Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters, having written fourteen Number 1 singles and twenty four top 10 hits. He has had three Number 1 singles, six top 10 singles and two Number 1 albums as a solo artist, and has had seventeen top 5 hits, twelve Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums with Take That. He is also a six-time recipient of the Ivor Novello Award and has sold over 50 million records worldwide. He was appointed an OBE in 2012 for services to music and charity.
Barlow's solo career was predicted to be very successful, being described as 'the next George Michael'. His first two solo singles "Forever Love" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait" (composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone) both leapt to the number one spot in his home country. "Forever Love" was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man. His debut album "Open Road" reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl", which reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. He then achieved another top ten hit in the UK with "Open Road" peaking at number 7 and number 8 in the Netherlands with "Are You Ready Now".
After the success of his first solo album he released his second LP "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger" as the lead single preceding the album. However, due to an expected backlash against Barlow, it received minimal support and airplay and only peaked at number 16. The second single "For All That You Want" again was subjected to minimal radio play and peaked at number 24, however it peaked just outside the top 5 in Finland. "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" was released soon after the first single to little promotion and peaked at a disappointing number 35, which led to Sony recalling Barlow's 'greatest' song according to critics, the scheduled third single from his second album "Lie to Me". This resulted in both Barlow and BMG parting company. To date Barlow has sold 5 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
On September 2013, Barlow announced via his Twitter account that he would be releasing his first full-length solo album in 14 years, on 25 November 2013. Barlow encouraged his followers and fans to tweet #GBSOLO to reveal the album artwork and title, with their profile pictures being used to create a collage of the album cover. On 4 October 2013, Barlow revealed his new album would be called "Since I Saw You Last", and would be preceded by his first single from the LP, titled "Let Me Go", released worldwide on 17 November 2013. He also announced that he would be touring the album in April 2014, playing some of the biggest arenas in the UK.
Fast Car
Gary Barlow Lyrics
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Although I'm livin' in today,
You've got me wishin'
I lived in another world,
Though in my home I want to stay,
You're tellin' me you understand,
But you don't really know now who I am,
You're tellin' me we'll work it out,
Then all you do is kick and scream and shout,
What more can I say,
Fast car take me home,
To the place where I can breathe
Where I feel strong,
Fast car take me back,
To the place where I'm free at last,
So free at last,
Heh, yeah eh eh heh,
Oooh ooh ohh,
Why did I let you come this far,
Why did I let you tear me down, baby,
I should have known it from the start, I didn't,
You turned a page without a sound,
You're tellin' me I've got to learn,
But you're love has so many twists and turns,
I can't find my way,
You're tellin' me it's all a shame,
But now I feel this soul has got no name,
And to you it's all a game,
Fast car take me home,
To the place where I can breathe
Where I feel strong,
Fast car take me back,
To the place where I'm free at last,
So free at last,
At last yeah,
Ooh hooo,
You're tellin' me it's all a shame,
But now I feel this soul has got no name,
And to you it's all a game,
Fast car take me home,
To the place where I can breathe
Where I feel strong,
Fast car take me back,
To the place where I'm free at last
(So free at last baby)
Fast car take me home,
To the place where I can breathe
Where I feel strong,
Fast car take me back,
To the place where I'm free at last,
So free at last
In the song "Fast Car," Gary Barlow sings about feeling trapped in a relationship that he wants to leave behind. He longs for a different world where he can be free and breathe again. Despite his partner's promises to work things out, she only kicks and screams, leaving him feeling hopeless. He questions why he let her tear him down and wishes he had known from the start that their love was not what he wanted.
The lyrics are a poignant representation of the struggle to break free from a toxic and suffocating relationship. Barlow wants to escape from the pain and frustration that he feels, and the fast car represents a means of finding his way back to the place where he can feel strong and free at last.
Overall, "Fast Car" is a powerful metaphor for the struggle to break free from the constraints of an unhealthy and unfulfilling relationship. Barlow's lyrics express the pain, hopelessness, and longing that so many people feel when they are trapped in a situation they want to leave behind.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got me thinkin' 'bout tomorrow,
You're making me consider my future and what it might hold,
Although I'm livin' in today,
Even though I'm focused on living in the present,
You've got me wishin' I lived in another world,
You're making me want to escape to a different reality,
Though in my home I want to stay,
Despite my desire to escape, I still have a sense of loyalty to my current situation,
You're tellin' me you understand,
You claim that you comprehend my situation,
But you don't really know now who I am,
But in reality you have no idea who I truly am,
Or what I do,
Or the things that I'm involved in,
You're tellin' me we'll work it out,
You're reassuring me that we can find a solution,
Then all you do is kick and scream and shout,
But in reality, all you do is complain and create unnecessary drama,
What more can I say,
I feel like I've expressed myself as clearly as I can,
Fast car take me home,
I want to escape from this situation quickly,
To the place where I can breathe Where I feel strong,
To a place where I can relax and feel empowered again,
Fast car take me back,
I want to return to a past time or place,
To the place where I'm free at last, So free at last,
To a place where I feel completely liberated and unburdened,
Why did I let you come this far,
I'm starting to question why I allowed you to become so involved in my life,
Why did I let you tear me down, baby,
I'm realizing that you have been bringing me down and wearing me out,
I should have known it from the start, I didn't,
I should have seen your true nature from the beginning, but I didn't,
You turned a page without a sound,
You changed your attitude or behavior without any warning or explanation,
You're tellin' me I've got to learn,
You're suggesting that I need to change my ways,
But you're love has so many twists and turns,
But your love is so complicated and unpredictable,
I can't find my way,
I'm struggling to figure out what to do,
You're tellin' me it's all a shame,
You're expressing that the situation is unfortunate,
But now I feel this soul has got no name,
But now I feel like my identity has been erased or lost,
And to you it's all a game,
And to you, it seems like this is just a playful or entertaining interaction,
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: GARY BARLOW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind