It also needs to be said, Benjamin just had effortless swagger for days. From the way he leaned back when he played his bass to the Elvis-like smirk he had while delivering his vocals, the guy was just a heavy dose of cool. Compared that with Ric who had nearly identical vocals but gave a more stoic vibe. The Cars were a treasure, man.

@C2C.

6 ай бұрын

Walked by him at the entrance of their studio in Boston in the 80s. He was not only the embodiment of cool, he was also just a nice, genuinely friendly guy. I've read other accounts saying the same.

@Jreb1865

5 ай бұрын

That's the best description of Ben Orr.... Elvis.

@Dmyra

3 ай бұрын

@@C2C. wow that just quadruples the cool factor. yes he was really something

@kristopherguilbault5428

2 ай бұрын

Something tells me that he's Never had problems with the ....women folk lol ;)

Benjamin Orr had a great voice and presence on stage.

Eliot Easton is a monster. Every solo he plays is perfect for the song. Unique style.

@TheReubenKincaid

6 ай бұрын

Awesome. I learned the solo to Best Friends Girl. Playing it with my band. Elliot’s solos are like this. Melodic and precise. On Best Friends Girl solo you shoot out of the gate and you can’t stop…one flub up and you crash….no string bends or putzing around…it’s over 😂 But when you nail it …oh it’s great

@wndykayyah

6 ай бұрын

Agree! 😊👍

@douginny

6 ай бұрын

Agree.

@mysterysurf4554

6 ай бұрын

Always kind of wanted a bumpersticker: My other Car is Elliot Easton.

@bastidface

6 ай бұрын

Agreed! Elliot's solos are like mini compositions within the songs. Absolutely well crafted solos.

The Midnight Special shows are just historical moments of authentic talent in music 😢❤

This group was elite! Their voices definitely blended well. I was a big fan of Benjamin Orr

I freaking love the Cars. Still listen to them as much as I did back then.

@Jeff-jg7jh

6 ай бұрын

All good work and I thought some of the drums were the best I'd heard.

I remember when this album came out and everyone was in awe. So different from anything else we had been listening to. Love The Cars. Love, love , love Ben’s voice. You made a great analysis from this song. So much fun.

@icatz

6 ай бұрын

I bought it when it came out and you're right, it was a monster. My BF got sick of me playing it constantly. It was so different, but heralded in a new sound for the 80s.

@SB_McCollum

6 ай бұрын

Yes, it exploded in my school, the guys were crazy over it. The funny thing is years later I figured out they were channeling 50s/60s pop with a synth mix.

Appreciate this analysis, the Cars were more than just Ric Ocasek, and I always tended to prefer the songs that were sung by Benjamin Orr. He was taken way too soon by a terrible beast of a disease, but it is great that we have performances like this to still recognize his talent.

@warrenholmes3311

6 ай бұрын

I was lucky enough to survive what Ben Orr did not. Pancreatic Cancer is terrible. I got lucky because it was diagnosed VERY early. It was just sheer fortune that they found my PNET. I had a 'Whipple' procedure and as I was told, the '5225 rule' -- applied: 5% of 'Whipple' patients survive for 2 years post surgery, and just 2% of them survive 5 years (.e.. 5225). One of the most difficult 'reparable' surgeries there is -- to undergo. Less than 1 out of 100 survive. I hope the odds have gone up.

@cindi1313

6 ай бұрын

@@warrenholmes3311 I'm glad you were diagnosed early, that is such a hard thing with a pancreatic cancer. A Whipple procedure is a huge surgery, and the survival rate really depends on the underlying cancer. Survival is better for neuroendocrine tumors than for adenocarcinoma, which still has a pretty dismal 5 year survival rate unfortunately.

@La_Roo

6 ай бұрын

My father had the Whipple over 20 years ago, he is still alive (diagnosed early due to coincidental finding). Mom died 2019, diagnosed too late to save her. PANCREATIC CANCER SUCKS! God Bless Ben Orr, he was younger than my parents. I was blessed enough to have grown up in Boston at a time when I was young enough to actually think that all cities had good local music. For me local bands began with Aerosmith, The Cars and The J. Geils Band. Times were different. I had no idea that I was spoiled.

@Terri_MacKay

6 ай бұрын

All my favourite Cars songs were sung by Orr, and this is my favourite song by them.

@ozzyman646

6 ай бұрын

awesome analysis and spot on, great tour in 78 at Castle Farms Michigan 🍻🤟

All my favourite Cars songs are sung by Ben Orr, and this one is my favourite of all. Although people tend to think of the music of the 80's as having "a sound", the best bands from that decade (and I'm including bands that started in the very late 70's) had very unique and individual sounds, and the Cars definitely qualify as one of the best bands of the 80's, or of any decade.

