In the years that followed, the band was separated geographically, while Fabian pursued an Architecture degree at the University of Florida and Daniel left Florida to attend Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nonetheless, during this period, Boyce Avenue assembled at every available opportunity to collaborate musically. It was not until October of 2004 and the subsequent months, however, that Boyce Avenue would really come into its own. Daniel, who had recently graduated from law school, reconnected with the band in Florida as its full-time bassist, and Alejandro, at the age of 18, launched into writing the band's first original song, "Find Me." In the following months, the band performed locally in its hometown of Sarasota, and in April of 2005, the band hit the stage at Pine View High School for the last time. The band's performance at the Mr. Pine View competition, an event which Alejandro would go on to win, was covered in the local press.
Upon Alejandro's graduation from high school, he joined Fabian at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, where the band refined its signature sound playing out in traditional venues like Market Street and Side Bar. In October of 2006 and the months that followed, the band recorded its first three singles at Nickel and Dime Studios near Atlanta, Georgia. The project was engineered by Kris Sampson (Train, the Black Crowes) and produced by Don McCollister (Sister Hazel, Third Day). In 2007 and 2008, Boyce Avenue was honored in several songwriting competitions judged by a host of accomplished and renowned music industry artists, professionals, and executives. The band qualified as a Southeast Semifinalist in the 2007 IMWS competition; "All The While" was selected as a Semi-Finalist in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition, and as one of twelve Lennon Award Winners in the 2007 John Lennon Songwriting Contest; "Find Me" was selected as a Finalist in the Pop category for the U.S.A. Songwriting Competition; and "Hear Me Now (piano acoustic)" was selected as a finalist in the Best Group/Duo category for the IAMA songwriting competition, and as a finalist in the 2008 International Songwriting Competition.
Focused on the completion of a debut album, Boyce Avenue took a hiatus from its public performance schedule to write, produce, and record additional singles. In July of 2007, the band returned to Atlanta, Georgia, this time to record three songs at the Electron Gardens Studio in the historic Biltmore Hotel. These songs were engineered by Gary Pfaff and Tim Delaney, and were produced by Boyce Avenue. In October of the same year, the band finished tracking for the debut album with the recording of two songs at RMP Studios in Orlando, Florida. The final three songs for the album, "Dare To Believe," "On My Way," and "Hear Me Now (piano acoustic)" were engineered at RMP Studios by Veit Renn (Jennifer Hudson) and Adam Barber (Creed, Shinedown, Alterbridge), and were produced by Boyce Avenue.
The debut album, titled “All You’re Meant To Be,” was released by Boyce Avenue on March 25, 2008. All of the songs were mixed by Austin Deptula (Eisley, New Found Glory), and the entire project was mastered by Rodney Mills (Pearl Jam, REM, Sheryl Crow). The physical album is available worldwide exclusively through Storenvy, while the download versions can be found on iTunes/Amazon.com/Rhapsody/Napster/eMusic. Since the album's release, it has been written about in CNN Money, the Kings of A&R, and in other press, its songs have been featured on various MTV shows, and the band has established itself as one of the top 8 Artists of All-Time on YouTube, with over 90 million hits. Most recently, "All You're Meant To Be" has been licensed for sale nationwide in the Philippines through MCA Music, and is on path to Gold status. On the strength of the band's touring success in the United States and the Philippines, the band launched a worldwide tour in 2009.
Fast Car
Boyce Avenue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want a ticket to anywhere
Maybe we make a deal
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Anyplace is better
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
Maybe we'll make something
You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living
You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way
I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
You got a fast car
And I got a job that pays all our bills
You stay out drinking late at the bar
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
I'd always hoped for better
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
So take your fast car and keep on driving
You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
You gotta make a decision
You leave tonight or live and die this way
The song "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman, covered by Boyce Avenue feat. Kina Grannis, tells a story of a person living in poverty who dreams of escaping their current situation. The singer longs for a ticket to anywhere and sees potential in teaming up with someone who has a fast car. The prospect of finally being able to start fresh is exciting, and the hopelessness of their current situation is evident in the line "Starting from zero got nothing to lose."
The singer's family situation is also addressed in the song, with their father struggling with alcohol and their mother leaving him. As a result, the singer is forced to take care of their father and leave school to work at a convenience store. Despite this, they remain hopeful for a better future and sees potential in their plan to move to the city and find jobs. This hope is especially evident in the chorus when they ask if the fast car is "fast enough so we can fly away."
