Fast Car

Tracy Chapman's 1988 original, a whole life in verses: a checkout job, a father who drinks, a plan to drive out of town, and the slow realization that the escape has turned into the same trap. It is a song for someone who can hold a room quietly. The verses are low and close to speech, with that circling guitar figure keeping time for you. The chorus does climb, so it is worth trying along with the record first; the trick is to let it open up rather than push. Serious and slow, so better mid-evening than as a party starter.