@C2C.

6 ай бұрын

Spot-on.

I was a junior in high school when this record came out. It was absolutely huge, and playing everywhere. I mean the whole record, not just this one song.

@lilpoohbear653

6 ай бұрын

yep!

@shawnadams1965

6 ай бұрын

We had great music playing on the radio back then. Heck I still remember my Mom asking me about Devo the first time she heard them. My Mom btw had good taste in music even though being born before the end of WWII... She took me to my first concert as a kid. The Guess Who.

@misterwirez7731

6 ай бұрын

Me too. I was in 8th grade when this was new. We lived outside of Pittsburgh.

@whipsmartchris

6 ай бұрын

@@shawnadams1965Yeah, cool, don’t keep us in suspense-who’d she take you to see?

@shawnadams1965

6 ай бұрын

@@whipsmartchris ummm The Guess Who 😛

Everything they did was so tight, and cohesive. Eliot's guitar, spot on. Benjamin was just a presence. Standing there, looking out over the crowd, especially in the Live Aid show, that "Yeah, i'm that damn good". And he was.

Benjamin. He is sorely missed. It's pretty cool that the Cars had two recognizable lead vocals. Not easy. 3 Dog Night had this also. Talent!❤ RIP Benjamin.

Super interesting analysis. I sure loved The Cars music back in the day. I was unaware of Benjamin Orr’s untimely passing. What a beautiful, talented man he was.

Thank you for featuring the fabulous Ben Orr, a great vocalist, bassist, musician and from what I understand a great human as well. Gone far too soon. RIP Ben and Ric.

He's so amazing and he's playing some reasonably involved bass lines as well. He passed far too soon.

I remember when the cars came out. They hit the radio waves like a ton of bricks, no one else had that sound, and everyone wanted to sound like them. Benjamin Orr‘s voice was genius. Back then , we didn’t have the Internet to look things up like we do now, so that was great to have that mystery. It’s equally as great to see you analyze them now. Great job.

Ben was the total package in this era. Blonde blue eyed, cleft chin, fit, easy smile, he projects warmth and ease, he's just flat-out gorgeous and im straight. Just being honest. Great voice, good bassist. I never understood why he got shuffled.

@VIDS2013

2 күн бұрын

The Cars became more and more of Ocasek's project and vision as time went on. So he sang most of the songs. Also, Heartbeat City was very synth heavy, and that pushed out most of the other instruments. (It also made them a very static band in concert on that tour. They're early performances were much more dynamic.)

Benjamin Orr was an amazing musician. He left us way too soon.😢

When you isolated his voice , you can picture Bowie, he sounds very Bowie , I never noticed that before

@SuziQ.

6 ай бұрын

Bowie and Billy Idol.

The Cars, The Knack, Elvis Costello, B52s, Devo, Cheap Trick, Graham Parker, The Squeeze, The Jam, Madness, XTC, Strange Advance, Talk Talk etc I loved in late 70s, music changed for the better, it's fantastic when the record sounds the same live

@ToddSauve

6 ай бұрын

I liked the Cars but none of those other groups. I'm more blues-rock personally.

@noncounterproductive4596

6 ай бұрын

The Knack got huge amounts of airplay on rock radio, and I always hated them. My Sharona is an incredibly stupid and annoying song.

@noncounterproductive4596

6 ай бұрын

​@@Johnnylund1No, disco still went on through 1979. The Cars appeared in 1978.

@MichaelSheffield-ox8yd

6 ай бұрын

Elvis Costello!! "Every Day I Write the Book" is beyond stellar. BTW there is a lovely video on YT of Elvis performing "Penny Lane" at the US White House with Sir Paul in the front row. Well worth a gander.

@riffmondo9733

6 ай бұрын

Yes. I tell my kids our pop music had killer guitars unlike the past two or three decades.

My gosh...So handsome and amazing Benjamin Orr was...and still thats voice melts me ...I love you Ben ❤❤❤❤ i love the Cars ❤❤❤

He's a very casual singer, not taking himself too seriously. Perfectly fits the song, this song never sounds old to me. Can't say enough about Elliot Easton, love that solo. In Boston you could get yourself beat up if you talked down on the Cars.

Fil, you should cover this song, man. Your voice is perfectly suited to it.

@deed.3230

6 ай бұрын

Agree.

@sovereignbrehon

6 ай бұрын

Agree

@anniebalsbaugh2093

6 ай бұрын

Absolutely!

