The Cars wasn’t a band. It was the ultimate formula for pop-rock world domination. The only catch about this all was that only the members of The Cars, chiefly Ric Ocasek, could figure out what that formula was.
At the band’s creative peak, they captured all that was best about guitar-driven pop-rock. Along with Blondie, no other band did guitar pop better.
The Cars’ songs were created to be liked. It worked then. And it has continued to work. These are the 10 best songs by one of the greatest bands of all time, The Cars.
The 10 Greatest Songs by The Cars
10. “Candy-O”
The Cars was always an art-rock project. But Ric Ocasek and the band often cheated. The moment they figured out how to write a hit, there was no going back to unpleasant, experimental sounds.
“Candy-O” cuts the difference. It’s hooky, bubblegum-flavored. But its 50s-inspired melodies are flanked by modern synths and loud guitar riffs.
9. “Magic”
The Cars, by the “Heartbeat City” album, were in the strange, novel position of actually needing a hit for change. They’d had so many prior to 1984, after all.
“Magic” offered them just that. And proved that The Cars were just perfect for an era in which MTV and rock radio merged.
8. “Since You’re Gone”
The Cars tasted so much success early on that some of the band members could barely be convinced to make time for rehearsals and recordings.
The “Shake It Up” album suffered from a lack of focus. But there was plenty of fun on the Tom Pettyesque “Since You’re Gone,” an effective single.
7. “Let’s Go”
“Let’s Go,” belonging to the “Candy-O” album, is one of the great opening numbers of all time. A song about teenage love which cracked the Top 20 in the U.S., “Let’s Go” features the elements that are usually highly a great song by The Cars – dynamism, hooky synths, and Ocasek’s quirky vocals.
This is a memorable new-wave number which must’ve made all of the punk bands sit and wonder why they couldn’t come up with those kinds of tunes.
6. “You Might Think”
The catchiest of the singles from The Cars juggernaut-seller “Heartbeat City,” “You Might Think” gets stuck in your head for days.
Produced by Mutt Lange ends up showcasing Ocasek and The Cars as the goofy, fun, pop-rock savants that they were. Years later, I think, that “You Might Think” is still mighty fun.
5. “Good Times Roll”
The Cars debut sounds like a Greatest Hits package. That’s not because the songs were old or collected from different sources. It’s because all of them were so good and successful.
“Good Times Roll” is the first taste of the perfect guitar pop of The Cars. It’s wisecracking and kind of dark but has enough of a sparkle to appeal to radio listeners.
4. “Just What I Needed”
People have been studying the pop-rock formula of The Cars for years, and power-pop nerds are studying it still. It all appears to be so simple. Make everything brighter, give the song dynamics, let the choruses pop!
But Ric Ocasek only knew the intricacies of this. And that’s why “Just What I Needed” was one of the biggest new-wave songs of that era.
3. “Heartbeat City”
By 1984, shiny synths, big pop hooks and quirky lyrics were all the rage. That was a world in which The Cars could fit.
“Heartbeat City” found the band trying for a change. It sees Ocasek work with the modern modern sounds of the time. But it also allows him to be more revealing than ever.
2. “Drive”
One of the great songs of the 1980s, “Drive”, was Ocasek’s most openly romantic song. Perhaps no other tune better used mid-80s production techniques better than this one.
Fortunately, Ocasek was also confident enough to give “Drive” to bassist Benjamin Orr, who provides one of the most memorable, anguished vocals of all time.
1. “My Best Friend’s Girl”
The Cars was a sneaky, clever band. Their best songs reflect the mischievous nature of the group and Ocasek’s dark sense of humour.
“My Best Friend’s Girl” is The Cars’ finest, hookiest, funniest moments. It’s, perhaps, the definitive power pop song, so much so that even Nirvana felt obliged to cover it. “My Best Friend’s Girl” is one of the best songs ever.
