Fast Car

For other uses, see Fast Car (Namie Amuro song), Fast Car (magazine), and List of fastest production cars.

"Fast Car"
Single by Tracy Chapman
from the album Tracy Chapman
B-side	"For You"
Released	April 1988
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	1987
Genre	Folk, pop, adult contemporary
Length	4:56 (album version)
Label	Elektra
Writer(s)	Tracy Chapman
Producer	David Kershenbaum
Tracy Chapman singles chronology
"Fast Car" (1988) "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" (1988)
Music sample "Fast Car"

"Fast Car" is the title of a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released as a single in April 1988 from her self-titled 1988 debut album Tracy Chapman. Her appearance on the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was the catalyst for the song's becoming a top 10 hit in the US, peaking at number 6 on the Hot 100, and a top 10 hit the United Kingdom, peaking at number 4 on the charts there.

In April 2011 the song re-entered the charts in the United Kingdom after being performed by a participant, Michael Collings, on Britain's Got Talent. During a midweek update (April 20) the song was placed in the 4th position; it managed to hold onto this place until the singles chart on April 24, thus tying its original peak position from 1988. Kristian Leontiou's 2005 single version also charted at number 88 that same day.

Content

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 partner 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 partner remains largely unemployed and becomes an alcoholic. She is left alone with her children while her partner spends time drinking with friends. Finally, after getting a job that will support her family, she comes to accept her life as the way it is and to give up chasing empty dreams. She tells her partner to leave her; to take "your fast car and keep on driving." The final refrain is sung in variation, changing from "We gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way" to "You gotta make a decision, leave tonight or live and die this way."

Chart performance

Rolling Stone ranked the song number 165 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is Chapman's only song on the list (and the highest ranking song both written and performed by a female performer). In April 2011 the track also hit the UK top ten at number 4 after Michael Collings performed it on Britain's Got Talent.

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	4
Canada (RPM)	1
Ireland (IRMA)	1
New Zealand (RIANZ)	21
Netherlands (Mega Top 50)	2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	9
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	6
Chart (2007)	Peak position
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	93
Chart (2010)	Peak position
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	57
Chart (2011)	Peak position
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company)	4

Chart successions

Preceded by "The Boys in Green" by Republic of Ireland Soccer Squad	Irish number one single July 9, 1988 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You" by Glenn Medeiros
Preceded by "I Don't Wanna Go on with You Like That" by Elton John	Canadian RPM Top Singles number-one single September 3, 1988 (1 week)	Succeeded by "Perfect World" by Huey Lewis and the News

Awards
Preceded by Whitney Houston for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"	Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance 1989 for "Fast Car"	Succeeded by Bonnie Raitt for "Nick of Time"

Michael Collings version

"Fast Car"
Single by Michael Collings
from the album Fast Car
B-side	"Fast Car - Acoustic Version"
Released	7th Nov 2011
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2011
Genre	Pop
Length	4:37
Label	AWAL

Kristian Leontiou version

"Fast Car"
Single by Kristian Leontiou
from the album Some Day Soon (re-release)
B-side	"About Last Night"
Released	4 April 2005
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2004
Genre	Pop
Length	3:12
Label	Polydor
Kristian Leontiou singles chronology
"Some Say" (2004) "Fast Car" (2005)

Chart (2011)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	88

Cover versions

The song has been covered many times by bands such as Boyce Avenue (ft. Kina Grannis), R.E.M., The Flying Pickets, Swimming With Dolphins, Hundred Reasons, Xiu Xiu, Vertical Horizon, Even Nine, Darwin's Waiting Room, Jesse James, The Love Project, Amazing Transparent Man, Matchbox Twenty, MYMP, The Wilkinsons and by solo singers Mutya Buena, Kristian Leontiou, Wayne Wonder, David Usher, Linda Pritchard, Christian Kane, Mark Wilkinson, Elizabeth Gillies and Hitomi Yaida. In 2010 Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry performed a duet of the song in concert. It was also sampled by the rap group Nice & Smooth in their hit song "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow", making it a hit within the hip hop community as well. British rapper Example also samples the song in his song "I Need a Fast Car" which appeared on his mixtape We Didn't Invent the Remix.

In 1991, British soul singer Gabrielle recorded a demo of her song "Dreams" which featured a sample of "Fast Car". When it was released commercially in 1993 the sample of "Fast Car" was removed because of legal issues, but the version with the sample was still being played in nightclubs and DJ sets. Los Angeles based turntablist DJ Quixotic is known to perform a cover of this song by manipulating a tone record on a turntable to imitate the notes of the opening guitar riffs.

The song was also parodied as "I Write a Fast Song" on in the In Living Color sketch "Making of a Tracy Chapman Song", in which Chapman (portrayed by Kim Wayans) writes a song by looking out her window and witnessing events like an old man getting hit by a bus and a domestic dispute.

The song was featured in an episode of Jake and Amir, however the words are changed to 'I got a fast Jake'.

In April 2011, nineteen year old computer shop clerk Michael Collings auditioned on Britain's Got Talent by singing a cover of "Fast Car", receiving a worldwide positive response. As a result, the song peaked on #4 in the UK Singles Chart in May 2011.

See also

In the Ghetto