@user-nd6bl1hm8i

6 ай бұрын

I have a pitch-perfect ear, and yes... you are humble in what you said - as you DO have a very close sound and quality to Benjamin.

@MiBackpacking

6 ай бұрын

Agree

Their concert here in KZread called "The Cars Go To College" is EPIC!! Intimate venue and a great raw live performance.

So much raw talent in the late 70s, early 80s. Amazing music everywhere.

By far the best part of this video, besides time travel to watch Ben Orr at his youthful best, was your obvious appreciation for his talent and musicianship. It was a joy to behold.

Speaking as a heterosexual man, those deep dips in Ben's vocals are seductive as hell. They're very Elvis-y "I'm all shook up, uh huh."

"Doesn't matter where you've been, as long as it was deep." More lyrics like that, please.

I heard Ric say that Benjamin would record his songs in one take. He was very special and sorely missed. Thanks for putting him in the spotlight.

@janetaldrich7747

5 ай бұрын

I've read an interview with David Robinson where he said the same thing. Also that he learned vocals in one shot, which I find amazing

@funkycandycool

5 ай бұрын

@@janetaldrich7747 Ben also developed his own manner of enunciation for his singing style. Kinda like his own personal accent.

@deuceman32

5 ай бұрын

For sure. I also saw an interview with Ric in which he said, "Whenever we wrote a song that needed a real singer, well, we gave that one to Ben".

The Cars first album landed on our collective ears like a tidal wave! Their sound was so new, so raw and had Elliot Easton's absolutely amazing guitar work throughout. Totally blew our minds.

Imagine if the music continued to flourish in the 2000s. I would have a bagillion LPs. Anybody else miss the album art?

What a sad loss Ben was. Great smokey sound to voice. Taken way to soon. Rest in Peace Ben.

I like how long you waited before breaking in. After all this time, I still love this song.

Thank you Benjamine Orr, forever, and thank you Wings of Pegasus!

What isn’t understood unless you were there is that 1979-1982 was a transitional period not fully similar to the heart of either decade. A unique moment.

They weren't "ahead" of their time. They DEFINED their time. The reason you know they weren't ahead of their time is, close to fifty years later, we haven't caught up.

Fil has such a great ear, and the technical knowledge to go with it. And man I love The Cars.

Thank you for this analysis. As s fellow Clevelander, I love Ben's voice and miss him very much.

The Cars were so far ahead of there time for sure, Candy O is a masterpiece that followed one of the very best debut LPs of all time, quite a feat.

This is one of my favorite bands of all time. and one of my favorite songs they do. These guys are great.

The thing with The Cars is that when you listened to these songs when they first came out (as I did) you couldn't even tell the difference between Ric Ocasek & Benjamin Orr when they sang between the different songs. Other than 'Drive' I think it was years before I realized that Benjamin Orr sang on songs other than 'Drive', especially on their Debut. Too funny, but true.

@SuziQ.

6 ай бұрын

This is true. We didn’t have the internet, and Ric seemed like the spokesman for the band. I bought the first two vinyls, and cassettes for my car, but we didn’t know how many songs Ben was singing, not Ric.

@ghlmk5931

6 ай бұрын

I thought it was just me. It took years for me to realize Ric didn’t sing every lead vocal (including this song). One of my favorite groups of all time.

Oh! The Cars were definitely one of my very favorite in the 80's!!! This was our song!!! My now husband and I!!! Its funny because this song described the two of us, perfectly. I kinda just kept showing up to be around him, asking him questions anout my car. I always had the cutest clothes, perfectly matched to my shoes and accessories. And he was the biker, cynical type. But he always made me laugh....still does. We dont look like we did in the early 80's, but still together. I'm 58 and he's 62. I was 19 and he was 24, when i moved in with him...a tiny bit at a time. Lol! My possessions just kept increasing at his house.😁✌️

@juliepearce6667

6 ай бұрын

Another great one that always got me feeling good was "LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL". The whole album was full of great songs!

The best New Wave band. Period. They actually rocked. Fun fact: I thought for a long time that Ocasek sang all their early stuff. That high part with "...you coming here" almost sounds like proto-Cobain. All lot of the rest of it reminds me of early Bowie. Then again, I think Bowie is the secret DNA tying most New Wave together.

Ben Orr. There was just something about him. The Cars were my guilty pleasure when I tired of Metal and needed something else. That album. You know, I looked for a clear acrylic/plastic steering wheel for years in the 80s.

Thank you so much Fil for paying a Tribute to The Cars' timeless genius.

Absolutely love the Cars. Benjamin was incredible.

The wonderful 70s and 80s, then even everyone’s vocals were special, non-standard, with their own style of singing, and it’s wonderful when, while listening to music, you can immediately distinguish the vocalist and even tell who sings it.

