[Intro]

[Verse 1: Benjamin Orr]
She’s driving away
With the dim lights on
And she’s making a play
She can’t go wrong
She never waits too long
She’s winding them down
On her clock machine
And she won’t give up
Cause she’s seventeen
She’s a frozen fire
She’s my one desire

[Pre-Chorus]
And i don’t want to hold her down
Don’t want to break her crown
When she says, let’s go

[Chorus]
I like the nightlife baby
She says
I like the nightlife baby
She says
Let’s go

[Verse 2]
She’s laughing inside
Cause they can’t refuse
She’s so beautiful now
She doesn’t wear her shoes
She never likes to choose
She’s got wonderful eyes
And a risque mouth
And when I asked her before
She said she’s holding out
She’s a frozen fire
She’s my one desire

[Pre-Chorus]
And I don’t want to hold her down
Don’t want to break her crown
When she says, let’s go

[Chorus]
I like the nightlife baby
She says
I like the nightlife baby
She says
Let’s go

I like the nightlife baby
She says
I like the nightlife baby
She says
Let’s go

“Let’s Go” was the first single from The Cars‘ second studio album Candy-O. It was released in 1979 on Elektra Records. The song was written by Ric Ocasek and features lead vocals by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr.

Composition

“Let’s Go” was described by Brett Milano as “another double-edged anthem” in the liner notes for Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology.^[1] AllMusic critic Donald Guarisco called the track “a tight new wave rocker that married the sardonic humor and new wave quirkiness of their previous singles to an easily accessible pop melody.”^[2]

The song’s signature hook is a series of claps followed by a shouted “Let’s go!”, which is derived from the 1962 instrumental of the same name by The Routers, as well as a simple synth melody played by Greg Hawkes, using the Sync II lead preset (or a slight variation of it) from a Prophet-5 synthesizer. The song tells the story of a 17-year-old girl and her budding interest in “the nightlife“.

Release

The single peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US,^[3] making it the first song by The Cars to reach the Billboard top 20. The song was an even bigger success elsewhere, hitting the top 10 in multiple countries. In Canada, the track reached #5, and remains the Cars’ highest ever charting single in that country. Similarly, “Let’s Go” peaked at #6 in Australia, where it remains The Cars’ highest charted hit.

Two follow-up singles from Candy-O, “It’s All I Can Do” and “Double Life“, were released after “Let’s Go”. Although “It’s All I Can Do” was a minor hit, “Double Life” failed to chart.

Reception

Rolling Stone critic Tom Carson called “Let’s Go” “the best cut on [Candy-O]”, while the Billboard review of Candy-O listed the song as one of the “best cuts”.^[4] William Ruhlmann, author of The All-Music Guide to Rock, said, “‘Let’s Go’ (the Cars’ biggest hit so far) became one of the summer songs of the year,” and Hamish Champ, writer of The 100 Best-Selling Albums of the 70s, said the track (as well as its follow-up, “It’s All I Can Do“), “give ample evidence of the band’s range”.^[4] AllMusic reviewer said the track “proves to be the best track [on Candy-O]”, while Donald Guarisco, also of AllMusic, said “its streamlined pop style paved the way for future Cars hits like ‘Shake It Up‘ and ‘Magic‘.”^[5]

B-side

The song’s B-side is a non-album track titled “That’s It” that features Benjamin Orr on lead vocals.

Covers

• In 1980, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their comeback album Chipmunk Punk. They would re-record their cover for their 1994 compilation album Here’s Looking at Me!.
• In 1990, Isley Brother Ernie Isley also covered the song for the compilation album Rubáiyát: Elektra’s 40th Anniversary.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End

[Intro]

I don’t mind you comin’ here
And wastin’ all my time
Cause when you’re standin’, oh so near
I kinda lose my mind

It’s not the perfume that you wear
It’s not the ribbons in your hair
And I don’t mind you comin’ here
And wastin’ all my time

[Bridge]

I don’t mind you hangin’ out
And talkin’ in your sleep
It doesn’t matter where you’ve been
As long as it was deep, yeah

You always knew to wear it well and
You look so fancy I can tell
I don’t mind you hangin’ out
And talkin’ in your sleep

I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed

[Bridge]

