heartbeat city

The Cars drove it home with the tempermental glow of this uniquely styled noise electric and had their greatest success.  The band had taken a break after their last album with debut solo albums being released by Ric Ocasek ('Beatitude' ) and Greg Hawkes ('Niagara Falls' ).  Hawkes remembers:   "We just needed some time to do other things, basically: we worked on a few different individual projects...we all were working on something or other.  And plus, sometimes when you're working with the same four people all the time, it's nice to have a break, just so that when you get back together you have some fresh energy and some different ideas."

The experiments of 'Panorama' and the pop pursuits of 'Shake It Up' find the perfect balance in 'Heartbeat City', produced with Robert John "Mutt" Lange at Battery Studios in London.  The sessions featured Ric Ocasek on rhythm guitar, synthesiser, and lead vocals;  Elliot Easton on lead guitar and backing vocals;  Greg Hawkes on keyboards, Fairlight programming, and backing vocals;  Benjamin Orr on bass and lead vocals;   and David Robinson on drums, percussion, and Fairlight programming;  with Andy Topeka providing additional Fairlight programming.  

With artsy music videos in heavy rotation on MTV, 'Heartbeat City' became a major smash.  Ocasek considers the power of the visual medium:  "I think it's fun to do them and good to do them as long as they don't take the lyrics literally.  I think the only problem with them could be that you could get sort of overexposed."    

'Heartbeat City'cruised to number forty-one in the Netherlands, twenty-nine in France, twenty-six in Sweden, twenty-five in the UK, fifteen in Australia and Germany, three in the US, and number one in New Zealand.  Six singles were released from the album. The cover is from 'Art-O-Matic Loop di Loop'  a 1972 painting by pop artist Peter Phillips.  






http://thecars.org/





'Drive' features lead vocals by Benjamin Orr. The  video was directed by Timothy Hutton and features Ocasek's future wife model Paulina Porizkova.  It became the biggest single of their career, going to fifteen in Sweden; twelve in the Netherlands; nine in Norway; eight in Austria; five in New Zealand; four in the UK;  three in Ireland, Switzerland, and on the US pop chart; two in Canada; and number one on the US adult contemporary chart.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrgSzcctUyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuZA6qiJVfU&feature=kp



Drive - The Cars by martin1976


'You Might Think' hit number seven on the US pop chart and number one on the US rock tracks chart.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dOx510kyOs
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'Magic' floated to number twelve on the US pop chart and number one on the US rock tracks chart.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0Kv6vxZwL8
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'Hello Again'  
The video was directed by the legendary Andy Warhol, who also makes a cameo appearance..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXpJ0bM5zbM
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 'Heartbeat City'
full album:


All songs written and composed by Ric Ocasek except where noted. 

Side one
1. "Hello Again"   lead vocals: Ocasek 3:48
2. "Looking for Love"   lead vocals: Ocasek 3:52
3. "Magic"   lead vocals: Ocasek 3:57
4. "Drive"   lead vocals: Benjamin Orr 3:55
5. "Stranger Eyes"   lead vocals:  Orr 4:24
Side two
6. "You Might Think"  lead vocals: Ocasek  3:04
7. "It's Not the Night" (Greg Hawkes, Ocasek) lead vocals:  Orr 3:49
8. "Why Can't I Have You"   lead vocals: Ocasek 4:04
9. "I Refuse"   lead vocals: Ocasek 3:16
10. "Heartbeat City" ("Jacki") lead vocals: Ocasek 4:31