Today (March 30, 2010) is the 46^th birthday of singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. She burst onto the music scene back in June 1988 when she performed at the Nelson Mandela 70^th Birthday Tribute concert. She had just released her self-titled debut album and her first single "Fast Car" began its rise on the U.S. charts. The song would eventually reach #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and go on to win the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1989 (along with being nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year, too). Chapman would also win the Grammy for Best New Artist beating out the likes of Rick Astley and Vanessa Williams.

The song sounded like nothing that was being played on pop radio at the time. Rolling Stone actually ranked the song #165 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (which impressively is the highest ranking song both written and performed by a female performer). This week's Flashback Video is "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman...

The fact that this song was successful and became popular astounds me. Not so much musically because it has a beautiful melody, but more because of the subject matter and that its haunting folk sound was so different from what dominated late-80s pop music. It actually impresses me that the listening public was so open minded and accepting of "Fast Car." I have read several interpretations of the song's meaning and here is the best summary:
The song is a narrative tale of generational poverty. The song's narrator tells the story of her hard life, which begins when her mother divorces her jobless, alcoholic father, forcing the narrator to quit school in order to care for him. Eventually, she leaves her hometown with her boyfriend in hopes of making a better life. Despite her employment at a grocery store, she falls victim to the cycle of poverty, as her life begins to mirror her mother's: her boyfriend remains largely unemployed and becomes an alcoholic. She is left alone with her children while her boyfriend spends time drinking with his friends. Finally, after getting a job that will support her family, she has an epiphany. Despite wishing for a better life, she must make the best of her situation, and tells her boyfriend to take his "fast car and keep on driving."

The lyrics are not too hard to follow when listening to the song, but sometimes you can get lost in the melody and not even realize what the song is about. Here are the lyrics to "Fast Car":
You got a fast car
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere

Any place is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
But me myself I got nothing to prove

You got a fast car
I got a plan to get us out of here
I've been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
Won't have to drive too far
Just cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

See my old man's got a problem
He lives with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember when we were driving in your car
Speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
We go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in the market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a bigger house and live in the suburbs

So I remember when we were driving in your car
speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me'd find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving

So I remember when we were driving in your car
speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way

Tracy Chapman would end up a multi-platinum recording artist releasing a total of eight solo albums. Her latest was 2008's Our Bright Future, but her best success was 1995's New Beginning which included the single "Give Me One Reason" which would surpass "Fast Car" making it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I would not be surprised to see Chapman make a comeback with another hit single because the time may be right for that. Either way, I will always remember when she started back in my favorite decade.

That'll do it for another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks for reading. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. If you want to see the past issues of Flashback Videos, just type that into the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column and it should give you a list of all of them. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use that Google Search Box to find any past issues or topics you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on "Become a Fan". Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". Even though the blog only updates a couple times a week, I try to send out daily 80s tweets. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.