When the Cars first came out, I recall a reviewer describing Ben’s voice as having a compelling catch to it. I find that describes it perfectly ❤

I hear a crooners' voice in much of his lines, and it's great. The Cars first 2 albums are some of the greatest back to backs in my opinion.

I have never seen someone smile so much while watching/listening to music, your love for it is admirable and rare these days

Love his voice. So easy on the eyes he was.

One of my favorite bands of all time with one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Benjamin, Ric, Elliot and David were all tremendous, but I don't think Greg Hawkes gets enough credit for his keyboards and the distinct sound he gave the band. Great video as always Fil.

Great band and song. Thanks for looking at it 👍

I did the lights for them back in the 70’s one night at a club called Mr. C’s Rock Palace in Lowell, MA USA… The Cars went out at the height of their popularity.

My favorite band as a teenager and couldn’t agree more that they were ahead of their time. Listen to Candy O, it’s a prime example of how unique their sound was. Love your channel

Funny story, I've been hearing the Cars in one form or another since 1978 when they first came on the scene. Got my first smart phone in 2017 and first thing I did was start watching KZread. LoL, somehow I didn't know the Cars had two lead singers in the band 😂 How that escaped me I have no idea. I think it's because they were always there I didn't really pay that much attention to them, just enjoyed the music

I was a junior in high school when this came out. I loved the entire album.

Hi Fil, What a pleasure it was to listen to this song and for you to highlight Ben Orr’s voice. I always loved the songs he sang with The Cars. My personal favorite of his is Drive. The Cars were definitely at the forefront of the New Wave groups that made 80s music iconic. The Cars, Missing Persons, Duran Duran and others were musical standouts of their day. Ben did a great job singing this song and had such a unique style and sound. Thanks for this awesome analysis and appreciating Ben, Ric, Greg, and Elliot! You Are The Best! Love You, Debbie ☮️

I was this many years old (70) before I found out that this wasn't sung by Rick Ocasek...😮

Wow. What a great analysis of one of my favorite bands. Their sound unique and that's what made them so good. R.I.P. Benjamin.

I saw them in concert in 1979. I don't remember much but they did sound just like the record.

@bobbymac2911

6 ай бұрын

I saw them in 82 when I was in high school and while they sounded great, they are still among the most boring live bands I've seen out of 300 odd concerts. Zero stage presence, no audience interaction, and almost bored to be there. Later I learned they were mostly studio musicians, so it makes sense now.

@bobknapp1182

6 ай бұрын

Agree. Saw them I think in '80 - very boring show@@bobbymac2911

So good to see Benjamin's voice & talent highlighted as many people assumed it was always Ric singing in The Cars, despite clear differences in their voices. Benjamin's voice was so versatile - from warm & comforting on 'Drive' to powerful, deep & 🔥🔥🔥 on Candy O.

I was so fortunate are to see The Cars in concert at this time - phenomenal! Benjamin Orr was a beautiful man with a beautiful voice.❤️ Am I, for the first time, hearing a hint of an ode to Elvis? Thank you for this, Fil! I don’t begin to understand all that you say and do during your videos but I love music and truly enjoy them. The joy on your face when you are listening and watching is a wonderful thing!! 🎸👏🏻💕

The cars my first concert ever 1977 ish Boston Garden. Boston music scene then was amazing. Candy O is another great song by them too

I'm happy to say that I sold Eliot Easton a number of left-handed Telecasters at my shop near Boston in the early 1980's. The Cars sound great here. Thanks Phil.

The Cars were such a breath of fresh air when that album came out. I played that album to death! Hearing it again tonight made me realize that I was not wrong in recognizing its awesomeness, it's still awesome. Thank you for this!

Vocal tone, delivery at times sounded like D Bowie's. With uncommon limited vibrato, abrupt slides, and off-pitch, perfect selection for your vocal analysis.

Thanks for looking at this great group

Ben Orr was so Rockstar!

Most excellent. I remember when this first came out. We were blown away. Nice analysis as usual

Lately I've rediscovered The Cars, and revisited their first two albums, mostly to listen to Benjamin's voice. He had a unique style and sound, which you pointed out with stunning accuracy, in my opinion. What a blast it was to hear The Cars music back then, and I still love it today! Elliot Easton's guitar playing was phenomenal too. Thanks Fil, this was great. Rest in Peace Benjamin❤ and Ric❤

Always loved Benjamin's voice.

I love The Cars!

