Fast Car - 2015 Remaster

In this song, Chapman sings from the perspective of a woman whose life isn't working out as she hoped. She's with a guy who's unemployed, lazy and unsupportive - she works at the convenience store to pay the bills while he's drinking at the bar. In the chorus, we hear why she's with him: Long ago, he made her feel like like she belonged, like they could have a fulfilling and exciting life together. Riding in his fast car, his arm around her shoulder, all was right. Speaking with Q magazine, Chapman said: "It's not really about a car at all... basically it's about a relationship that doesn't work out because it's starting from the wrong place."

In the BBC radio series Striking A Chord, Chapman talked about the meaning of "Fast Car." "It very generally represents the world that I saw when I was growing up and Cleveland, Ohio, coming from a working-class background, being raised by a single mom and being in a community of people who were struggling," she said. "Everyone was working hard and hoping that things would get better." "It wasn't directly autobiographical," she continued. "I never had a fast car. It's a story about a couple and how they are trying to make a life together and they face various challenges."

"Fast Car" was Tracy Chapman's first single, and an unlikely hit - somber songs from unknown artists usually have a very limited reach. She was signed to a major label, Elektra Records, which released both the song and her self-titled debut album in April 1988 and booked her as an opening act for 10,000 Maniacs. She gradually built a following, and in early June, "Fast Car" entered the charts in both the US and UK. The catalyst came on June 11, 1988, when Chapman was on the bill at the Nelson Mandela birthday concert at Wembley Stadium along with big names like Whitney Houston, Peter Gabriel, and Jackson Browne. She did a three-song set in the afternoon that included the apropos "Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution," but not "Fast Car." She thought she'd done her bit and could relax and enjoy the rest of the concert, but as the show stretched into the evening, Stevie Wonder was delayed when the computer discs for his performance went missing, and Chapman was ushered back on stage again. In front of a huge prime-time audience she performed "Fast Car" alone with her acoustic guitar, wowing the crowd and building quite a buzz. The song raced up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, landing at #5 in the UK on July 16 and #6 in America on August 27. In the US, her album also hit #1 on that date.