Top Ten Songs by the Cars

It is impossible for me to go a week without hearing one of their songs...and I don't own any of their albums or listen to radio. But I hear them just the same, in bars and clubs, at the houses of friends and other places. That's a testament to the staying power of the records of a band that officially broke up almost twenty years ago.

The Cars (guitarist and lead vocalist Ric Okasek, lead guitarist Elliot Easton, vocalist and bass guitarist Ben Orr, drummer Dave Robinson, and keyboardist Greg Hawkes) have truly produced some classic records during their 12-year (official) career, many of them on their eponymous debut album of 1978.

The best songs by The Cars, in no particular order, are:

1. Moving in Stereo, on their debut The Cars, 1978: This brings back great memories of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Primarily associating the song with the fantasy scene of that film would be a mistake, however as the eerie sound effects coupled with the hypnotic synthesizer melody and enigmatic lyrics highlight the experimentalism of the song.

2. Just What I Needed, on their debut The Cars, 1978-It's one of those songs where, if you're not familiar with the band, you might not recognize the opening chords even though they feel familiar, and then the hook kicks in. Truncated versions of the song have appeared in commercials for Circuit City and Budweiser, and it's been covered numerous times, because it's just that good: the vocals inverting the traditional love song, and the climatic feel of the hook make this one of the most memorable and best songs by The Cars.

3. Good Times Roll, on their debut The Cars, 1978-The leadoff track on their debut, the vocals and mid-tempo composition skillfully undercut the party animal theme of the hook, to create a thoroughly engrossing record.

4. My Best Friend's Girl, on their debut The Cars, 1978-The song is just as catchy now as it was in the seventies and eighties. It is simple and sincere and retains all of its original charm.

5. Bye Bye Love, on their debut The Cars, 1978-It's a toss-up as to what most impressive about this song: the evocative lyrics, the bass, or the guitar riff midway through. A hard call it may be, but it exemplifies all of their key strengths. It's definitely one of the top 10 songs by The Cars, even if it's a bit less well known than, say, Just What I Needed.

6. You Might Think, from their fifth album, Heartbeat City, 1984-The energy and vocals are infectious, and even though this is definitely something of a departure from their earlier work, in terms of radio-oriented production values, it's a great song.

7. Candy-O, on their sophomore album Candy-O, 1979-Considerably darker in lyric and tempo, the synthesizers play a secondary role to Elliot Easton's guitar solo, one of the best I've heard from him.

8. Drive, from their fifth album, Heartbeat City, 1984-This is probably my favorite song by The Cars. The instrumentations blend perfectly with their signature eclectic synthesizer riffs, and the plaintive vocals make this one of their most unforgettable songs.

9. Hello Again, from their fifth album, Heartbeat City, 1984-Its melodic guitar and synthesizer riffs and cryptic lyrics display their innovative compositional skills much as Moving in Stereo did on their debut. Heartbeat City may have epitomized their commercial leanings, but it yieleded some of the best songs by The Cars.

10. Let's Go, on their sophomore album Candy-O, 1979-Dark lyrics are overshadowed by their rousing uptempo beat. It's the best single of their second album, and one of The Cars' best songs.

Sources

Just What I Needed, Wikipedia