Say What You Will Fastway: Inside the 1983 Single
Say What You Will Fastway is the bluesy hard rock single that gave Fast Eddie Clarke his first hit outside Motorhead.
Columbia released it on 1 April 1983 as the third single from Fastway’s self titled debut album.
The track runs three minutes and twenty seconds, built around a slow, grinding riff instead of Motorhead’s trademark speed.
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⚡ Key Takeaways
- Say What You Will Fastway is a 1983 single by former Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke’s band Fastway.
- Columbia released the song on 1 April 1983 as the third single from the band’s self titled debut album.
- The lyrics describe frustration and desperation inside a one-sided relationship.
- The song’s music video received rock television airplay in 1983 but the single itself did not chart.
- Fastway reused the title in 1991 for the live album Say What You Will Live, drawn from an earlier recording with singer Dave King.
What Is Say What You Will Fastway About?
Say What You Will Fastway describes the frustration of a relationship where one partner holds all the control.
Singer Dave King delivers the lyrics with a bluesy resignation, closer to classic rock balladry than to Motorhead’s aggression.
The slow, grinding riff underneath gives the song a heavier weight than its lyrical theme of quiet desperation might suggest.
The result sits among the more emotionally direct songs on Fastway’s 1983 debut album.
Who Wrote and Recorded Say What You Will?
Fast Eddie Clarke played guitar on the track, his first recorded single after leaving Motorhead in 1982.
Dave King sang lead vocals, and former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley played drums.
An uncredited session bassist completed the rhythm section, filling in after founding bassist Pete Way departed before recording began.
Producer Eddie Kramer produced and engineered the track at Marcus Music and Maison Rouge Studios in London.
When Was Say What You Will Fastway Released?
Columbia Records released Say What You Will Fastway as a single on 1 April 1983.
The song appeared as track eight on side two of the band’s self titled debut album, released that same month.
It followed We Become One as the second single pulled from the record, with Easy Livin’ released afterward.
All three singles arrived within months of Fastway’s formation the previous year.
What Happened With the Say What You Will Music Video?
Fastway filmed a music video for Say What You Will to promote the single throughout 1983.
The video received airplay on rock television programs of the era, giving the band visual exposure beyond radio.
That exposure faded over time, and the video became a relatively obscure artifact of early 1980s rock television.
Surviving footage of the video has since circulated among classic rock archives and fan channels.
Did Say What You Will Fastway Chart?
Say What You Will did not chart as a standalone single in the UK or the United States.
The parent album still reached number 31 on the Billboard 200 and number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.
The single’s television exposure helped sustain interest in the album even without its own chart placement.
Say What You Will remains one of the more recognized deep cuts from Fastway’s catalog despite never charting on its own.
Why Did Fastway Use the Song’s Title for a Live Album?
Fastway released the live album Say What You Will Live in 1991 after the band called it a day that year.
The release drew from an older recording made with original singer Dave King, rather than newly recorded material.
Naming the live album after this specific single signaled how closely fans associated it with the band’s classic Clarke and King era.
The live album gave the song a second life a full eight years after its original 1983 release.
Why Does Say What You Will Fastway Still Matter?
Say What You Will Fastway still matters because it shows Fast Eddie Clarke building a new musical identity within a year of leaving Motorhead.
The song’s bluesy restraint proved Clarke could write outside the speed and aggression he brought to Motorhead tracks like Iron Fist.
Brian Robertson, who replaced Clarke in Motorhead the same year this song came out, took the band in yet another direction entirely.
As of 2026, the track remains a touchstone for fans tracing Clarke’s career beyond the band that made him famous.
Say What You Will Fastway endures as a quieter, more personal counterpart to the songs Clarke wrote with Lemmy Kilmister.
People Also Ask
Who sang Say What You Will by Fastway?
Dave King sang lead vocals on Say What You Will, the 1983 Fastway single led by guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke shortly after he left Motorhead.
Former Humble Pie drummer Jerry Shirley and an uncredited session bassist rounded out the recording.
What album is Say What You Will from?
Say What You Will comes from Fastway’s self titled 1983 debut album, released through Columbia Records in April of that year.
The song appeared as the third single from the record, following We Become One.
Did Say What You Will chart on its own?
No, Say What You Will did not chart as a standalone single, though its music video received rock television airplay in 1983.
The parent Fastway album still reached number 31 on the Billboard 200 despite the single missing the charts itself.
Watch the Official Video and Shop Related Albums
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Ace of Spades
1980, 50th Anniversary 2 CD Edition
The Clarke era Motorhead classic recorded three years earlier.
Speed and aggression, the opposite of this song’s mood.
Iron Fist
1982, 40th Anniversary 2 CD Mediabook
Clarke’s final Motorhead studio album before forming Fastway.
Recorded the same year he left the band.
Overkill
1979
Established Clarke’s twin-guitar attack style with Motorhead.
Four years before this song’s bluesier direction.
Bomber
1979, 50th Anniversary Edition
Another early Clarke era Motorhead record.
Shows the speed Clarke set aside for this song.
You Might Also Like
Lemmy Kilmister Biography: Motorhead Legacy & Rock Icon
The bandmate Clarke left behind when he formed Fastway.
Motorhead Debut Album: The Chaotic Birth of a Legend
The album that started the band Clarke left five years before this song.
Bomber Motorhead: Inside the Song
An earlier Clarke era Motorhead classic from the band’s three piece years.
Mikkey Dee Biography
The drummer who anchored Motorhead through its later years, long after Clarke’s 1982 exit.
Say What You Will Fastway captured Fast Eddie Clarke reinventing himself within a year of leaving Motorhead.
As of 2026, the song stands as a quieter counterpoint to the speed that made Clarke famous.
Read the complete story of the members of Motorhead to see where the rest of Clarke’s former bandmates went after 1982.
Last updated: July 28, 2026