I don’t mind you comin’ here
And wastin’ all my time, time
Cause when you’re standin’, oh so near
I kinda lose my mind, yeah

It’s not the perfume that you wear
It’s not the ribbons in your hair
I don’t mind you comin’ here
And wastin’ all my time

I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed

I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to feed
I guess, you’re just what I needed (just what I needed)
I needed someone to bleed
Yeah, yeah, so bleed me

[Outro]

You’re just what I needed
You’re just what I needed
You’re just what I needed
Yeah, yeah, yeah

“Just What I Needed” is a song by American rock band the Cars, released as their debut single from their self-titled debut album, released in 1978 on Elektra Records. After achieving exposure as a demo, the song became a successful single for The Cars, hitting the top 30 in America.^[1] Appearing on numerous compilation albums, it has become one of the band’s most popular songs.

Background

“Just What I Needed”, like many other tracks on The Cars, originated as a demo tape recorded by the band in 1977.^[1] This song first appeared in 1977 on Boston radio stations WCOZ and WBCN from the said demo tape, along with its future follow-up single “My Best Friend’s Girl“.^[1] Shortly thereafter, it became one of the stations’ most requested songs.^[2]

The opening riff of “Just What I Needed” was borrowed from “Yummy Yummy Yummy“, a song by the Ohio Express.^[1] It also features a prominent keyboard riff performed by Greg Hawkes. The song was sung by the Cars’ bassist Benjamin Orr.

Release

“Just What I Needed” was released as a single in 1978 prior to the release of The Cars, backed with “I’m in Touch with Your World“. The song peaked at number 27 in the US and number 17 in the UK. It also reached #38 in New Zealand.^[3] The single was the Cars’ most successful of the songs on The Cars in America, with follow-up singles “My Best Friend’s Girl” and “Good Times Roll” resulting in slightly worse chart positions.

“Just What I Needed” appeared on multiple compilation albums, among them being Greatest Hits, Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, Shake It Up & Other Hits, Complete Greatest Hits, The Essentials, and Classic Tracks. It also appeared on the soundtracks for the films Over the Edge and 200 Cigarettes.

Reception

AllMusic reviewer Donald A. Guarisco praised it as “a clever pop song”, commenting that “Elliot Easton’s fiery guitar leads duel with Greg Hawkes’ icy synth lines over a throbbing pop/rock backbeat while Benjamin Orr lays down a fey, detached vocal that captures the sarcastic edge of the lyrics with skill.”^[4] The song has a minimalistic power pop sound, although has been described as having a hard rock punch by Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock’s Greatest Guitarists when talking about the band’s lead guitarist Elliot Easton, and his notoriety as a rock guitarist.^[5]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

End

[Verse 1]
Who’s gonna tell you when
It’s too late?
Who’s gonna tell you things
Aren’t so great?

[Chorus]
You can’t go on
Thinking nothing’s wrong, ohh no
Who’s gonna drive you home
Tonight?

[Verse 2]
Who’s gonna pick you up
When you fall?
Who’s gonna hang it up
When you call?
Who’s gonna pay attention
To your dreams?
Who’s gonna plug their ears
When you scream?

[Chorus]
You can’t go on
Thinking nothing’s wrong, ohh no
Who’s gonna drive you home
Tonight?

[Verse 3]
Who’s gonna hold you down
When you shake?
Who’s gonna come around
When you break?

[Chorus]
You can’t go on
Thinking nothing’s wrong, ohh no
Who’s gonna drive you home
Tonight?
You can’t go on
Thinking nothing’s wrong, ohh no
Who’s gonna drive you home
Tonight?

“Drive” is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band’s Heartbeat City album released in March 1984 and their biggest international hit. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr^[1] and produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange with the band.^[2] Upon its release, “Drive” became The Cars’ highest charting single in the United States, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; on the Adult Contemporary chart, the song went to No. 1.^[3] It reached No. 5 (No. 4 on re-entry in 1985) in the United Kingdom, No. 4 in West Germany, No. 6 in Canada and No. 3 (No. 5 on re-entry in 1985) in Ireland.

