Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman’s duet of ‘Fast Cars’, on the Grammys, proved if only for the length of the song, that music and even cars can bring people who have differentiating views together. Perhaps the politics and other divisions that keep us apart can fade – at least for a few moments. Or…
Maybe together we can get somewhere.
Get somewhere better. I’ve said this on many of the past Cars Yeah podcasts, “Cars bring us together no matter our socioeconomics, race, gender, politics, or any other differences we may have.” That is the key to beginning a thoughtful dialog between people and finding common ground. From there, if we are willing to ask better questions, and listen, and learn, perhaps we can find a way to come together. Just maybe, for those brief moments, we will realize we may not be that different.
Starting from zero, got nothing to lose, maybe we’ll make somethin’.
Tracy’s song first debuted in 1988 and I remember it well. I had learned I was going to be a father and had just acquired my first Porsche, a car I had dreamed of and worked so hard for, since I was a kid. Listening to her lyrics while driving with my wife down the California Coast Highway, that soulful voice paring nicely with the cam chains and my life at that moment. Joy. Achievement. Freedom. A fast car.
I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone.
Cars, similar to music, can help us share a common ground. At the Grammys a black woman and a white man, who have different political viewpoints, and come from different musical genres, sang together about people down on their luck and dreaming of better lives. In a way, the American dream. Maybe we saw that our troubles and dreams can connect us and how much more we could accomplish together. Hopefully the politics and other topics faded – at least for those few moments.
You got a fast car
Is it fast enough so you can fly away?
You gotta make a decision
Leave tonight or live and die this way
Thank you Tracy & Luke