Confession: I did not watch the Grammys. While I almost always have music playing in the background, I am not in the know with current music trends.
Confession #2: I probably heard Tracy Chapman’s version a good 10 -15 years after it was released, and didn’t hear Luke Combs’ version until this week.
Confession #3: It resonates with me as much today as it did when I heard it as a young teenager.
Fast Car resonates with me on a couple different levels. I originally thought the song was literally about a fast car that was driven by a guy getting a girl out of her hometown. And when I was a teenager, my literal dream was to get out of the town I grew up in to literally anywhere else. College was the way out, but also I was a sucker for a guy with a fast car.
A ticket to anywhere. Any place is better…better than the place where I was.
Partly because of the fast car, I started dated my first boyfriend. It was nice to be able to get out of town whenever I wanted. Get away from my problems at home.
But as things tend to do, the luster quickly wore off, and problems quickly entered. I’ve never been one to end things quickly. So despite the problems, I still held on to the dream that as long as I could get away, I could be someone else. Anyone else.
Fast forward to 2024
I got away. From both the hometown and the original fast car owner. I’m still trying to make my way in the world. This go around, I’m doing it on my own.
