In terms of chords and melody, Fast Car has complexity on par with the typical song, having near-average scores in Melodic Complexity and Chord-Melody Tension and below-average scores in Chord Complexity, Chord Progression Novelty and Chord-Bass Melody.
Fast Car is written in the key of A Major. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 4th most popular key among Major keys and the 4th most popular among all keys. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major chords (A Major, D Major, and E Major). See the A Major Cheat Sheet for popular chords, chord progressions, downloadable midi files and more!