Overall, the lyrics of "Fast Car" touch on themes of poverty, desperation, and the desire for a better life. The hopeful yet wistful tone of the song creates a powerful and relatable narrative for many listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
You got a fast car
You own a car that can go really fast.
I want a ticket to anywhere
I want to get away from here and go to any place.
Maybe we make a deal
Perhaps we can work something out together.
Maybe together we can get somewhere
Perhaps we can achieve something significant together.
Anyplace is better
Anywhere else is better than staying here.
Starting from zero got nothing to lose
We don't have anything right now, so we have nothing to lose by trying something new.
Maybe we'll make something
Perhaps we'll create something beneficial.
But me myself I got nothing to prove
I don't have to prove myself to anyone.
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I have an idea to help us escape this situation.
I been working at the convenience store
I've been working at a convenience store.
Managed to save just a little bit of money
I've only saved a small amount of money.
We won't have to drive too far
We won't need to travel a long distance.
Just 'cross the border and into the city
We just need to cross the border and get into the city.
You and I can both get jobs
Both of us can get jobs.
And finally see what it means to be living
And finally experience what it truly means to live.
You see my old man's got a problem
My father has an addiction problem.
He lives with the bottle that's the way it is
He drinks alcohol excessively that's how it is.
He says his body's too old for working
He claims that he's too old to work.
I say his body's too young to look like his
But I think that he's too young to look and be like this.
My mama went off and left him
My mother left him because she wanted more from life than he could provide.
She wanted more from life than he could give
She wanted to experience more things in life than he could afford or offer.
I said somebody's got to take care of him
I decided that somebody needs to take care of my father.
So I quit school and that's what I did
So I dropped out of school to take care of him.
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
But can it go fast enough so we can escape quickly?
We gotta make a decision
We need to decide what we're going to do.
We leave tonight or live and die this way
We can choose to leave tonight or continue living like this and ultimately die.
I remember we were driving driving in your car
I recall the time when we were driving in your car.
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
We were going so fast that it felt similar to being intoxicated.
City lights lay out before us
We could see the beautiful city lights in front of us.
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
I enjoyed the feeling of your arm wrapped around my shoulder.
And I had a feeling that I belonged
I felt like I belonged in that moment and with you.
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone
I felt like I could become something important in life.
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
We go for drives to amuse ourselves.
You still ain't got a job
You still don't have a job.
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I work as a cashier in a market.
I know things will get better
I'm sure that things will improve.
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
You'll find a job, and I'll get promoted at work.
We'll move out of the shelter
We'll leave the shelter.
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs
We'll purchase a large house and live in the suburbs.
And I got a job that pays all our bills
I have a job that enables us to pay all our bills.
You stay out drinking late at the bar
You spend most of your time drinking late at a bar.
See more of your friends than you do of your kids
You spend more time with your friends than with our kids.
I'd always hoped for better
I always desired better things in life.
Thought maybe together you and me would find it
I believed that we could find it together.
I got no plans I ain't going nowhere
I don't have any plans, and I'm not going anywhere.
So take your fast car and keep on driving
So, take your fast car and continue driving away.
But is it fast enough so you can fly away
But is it fast enough for you to escape quickly?
You gotta make a decision
You need to decide what you're going to do.
You leave tonight or live and die this way
You either leave tonight, or you keep living like this and die.
Contributed by Alyssa B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@boyceavenue
Stream all our covers on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Music: https://smarturl.it/BAacousticcovers
@raj2273
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@danijune4632
I am in love with all of your voices!! I just recently got into you (which I feel REALLY bad about) and I'm obsessed!! Love YA!
@stubbornfilly
***** yes they do :)
@amandayoung5239
You needs to come to newfounland , I would deff go see you along with all my friends
@cksanz9210
: can't wait ^___^ ..saw you in the MALLOF ASIA before i think it was back in 2008 or 2009,i was ib college then,you were just starting but you are kind of a big deal now .. yeeeey
@SkyLineGamingTvChannel
my favorite song 🧡🧡🧡
@mirandakerr8410
Same!!!
@ooutroladodamoeda5177
O meu som favorito tb. Adeptos do bom som!!!
@rashdanibnyunos369
same