Finally See What It Means To Be Living

I bought Eliza a copy of Fast Car by Tracy Chapman on 7" for Christmas. I've been buying her bits of vinyl since she was young, a small and eclectic record collection taking shape. It's a song which has crossed the generations, partly due to the strength of  original and partly due to two recent covers of it (a country cover by Luke Combs and a dance version by Jonas Blue- we'll skip past both today). Fast Car came out in April 1988, the self- titled album released the day before. Two months later Tracy Chapman stepped out on stage at Wembley Stadium and performed Fast Car to an international audience at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday concert organised by Jerry Dammers, the Anti- Apartheid and the ANC. Chapman hadn't expected to be thrust onto the stage so suddenly having already sung her three scheduled songs- Stevie Wonder was supposed to go on but his floppy disc failed and he panicked. Tracy was quickly shoved centre stage with just her guitar and a microphone. Fast Car was the song she sang.

Fast Car

Universal and unflashy folk pop, lyrics about a working class woman and dreams of escape from a dead end existence, the fast car being the ticket outta there. Tracy's narrator is at the bottom, living in a homeless shelter. 'Leave tonight or live and die this way'. It struck a chord worldwide and sold millions. 

I'm really partial to this reggae cover by Foxy Brown from October 1989- digital reggae, clattering drum machine riddim and lyrics as true in Jamaica as anywhere. 

Fast Car

Eliza's a fan of this one as well...

Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution

The poor people's revolution Tracy was talkin' 'bout in 1989 hasn't come to fruition yet. There's still time I guess but 2025 doesn't look promising from a socio- economic/ political point of view. 

Fast Car

These owl bird scarers don't work. The pigeons realise that they're inanimate and no threat and stroll around doing whatever they please. I like the look of them though, peering out down the valley to the Atlantic.

More late 80s/ early 90s action following Wednesday's L.U.P.O. post and yesterday's triple hip house selection and some more 80s dancehall reggae after last week's Barrington Levy post. In 1989 Foxy Brown covered Fast Car, a dancehall take on Tracy Chapman's 1988 smash hit, a livelier, vibrant version with a clattering drum track, keyboard stabs and cool vocal. 

Fast Car