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Drive (The Cars song)

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"Drive"
Side A of the US 7-inch single
Single by the Cars
from the album Heartbeat City
B-side
ReleasedJuly 23, 1984 (1984-07-23)
Recorded1983
StudioBattery, London
GenreSynth-rock[1]
Length3:55
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)Ric Ocasek
Producer(s)
The Cars singles chronology
"Magic"
(1984) 		"Drive"
(1984) 		"Hello Again"
(1984)
Music video
"Drive" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Drive"

"Drive" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23, 1984, as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr[2] and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band.[3] Upon its release, "Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart.[4] It reached number five (number four on re-entry in 1985) in the United Kingdom, number four in West Germany, number six in Canada and number three (number five on re-entry in 1985) in Ireland.

The song is most associated with the July 1985 Live Aid event, where it was performed by The Cars during the Philadelphia event; the song was also used as the background music to a montage of clips depicting the contemporaneous Ethiopian famine during the London event, which was introduced by British musician David Bowie.[5][6] Following the concert, it re-entered the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number four 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.[7]

Lyrics and music

[edit]

The lyrics of "Drive" deal with a relationship that the singer has become concerned about, with lines such as "Who’s gonna tell you when it's too late? Who’s gonna tell you things aren't so great?"[8]

The instrumentation is nearly entirely electronic, with Greg Hawkes' synthesizers and Elliot Easton's guitar providing a "haunting" atmosphere and musical structure.[8]

Reception

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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."[9] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as the Cars' third greatest song, noting that it "sounds like nothing else the band ever did."[10] Classic Rock History critic Emily Fagan rated it as the Cars 2nd best song sung by Orr, praising the way that the "careful arrangement frames the lyrics poignantly, with each line delivered by Orr pulling at the listener’s heartstrings."[8] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated it as the 7th best Benjamin Orr Cars song, acknowledging that "the super gloss production of Mutt Lange ultimately makes it sound a bit dated."[11]

Paul McCartney cited the song as an influence on the sound he achieved on his 1986 album Press to Play, commenting, "Sometimes you get caught up in trying to be the current flavor, trying to go along and flavor your cooking with the food of the month ... I remember the records I listened to. 'Let's Dance'. Or 'Drive' by the Cars. Records that were of the time and I probably just thought, 'Yeah, it'd be quite nice to get into a bit of that'."[12]

Music video

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The music video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton and features then-19-year-old model and actress Paulina Porizkova, who would later become Ric Ocasek's third wife.[13]

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 sadly looks in through a smeared window at the stage, on which 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 "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.[14]

Hutton and Ric Ocasek became friends, which led to Ocasek being cast in the 1987 film Made in Heaven.[14]

Track listings

[edit]
A. "Drive" – 3:55
B. "Stranger Eyes" – 4:26
A. "Drive" – 3:55
B1. "My Best Friend's Girl" – 3:44
B2. "Stranger Eyes" – 4:26

Personnel

[edit]

The Cars

Production

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The 100 Greatest Car Songs of All Time: Staff List". Billboard. June 24, 2021. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Drive by The Cars". Songfacts. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  3. ^ "Ric Ocasek Rocks CBGB". Rolling Stone. September 30, 2005. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 49.
  5. ^ "BBC ON THIS DAY | 13 | 1985: Was Live Aid the best rock concert ever?". BBC News. Archived from the original on December 23, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  6. ^ "Geldolf Live Aid". Mojo. Archived from the original on January 8, 2011.
  7. ^ NME. London. November 15, 1986. p. 4. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ a b c Fagan, Emily (September 2024). "Top 10 Cars Songs Sung By Benjamin Orr". Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  9. ^ Guarisco, Donald A. "Drive – The Cars". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  10. ^ Kachejian, Brian (February 2024). "Top 10 Cars Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  11. ^ Swanson, Dave (September 8, 2015). "Top 10 Benjamin Orr Cars Songs". UltimateClassicRock. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Edgers, Geoff (May 24, 2023). "When Paul McCartney teamed up with Elvis Costello, the Beatle got back on track". Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Video Classics: "Drive" – The Cars". KZOK-FM. February 4, 2012. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Harris, Will (March 10, 2015). "Timothy Hutton, from Ordinary People and Taps to a Cars video". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  15. ^ "Cars, The – Drive (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  16. ^ "Cars, The – Drive (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  17. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 56. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ "The Cars – Drive" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  19. ^ "The Cars – Drive" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8724." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8938." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  22. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 44. November 3, 1984. p. 80. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2021 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1, no. 31. October 29, 1984. p. 4. OCLC 29800226. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  24. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  25. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Cars". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 43, 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  27. ^ "The Cars – Drive" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  28. ^ "The Cars – Drive". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  29. ^ "The Cars – Drive". VG-lista. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  30. ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts C". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
  31. ^ "The Cars – Drive". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  32. ^ "The Cars – Drive". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  33. ^ "Cars: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  34. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  35. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  36. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  37. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 6, 1984". Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  38. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cars – Drive" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  39. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  40. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  41. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  42. ^ "SloTop50 – Week 44 (26.10.2020 – 01.11.2020)" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved November 2, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  43. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report. No. 548. December 31, 1984. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022 – via Imgur.
  44. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 17. January 5, 1985. p. 7. ISSN 0033-7064. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2020 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  45. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1984". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  46. ^ "Top 100 Singles (January 3–December 29, 1984)" (PDF). Music Week. January 26, 1985. p. 37. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  47. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  48. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1984". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  49. ^ "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1984 – Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 29, 1984. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Singles (January 5–December 28, 1985)" (PDF). Music Week. January 18, 1986. p. 10. ISSN 0265-1548. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  51. ^ "British single certifications – The Cars – Drive". British Phonographic Industry. August 1, 1985. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
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