The Cars were an American new wave band formed in Boston in 1976, pairing Ric Ocasek's deadpan and Benjamin Orr's smoother delivery with sleek synth-and-guitar pop. The 1978 debut and Heartbeat City bookend the hits — Just What I Needed, My Best Friend's Girl, Drive — and the band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Find The Cars vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
The Cars formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976. The lineup was Ric Ocasek (vocals, rhythm guitar; 1944-2019), Benjamin Orr (vocals, bass; 1947-2000), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter. The Cars became one of the most commercially successful acts to emerge from the late-1970s new wave movement and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
The Cars fused rock and pop hooks with new wave and synth-pop textures, marrying Ocasek's deadpan vocals and Orr's smoother delivery to polished, radio-ready production. The band helped define the sound of late-1970s and 1980s rock radio and MTV, balancing guitar-driven songs with prominent keyboards.
The self-titled debut and Heartbeat City have been reissued in expanded and audiophile editions, and original Elektra pressings are collected. The band's catalog appears across anniversary editions and remasters.
Listeners new to The Cars often start with the self-titled debut (1978) or Heartbeat City (1984). For related listening, see and .