The song is associated with the July 1985 Live Aid event, where it was performed by Benjamin Orr during the Philadelphia event; previously, the song was used as the background music to a montage of clips depicting the contemporaneous Ethiopian famine during the London event, which was introduced by English musician David Bowie.^[4][5] Following the concert it was re-released in the UK and peaked at No. 4 in August 1985. Proceeds from the sales of the re-released song raised nearly £160,000 for the Band Aid Trust: Ocasek presented the charity’s trustee Midge Ure with a cheque for the amount while he was in London in November 1986 promoting his solo album This Side of Paradise.^[6]

In a retrospective review of the single, AllMusic journalist Donald A. Guarisco praised the song for being “a gorgeous ballad that matches heartfelt songwriting to an alluring electronic soundscape. The music reflects the lyrical tone with a lovely melody that rises and falls in a soothing yet sad fashion.”^[7]

Music video

The music video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton and features model and actress Paulina Porizkova, who would later become Ric Ocasek’s wife.^[8]

The video alternates between shots of Orr sitting in a disused nightclub, facing mannequins posed at the bar as customers and bartender, and scenes that depict the breakdown of a relationship between the characters played by Ocasek and Porizkova. Ultimately left alone, the woman cries and laughs hysterically for a time before visiting the nightclub. She looks sadly in through a dirty window at the stage, where tuxedo-clad mannequins of the band members are posed with their instruments as if playing a show, and turns to walk away as the video ends.

Hutton later recalled that his directing the video came about because he was living next to Elliot Roberts, the manager of The Cars. They were listening to tracks from the then-unreleased album Heartbeat City and Hutton told Roberts he was particularly impressed by the track “Drive.”

At that time, everybody was making videos. It was the height of MTV, and when you made a record, you were also thinking about the video. I talked to Elliott about how much I liked that song “Drive,” and I started describing all the different ways I thought they could go with it, as far as the video. And he said, “You know, everything you’re saying sounds really interesting. Do you mind if… Would you be up for me passing that concept along to Ric Ocasek?” I said, “Sure!” So he got back to me the next day and said, “Ric and I think you should direct the video. We love your idea, your take on it.” So that’s how that happened. And about a month later, I was in New York at the Astoria Studios over two days, filming the video.^[9]

Hutton and Ric Ocasek became friends which led to the latter being cast in Made in Heaven.^{[citation needed]}

Track listing

7″ single

1. “Drive”
2. “Stranger Eyes”^[10]

12″ single

1. “Drive”
2. “My Best Friend’s Girl“
3. “Stranger Eyes”^[11]

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

The song was used in a 1984 episode of the American soap opera Santa Barbara and 2013 American TV series The Carrie Diaries.

The song was used in the 2007 film Transformers, playing on the radio in Sam Witwicky’s car, Bumblebee.

It was also used in the series Everybody Hates Chris, in the episode ” Everybody Hates the Car “.

Singer Aimee Mann performed a cover of the song on the February 7, 2018 episode (entitled “House by the Lake”) of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. ^[31]

Cover versions

• The song was covered in 1984 by British entertainer Des O’Connor on his album Des O’Connor Now.
• Australian band The Paradise Motel released a cover as a single in 1999. This was used in the 2001 Noah Taylor film He Died with a Felafel in His Hand.^[32]
• New Zealand band Strawpeople covered the song in 2000, featuring the vocals of Bic Runga. The song peaked at number 7 on the New Zealand charts.
• In 2001, the German rock band Scorpions covered the song on their live unplugged album Acoustica.^[33]
• A cover by Ziggy Marley of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers was featured in the 2004 film 50 First Dates.^[34]
• In 2005, American band Deftones recorded an exclusive cover of the song for iTunes, which was feature in the trailer for The Stepfather
• In 2010, Australian actor/singer Jason Donovan recorded a cover version of “Drive” for his covers album Soundtrack of the 80s.^[35] The album went Top 20 in the UK in October 2010.^[36]
• The song was covered by US hard rock band Sixx:A.M. on their 2014 album Modern Vintage.^[37]
• My Morning Jacket covered the song live in January 2015.^[38]
• Britta Phillips covered the song on her album of covers Luck or Magic.^[39]
• Kirk Johnston recorded a licensed remake of “Drive” produced by Mark Younger-Smith (Billy Idol, Charmed Life) released as a single in 2015. The song was also featured on the “Full Circle” deluxe album in 2016. The song is available for download on iTunes, AmazonMusic and streaming on Spotify.
• Barrett Baber covered the song for his 2016 album, A Room Full of Fighters.

