Heartbeat City
Encyclopedia
Heartbeat City is the fifth studio album
by American
rock
band The Cars, released in 1984.
Heartbeat City contains a total of five American Top 40 singles, two of which ("Drive
" and "You Might Think
") were Top 10 as well, reaching #3 and #7, respectively. A number of songs from the album gained significant radio and TV exposure, notably "You Might Think", which had a memorable music video in heavy rotation on MTV in 1984 and 1985. Another hit single frequently seen on MTV was "Magic
", in which singer/songwriter Ric Ocasek
walked on water—that is, the water in a swimming pool at a backyard barbecue party. This song reached #12 in the U.S.
The lead vocal on "Drive" was performed by bassist Benjamin Orr
. The song's video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton
. It featured Ocasek arguing with a troubled young woman played by model Paulina Porizkova
, whom Ocasek would later marry. "Hello Again
" had a video directed by the legendary Andy Warhol
, who also appeared onscreen. The song "Stranger Eyes" was used in the theatrical trailer of the 1986 film Top Gun
, but it never made it into the soundtrack. "Looking for Love" was later covered by Austrian singer Falco
as "Munich Girls" on his 1985 album Falco 3
.
When The Cars performed at Live Aid
, they played three songs from the album ("You Might Think" and "Drive", plus the album's title track) alongside the fan favorite "Just What I Needed
".
The album was produced by acclaimed producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. His commitment to the Cars album meant that he wasn't able to work on the forthcoming Def Leppard
album, Hysteria. (However, due to delays in that album's recording, Lange was eventually able to produce the album.)
340) is from a 1972 piece by Peter Phillips
called "Art-O-Matic Loop di Loop."
Lido Music)
Original pressing of the U.S. vinyl and cassette versions listed the final track (Heartbeat City) as "Jacki."
Singles
The Audio Fidelity version has standard banding between each song unlike the original LP and CD. It is reported, however, remastered from the first generation mastertapes. Reportedly the regular CD was created from a higher generation master where cross fades were created. As a result it has a slightly different running time when compared to the regular CD and album.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band The Cars, released in 1984.
Heartbeat City contains a total of five American Top 40 singles, two of which ("Drive
Drive (The Cars song)
"Drive" is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band's Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. It was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Lead vocals were by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr....
" and "You Might Think
You Might Think
"You Might Think" is a single by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, which came out in 1984. The track was written by Ric Ocasek, and produced by Mutt Lange and The Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals....
") were Top 10 as well, reaching #3 and #7, respectively. A number of songs from the album gained significant radio and TV exposure, notably "You Might Think", which had a memorable music video in heavy rotation on MTV in 1984 and 1985. Another hit single frequently seen on MTV was "Magic
Magic (The Cars song)
"Magic" is a song by The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, released in 1984. It was released as a single and reached No. 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange and The Cars...
", in which singer/songwriter Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
walked on water—that is, the water in a swimming pool at a backyard barbecue party. This song reached #12 in the U.S.
The lead vocal on "Drive" was performed by bassist Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars....
. The song's video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
. It featured Ocasek arguing with a troubled young woman played by model Paulina Porizkova
Paulina Porizkova
Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...
, whom Ocasek would later marry. "Hello Again
Hello Again (The Cars song)
"Hello Again" is a song performed by the rock band The Cars, released in 1984 as the fourth single from the album Heartbeat City. It was the fourth Top 20 hit from the album, reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also reached number 8 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and...
" had a video directed by the legendary Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, who also appeared onscreen. The song "Stranger Eyes" was used in the theatrical trailer of the 1986 film Top Gun
Top Gun
Top Gun may refer to:* Top Gun is a 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.**Top Gun , soundtrack to the movie**Top Gun , a number of games based on the movie...
, but it never made it into the soundtrack. "Looking for Love" was later covered by Austrian singer Falco
Falco (musician)
Johann Hölzel , better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian pop and rock musician and rapper. He had several international hits: "Der Kommissar", "Rock Me Amadeus", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home " and posthumously, "Out Of The Dark"...
as "Munich Girls" on his 1985 album Falco 3
Falco 3
Falco 3 is the third album by Falco, released in 1985.In the U.S. it peaked at number 3 in the Billboard 200 albums charts and at #18 in their Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts....
