The late Ric Ocasek from the Cars, performs during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Photo / AP.
The late Ric Ocasek from the Cars, performs during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. Photo / AP.
The late, great Ric Ocasek wrote a long list of classic songs with The Cars.
In the wake of his death last weekend, we've picked out the five best tracks from the band's extensive back catalogue.
Plenty of great singles missed the cut – including the likes of Moving InStereo, You're All I've Got Tonight, Touch and Go, Shake It Up, and many more.
Hey, we've all been through it. Except for Ocasek, apparently. He once insisted "nothing in that song happened to me personally" although he conceded the events described "probably ... happened to a lot of people." The band's second hit single featured on The Cars self-titled debut album.
Let's Go (1979)
A new wave rock song dripping with sarcastic lyrics, Let's Go was released as the debut single off their second studio album Candy-O. The band's record label, Elektra, wanted to delay the album's release back due to fears it would impact on the strong sales of their first record. Ocasek was having none of that and wanted to strike while the iron was hot. "We told them there was no way," he said. "Because if they were going to hold that back, they were going to hold us back, and we can't just sit around and be held back."
The first single of their fifth studio album Heartbeat City, the music video was one of the first to use computer graphics. Ocasek features prominently throughout, in a series of laughable encounters with model Susan Gallagher. The video took out the inaugural MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year and was nominated for five more awards (best special effects, best art direction, viewer's choice, best concept video, and most experimental video).
Just What I Needed (1978)
The band's first single from their self-titled debut album, penned by Ocasek in the basement of the commune he called home in 1977. The opening riff was borrowed from Yummy Yummy Yummy, a song by the Ohio Express, and the lyric "wasting all my time-time" is a reference to The Velvet Underground song Sister Ray. Bassist Benjamin Orr handled the vocals in a performance that Ultimate Classic Rock labelled "perfect".
Drive (1984)
Their biggest international hit, Drive was the third single of the album Heartbeat City. Orr again took on the singing duties, and performed the song at Live Aid event in Philadelphia in 1985. The song was re-released after the concert and Ocasek later presented a cheque for nearly £160,000 raised from sales to the Band Aid Trust.
