"Fast Car" is a popular song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. It was released on her self-titled 1988 debut Tracy Chapman. Her appearance on the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was the catalyst for the song becoming a Top 5 hit in the UK and a top 10 hit in her homeland. Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles Fast Car, Talkin Bout a Revolution, Baby Can I Hold You, and Give Me One Reason. ... Tracy Chapman is the self-titled debut album by American singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). ... A concert event held on June 11, 1988 at the Wembley Stadium, London. ...

The song's narrative is complex and evolving, telling a tale of generational poverty. The song's narrator grows up with an alcoholic father in a small dead-end town and decides to leave home with her partner, full of optimism as they set off in the car to the big city. However, they are unable to break the cycle. When the partner becomes a heavy drinker and pays no attention to his children, he is ultimately told to decide whether to stay or to "take [his] fast car and keep on driving". A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows his find. ... King Alcohol and his Prime Minister circa 1820 Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholics normal personal, family, social, or work life. ... In economics and sociology, the cycle of poverty or the poverty cycle is a social phenomenon whereby poverty-stricken individuals exhibit a tendency to remain poor throughout their lifespan and in many cases across generations. ...

The song has been covered many times by bands such as R.E.M., The Flying Pickets, Hundred Reasons, Xiu Xiu, Vertical Horizon, Even Nine, Darwin's Waiting Room, Jesse James, The Love Project, Amazing Transparent Man, The Wilkinsons and by solo singers Kristian Leontiou, David Usher and Hitomi Yaida. It was also sampled by the rap group Nice and Smooth in their hit song "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow", making it a hit within the hip hop community as well. R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in early 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe. ... The Flying Pickets are an a cappella vocal group that had a hit with a cover of Yazoos Only You. The group was formed in 1982 by a group of actors, the 7:84 Theatre group, a fringe theatre group who had sung a capella in their production of... Hundred Reasons are a British rock band, originally signed to Columbia Records in mid-April 2001 after fourteen months of near-constant touring. ... This article concerns Xiu Xiu, the California-based rock band. ... // [edit] History The acoustic rock band Vertical Horizon was formed in 1990 by Georgetown University undergrads Matthew Scannell and Keith Kane; after graduation in 1992 the duo relocated to Boston and, in 1992, self-released their debut album There and Back Again. ... Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847–April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, the most famous member of the James-Younger gang. ... The now defunct Amazing Transparent Man were a pop punk band on the Springman Records label from 1997 to 2004. ... The Wilkinsons are a country music family trio hailing from Belleville, Ontario, Canada. ... Biography Kristian Leontiou is a popular, English singer songwriter from East London, England. ... David Usher (born on April 24, 1966) is an British-born rock singer-songwriter, and renowned humanist, who lived for a number of years in Montreal, but recently moved to East Side Village, Manhattan, New York City. ... Hitomi Yaida (矢井田瞳 Yaida Hitomi born July 28, 1978 in Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan[1]) is a Japanese folk rock singer/songwriter and guitarist. ...

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. Gabrielle on her 2004 album Play To Win Louise Gabrielle Bobb (born April 16, 1970, London) is a British singer who records under the name Gabrielle. ...

Rolling Stone ranked the song #165 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is Chapman's only song on the list. Rolling Stone is an American magazine devoted to music, politics and popular culture. ... The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone magazine published in November 2004. ...