.
When The Cars performed at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
, they played three songs from the album ("You Might Think" and "Drive", plus the album's title track) alongside the fan favorite "Just What I Needed
Just What I Needed
-Cover versions:*Big Daddy - Big Daddy*Caleigh Peters – Sky High soundtrack*Sister Hazel – Lift*Poison – Poison'd*Bang Tango – Untied and live!*The Insyderz – Fight Of My Life and Paradise CD Single*Replicants – Replicants...
".
The album was produced by acclaimed producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. His commitment to the Cars album meant that he wasn't able to work on the forthcoming Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
album, Hysteria. (However, due to delays in that album's recording, Lange was eventually able to produce the album.)
Cover art
The cover art (including an image of a 1971 Plymouth DusterPlymouth Duster
The first Plymouth Duster was a semi-fastback version of the Plymouth Valiant automobile, produced in the US from 1970 to 1976.The Duster name was later revived for optional trim packages on certain versions of the 1979-1980 Plymouth Volare, 1985-1987 Plymouth Turismo, and 1992-1994 Plymouth...
340) is from a 1972 piece by Peter Phillips
Peter Phillips (artist)
You also may be looking for Pete Rock.Peter Phillips is an English artist who is one of the pioneers of the Pop Art movement...
called "Art-O-Matic Loop di Loop."
Track listing
All songs written by Ric Ocasek except as noted. (All Songs CopyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
Lido Music)
- "Hello Again" – 3:47
- "Looking for Love" – 3:52
- "Magic" – 3:57
- "DriveDrive (The Cars song)"Drive" is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band's Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. It was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Lead vocals were by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr....
" – 3:55 - "Stranger Eyes" – 4:26
- "You Might Think" – 3:04
- "It's Not the Night" (Greg HawkesGreg HawkesGreg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
, Ocasek) – 3:49 - "Why Can't I Have You" – 4:04
- "I Refuse" – 3:16
- "Heartbeat City" – 4:31
Original pressing of the U.S. vinyl and cassette versions listed the final track (Heartbeat City) as "Jacki."
The Cars
- Ric Ocasek – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, synthesiser, lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
on 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10 - Elliot EastonElliot EastonElliot Easton plays lead guitar and sings backing vocals for The Cars. His guitar solos are integral part of the band's hit singles. He studied music at the Berklee College of Music...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Greg Hawkes – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, FairlightFairlight CMIThe Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
programming, backing vocals - Benjamin Orr – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, lead vocals on 4, 5, 7 - David RobinsonDavid Robinson (musician)David Robinson is an American rock drummer. He has performed with many rock bands including The Modern Lovers, DMZ and The Cars.He attended Woburn Memorial High School....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, Fairlight programming
Production
- Arranged by The Cars
- Produced By The Cars & Robert John "Mutt" Lange
- Recorded & Engineered By Nigel Green
- Mixed By Mike Shipley
- Mastered By George Marino
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| 1984 | UK Album Chart | 25 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "You Might Think" | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
7 |
| 1984 | "It's Not the Night" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 31 |
| 1984 | "Magic" | Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| 1984 | "Drive" | Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
1 |
| 1984 | "Drive" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 9 |
| 1984 | "Drive" | Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 1984 | "Hello Again" | Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
8 |
| 1984 | "Hello Again" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 |
| 1984 | "Hello Again" | Billboard Hot 100 | 20 |
| 1985 | "Why Can't I Have You" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 11 |
| 1985 | "Why Can't I Have You" | Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| RIAA – United States | 4x Platinum | December 17, 2001 |
Reissues
| Year | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Audio Fidelity | 24 Karat Gold HDCD |
The Audio Fidelity version has standard banding between each song unlike the original LP and CD. It is reported, however, remastered from the first generation mastertapes. Reportedly the regular CD was created from a higher generation master where cross fades were created. As a result it has a slightly different running time when compared to the regular CD and album.