Very astute of Fil to note the slightly sharp tuning (is this stick shift tuning as opposed to auto tuning?) . Their sound was ahead of its time, in particular the way the keyboards sounded. The seminal (sic) 80s Cars moment for me was when their song “Moving in Stereo” played in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High during its most infamous scene. Benjamin had some great songs in his solo career as well, I’m particularly fond of his vocals on his hit “Stay the Night”.

@cindypowers4993

6 ай бұрын

"Stay the Night" is really beautiful.👍

These guys were so fun, interesting, intelligent and talented. Thank you for reminding us.

The 70s were a great time musically in Boston with Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, The J Geils Band, Jonathan Richmond and the Modern Lovers and numerous Punk bands at the Rat.

@88wildcat

6 ай бұрын

It is really astonishing to think that in a span of two years two bands from the same town released debut albums where every single song on them got airplay all over the country. Can't thing of another time that happened in the history of rock and roll.

@pbracey1

6 ай бұрын

And the Channel😀

Loved the Cars. They were one of the first to start taking music in a new and fresh direction.

I’m sure it’s been suggested many times, but rick beato is often going off about autotune as well, and I’d be interested to hear a conversation between you two about it.

@tanya5322

6 ай бұрын

Yes please!

@luvastandardbred8270

6 ай бұрын

My two favorite YT music channels,!

@21palica

6 ай бұрын

I would love this see this collaboration happen. Rick and Fil both have a great way to breakdown particular songs and highlighting the excellent musicianship behind them, that is often overlooked. Also, both are educating us to notice and appreciate unaltered performances, because they are getting more and more rare in the music made now.

I was fortunate to see them on tour right after the album came out. They really rocked in concert.

Perfect voice for this song, a perfect song for this voice. They are married together so perfectly. It sounds like he really likes singing this song and feels very comfortable performing it. Thanks for the analysis. I can tell you really like the guitar work.

Saw the Cars open up for Styx in 1978 or maybe 79. The only reason we went was to see The Cars. Great band and their first album is literally a greatest hits collection RIP Benjamin

@johnwilliams1223

6 ай бұрын

Oh man I’m so envious of you 😟 I never got to see the Cars, although they were one of my favorite bands of that era.

@marktait2371

6 ай бұрын

think was 79 my older brother attended that show after senior year but i was too young

@SpaceCattttt

6 ай бұрын

I would've preferred Styx.

@timrose9175

6 ай бұрын

Right. Not a bit of filler on it. That album had nothing but #1 hits one after the next as far as I'm concerned.

@mikeberg5003

6 ай бұрын

@@SpaceCattttt We left halfway through their set. The Cars blew them out of the water

Just what I needed on this channel.

I learned to play the Drums , On the Awesome music of this era .

Damn! I miss Benjamin. He was such a kind and gentle man that was ahead of his time. He did some amazing solo work as well. 'Stay the night' is such an amazing piece with great synthesizer work.

I love Benjamin Orr’s voice! Would love to see you analyze his vocals on Drive

First I heard this LP, I thought it had to be the greatest hits of a band I had somehow missed. Learning they were just getting started was mind blowing! No wonder why I still love music from my childhood.

Wow. What a phenomenal analysis. One of my favorite bands and vocalists. Thank you!

If it was released today it would probably be a hit again.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Cars, and Elliot's great playing, and Ben's singing! Thank you for reviewing this one! There are only two songs in the entire Rock industry that I remember where I was when I first heard it on the radio, 1978 at age 13 (both same year). Van Halen's "Ain't Talking Bout Love", and The Cars' "Just what I Needed"

I couldn’t even begin to estimate the number of times I’ve heard this song. I played the record so many times that the needle dug through to the other side. I always loved his smooth voice. Thanks, Fil!👏🏻

Great band, great sound.

Brilliant choice Fil. I love the slight edge to the vocal and instrumentation. What a great live performance !

Boston produced some of the most icon bands of our worlds. Including The Cars...feel good music

Great music and a great tie.

So happy you analyised the Cars!!! All five members had a unique talent and look. I preferred Ben's songs that he sung as his vocal range was more varied than Ric. Plus the guy had rock star looks and mannerisms that endeared him to fans.

This channel is a huge cut above the rest . the channel owner actually knows what he is talking about and delivers that knowledge in a very clear and concise manner . 👍

Never was a band like them and none since. Their sound .

I saw The Cars in Toronto at the El Mocambo in 1978. Elliot Easton's guitar playing was brilliant. The band was so tight and disciplined. I never fail to learn something from every video you critique. Thanks Fil.

I'd forgotten about this song. I like his delivery,slightly ironic sounding.

Everyone in my college dorm had this album ! I remember playing it on cassette endlessly in my car when I came home from college on the weekends.