– – – –
Watch the official video for The Cars – “Drive”. Release in 1984, it is the third single from the band’s Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. Lead vocals are sung by bassist Benjamin Orr.

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Let the good times roll
Let them knock you around
Let the good times roll
Let them make you a clown

Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll-oll
Let the good times roll

Let the stories be told
Let them say what they want
Let the photos be old
Let them show what they want

Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll-oll
Won’t you let the good times roll

Good times roll

If the illusion is real
Let them give you a ride
If they got thunder appeal
Let them be on your side

Let them leave you up in the air
Let them brush your rock and roll hair
Let the good times roll
Won’t you let the good times roll-oll
Let the good times roll

Let the good times roll
Won’t you let the good times roll
Well, let the good times roll
Let ’em roll
Good times roll

Let the good times roll
Oh, let the good times roll
Ooh, let the good times roll
Let ’em roll
Good times roll

Well, let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Well, let the good times roll
Good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let the good times roll
Let ’em roll

“Good Times Roll” is a song by American rock band The Cars. It is the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. With its slow, lumbering rhythm, the track became a modest hit when it was released as a single in 1979.^[1] It has since appeared on many of The Cars’ compilation albums.

Background

The track was produced by Roy Thomas Baker. Written and sung by Cars lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, it was released as the album’s third single.^[2] Ocasek wrote the song as a sarcastic commentary on the good times in rock music, saying, “That was my song about what the good times in rock ‘n’ roll really mean, instead of what they’re supposed to be. It was kind of a parody of good times, really. It was kinda like not about good times at all.”^[3]

“Good Times Roll”, along with the rest of the tracks from The Cars, was recorded in just two weeks. However, the album’s chart success was so long-lived that the release of its follow-up, 1979’s Candy-O, was delayed.^[2]

The song begins with electronic drums and a guitar riff, soon joined by Ocasek’s lead vocals and synthesizers by keyboardist Greg Hawkes. Despite the up-tempo-sounding title, “Good Times Roll” is a mid-tempo song, with a beat described as “languid,” “psychedelic” and “creepy.” The lyrics are similarly described as “withering” and Ocasek’s vocal style as “clinical.”^[4]

Release

The song was released as the third and final single from The Cars in February 1979, backed with “All Mixed Up“. It reached number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, performing slightly worse that its predecessors “Just What I Needed” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.”^[2]

Of the nine tracks on The Cars, “Good Times Roll” was the only song for which no demo recording could be found during the compilation of the 1999 The Cars: Deluxe Edition package. Instead, a live version of “Good Times Roll” is included alongside demo versions of the other eight tracks.^[5]

“Good Times Roll” has been featured on several Cars anthologies, including 1985’s Greatest Hits, 1995’s Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, and 2002’s Complete Greatest Hits.^[4]

Reception

“Good Times Roll” has generally received positive reviews from critics. Greg Prato of AllMusic described the track as one of the “familiar hits” on The Cars and called it a highlight.^[6] Donald Guarisco, also of AllMusic, said the track “provides a solid reminder of the Cars’ ability to mix pop hooks with thoroughly trenchant irony.”^[4] The Billboard review of The Cars noted “Good Times Roll” as one of the best cuts, while Jaime Welton, author of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, described the track as a “new wave gem”.^[1]

Covers and other appearances

• A live version, performed by The New Cars, appears on their 2006 album, It’s Alive!^[7]
• “Good Times Roll” has also been included in the soundtracks of several films, including 2003’s Wonderland, 2005’s Just Like Heaven and 2016’s Everybody Wants Some!!.^[4]
• In the season four finale of Rescue Me, “Good Times Roll” played in its entirety as episode 13 faded to black.
• The song was used in an episode of the series Freaks and Geeks titled “The Garage Door”.
• The song was covered by Alternative metal band Powerman 5000 on their hit album Tonight the Stars Revolt! and had become a popular cover among fans on the band.
• The song was covered by Big Wreck and released on the band’s 2013 EP Bag of Tricks.
• This song was used in the 1999 film Jawbreaker.

