The Cars were an American new wave band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s,they consisted of Ric Ocasek,Benjamin Orr,Elliot Easton,Greg Hawkes (keyboards),and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals,and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.
The Cars is the debut studio album by American new wave band the Cars,released on June 6,1978,by Elektra Records. The album was managed by longtime producer Roy Thomas Baker,and spawned several hit singles,including "Just What I Needed","My Best Friend's Girl",and "Good Times Roll",as well as other radio and film hits such as "Bye Bye Love" and "Moving in Stereo". The Cars peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart,and has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Candy-O is the second studio album by American new wave band the Cars,released on June 13,1979,by Elektra Records.
Shake It Up is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the Cars,released on November 6,1981,by Elektra Records. It was the last Cars record to be produced by Roy Thomas Baker. A much more pop-oriented album than its predecessor,its title track became the band's first Billboard top-10 single. Spin magazine included it on their "50 Best Albums of 1981" list. In 2021,Rhino Entertainment re-released the album on neon green vinyl.
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song,which first achieved radio success as a demo,took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sung by bass player Benjamin Orr and was written by Ric Ocasek.
"Drive" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their fifth studio album,Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23,1984,as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek,the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Upon its release,"Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States,it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number five in the United Kingdom,number four in West Germany,number six in Canada and number three in Ireland.
"Shake It Up" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fourth studio album of the same name (1981). It was released on November 9,1981,as the album's lead single. Although appearing for the first time in 1981,it was actually written years earlier by the band's songwriter and lead singer Ric Ocasek. The song became one of the Cars' most popular songs,peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in early 1982. With the track "Cruiser" as its B-side,it reached number 14 on the Billboard Disco Top 80 chart.
"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band the Cars released as the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. Written by Ric Ocasek as a sarcastic comment on rock's idea of good times,the song features layered harmonies courtesy of producer Roy Thomas Baker.
"Hello Again" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their album Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on October 15,1984 as the album's fourth single. The song was the fourth top-20 entry from the album,reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart;it also reached number eight on the Hot Dance/Disco chart and number 22 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. Ric Ocasek sings lead vocals on the track.
"Down on Love" is the fourth single taken from the album Agent Provocateur by the band Foreigner,and released in August 1985.
"My Best Friend's Girl" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records,released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977.
"Tonight She Comes" is a 1985 song by American rock band the Cars from their Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single in October 1985,reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1986. The song reached number one on the Top Rock Tracks chart,where it stayed for three weeks.
"Candy-O" is a song by the American rock band the Cars,the title track of their 1979 album Candy-O. Written by Ric Ocasek,the song was not based on a real person. The song features a prominent guitar solo by Elliot Easton and lead vocals by bassist Benjamin Orr.
"I'm Not the One" is a song by the American rock band the Cars,from their fourth album,Shake It Up. It features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals,Benjamin Orr singing the 'you know why' phrase,and the whole group repeating "going round and round" as backing vocals throughout the song.
"Cruiser" is a song by American new wave band The Cars,from their 1981 album Shake It Up.
"Gimme Some Slack" is a song by the American rock band the Cars from the album Panorama. The song was written by bandleader Ric Ocasek.
"Touch and Go" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1980 album Panorama. The song was written and sung by bandleader Ric Ocasek.
"Victim of Love" is a song by the American new wave band the Cars,appearing on their fourth studio album,Shake It Up. It was written by Ric Ocasek.
"Think It Over" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fourth studio album,Shake It Up (1981). It was written by Ric Ocasek.
"Panorama" is a 1980 song by the Cars from their third studio album,Panorama. It was written by Ric Ocasek. Despite not being released as a single,the song has since become "a cult favorite".
