Song:Drive
Album:Complete Greatest Hits
Though not as critically acclaimed as other bands of the era, The Cars were at the forefront of the New Wave movement. Drive was marginally their biggest hit. Singer guitarist Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr met in Cleveland in 1970 while Orr was working in the house band of the local TV show Upbeat. They eventually moved to Boston and formed Milkwood with guitarist Jas Goodkind. They released an album on Paramount in 1973 that went nowhere. Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes played on that album. Ocasek and Orr tried some other things and formed Cap'n Swing with guitarist Elliot Easton. Orr was lead singer and didn't play bass. But Ocasek didn't like the bassist or drummer. So Orr went back to bass and Modern Lovers drummer David Robinson was hired and the name was changed to The Cars. One of their demos got the attention of Elektra Records A & R head George Daly and he signed them to a contract. Their 1978 debut album The Cars reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Platinum. The single Just What I Needed reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequent albums did very well and they had their first top five pop hit when Shake It Up reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. Following their 1982 tour, The Cars took a break and Ocasek and Hawkes released solo albums. They returned in 1984 with Heartbeat City produced by Mutt Lange. The album reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and Drive reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. So it was definitely their biggest hit single. Ocasek wrote Drive but Orr sang the lead vocal. Model Paulina Porizkova appeared in the video and she married Ocasek in 1989. The Cars took another break and the various members released solo albums. They returned with the 1987 album Door To Door but it wasn't as successful The Cars split up in Feb. 1988. This Rhino comp is a good intro to their music. Ric Ocasek continued to record solo and produced other bands. There were always rumours about The Cars reuniting but Ocasek always debunked them. After Benjamin Orr died of cancer in 2000, Ocasek softened his stance and Move Like This was released in May 2011. They are currently on tour. Here's the video for Drive by The Cars.
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