Chart performance

You’re always dancing down the street
With your suede blue eyes
Every new boy that you meet
He doesn’t know the real surprise

When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky
She’ll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky
I kinda like the way she dips

And she’s my best friend’s girl
Well, she’s my best friend’s girl
But she used to be mine

You’ve got your nuclear boots
And you drip dry gloves
Oh, when you bite your lip
It’s some reaction to love

(Here she comes again)
When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky, yeah
I’ll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky
(Here she comes again)
I kinda like the way, like the way she dips

‘Cause she’s my best friend’s girl
Well, she’s my best friend’s girl, girl
And she used to be mine
She’s so fine

Always da-dancing down the street
With your suede blue eyes
And every new boy that you meet
He doesn’t know the real surprise

(Here she comes again)
When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky, yeah
She’ll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she’s dancing ‘neath the starry sky
(Here she comes again)
I kinda like the way, like the way she dips

“My Best Friend’s Girl” is a song by American rock band The Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the song was released as the album’s second single. It peaked at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number three in the UK. “My Best Friend’s Girl” was included on the soundtrack to the 1979 film Over the Edge, and the song appears on numerous compilation albums, such as the band’s 1985 Greatest Hits, 1995’s Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology, and 2002’s Complete Greatest Hits. A live version of the song by The New Cars appears on their 2006 debut album, It’s Alive!. The song originates from late 1976-early 1977 as another successful demo, like “Just What I Needed”, of the song was done.^[1]

Composition

“My Best Friend’s Girl” begins with chords in the lower register of the guitar, a two-bar progression moving from I to IV to V in F.^[2] Hand claps enter in bar five, and after the eight-bar intro, the first verse begins featuring Ric Ocasek‘s vocals over a lead guitar lick in the key of F.^[2] An organ is introduced in the first chorus, followed by a rockabilly guitar lick which leads to the second verse.^[2] The song is composed in contrasting verse-chorus form.^[2] Interestingly, the song was originally written and recorded in E major, one semitone lower, then the entire master tape was sped up to place it in F major. Many live performances show the band performing the song in E.^[3] The lyrics depict a man’s frustration with a woman who is dating his best friend after the man dated her.^[4] The narrator coolly^[5] notes, “She’s my best friend’s girl, but she used to be mine.”^[4]

Release and reception

Released in October 1978, “My Best Friend’s Girl” entered the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week ending October 21.^[6] It peaked at number 35 on the charts in December.^[6] In addition, the song reached number 40 on the Dutch Top 40, number 55 in Canada, and number 67 in Australia. The song was the highest-charting UK single of the band’s career, peaking at number three in November 1978.^[7] The single was the first picture disc available commercially in the UK.^[8][9][10]

Music critics have given the track generally favorable reviews. AllMusic‘s Donald A. Guarisco called the song “one of the classics of the Cars’ catalog”,^[4] and Rolling Stone writer Kit Rachlis called it a wonderful pop song.^[11] “My Best Friend’s Girl” was ranked the 12th best song of 1978 by critics Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein, and it was named one of “The 1001 Best Songs Ever” in a 2003 issue of Q magazine.^[12] Some critics have noted the similarity in style of Fountains of Wayne‘s 2003 hit single “Stacy’s Mom” to this song.^[13][14][15]

Other versions

• Nirvana performed “My Best Friend’s Girl” at their final concert on March 1, 1994 in Munich.^[16][17]
• Punk rock band The Frustrators included a cover version of the song on their 2002 album Achtung Jackass.^[18]
• Bluegrass novelty band Hayseed Dixie covered the song on their 2002 album A Hillbilly Tribute to Mountain Love.^[19]
• Australian hard rock band The Choirboys performed the song on their 2006 album Big Bad & Acoustic.^[20]
• Jamaican reggae singer Half Pint covered it on his 2008 album No Stress Express.^[21]
• Kris Delmhorst includes it on her 2011 album Cars

Track listing

7″ vinyl

1. “My Best Friend’s Girl” (Ocasek) – 3:44
2. “Moving in Stereo” (Hawkes, Ocasek) – 5:15

Chart performance

Year-end charts