compared to the rest of her life. He gave her some hope. It gave her a feeling that she belonged. Just a thrill of driving in the fast car took her mind away from the misery for a short time. What a great poet she is. Good reaction!

[@runty312]

Love her!!