Songs, Albums & Quotes of The Cars: A Pamphlet for Generation Z Cars Newcomers

By James Curtis Geist

The Cars steady stream of albums from 1978 to 1987 cemented them as one of the major pillars of the new wave rock movement. The Cars brought a certain moodiness, quirkiness and ironic detachment to the main stream. The music was minimalistic and beat influenced in a perfect way. The Cars are an American band that merged power pop and glam rock into new wave music. The band started in Boston in 1976 with Ric Ocasek on vocals and guitar, bassist Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton on lead guitar, David Robinson on drums and Greg Hawkes on keyboards. Their first performance was at an Air Force Base on New Years Eve in 1977.

Ocasek and Orr started Milkwood in 1973, a band sounding like Crosby, Stills and Nash, but was a commercial failure. Some influences on the Cars were Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and Buddy Holly. In 1984, Ocasek married supermodel Paulina Porizkova, who he met during the filming of their music video, "Drive."

Their 1978 debut album, The Cars, sold over 6 million copies and was on the charts for 139 weeks. Rolling Stone Magazine called The Cars the "Best New Artists." Their first four albums, The Cars, Candy-O, Panorama, and Shake It Up all went multi-platinum. They are known for their hits "Drive," "Shake It Up," "Tonight She Comes," "You Might Think," "Magic," "My Best Friends Girl," and "Good Times Roll" among their top 18 hits.

Bassist Benjamin Orr passed in 2000 and Ric Ocasek passed in 2019. The Cars were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018 and sold over 23 million records. This book includes a short history, discography, influences and achievements of the band. This book is a proper introduction of The Cars for Generation Z.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FLJDLH93
• ISBN13: 9798296813688
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 26 Pages
• Weight: 0.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"