MTV had become a major marketing tool by 1984, and the Cars was one of
the first bands to use the new video medium to their advantage. The band's
fifth album, Heartbeat City, (Elektra) spawned several imaginative
and memorable videos, which translated into massive chart and commercial
success, making it one of the biggest releases of the year. Produced by
hitmaker John "Mutt" Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard), the album included
two Top Ten singles -- the ballad "Drive" and the charismatic "You Might
Think" plus an additional two that landed in the Top 20 -- the summer
anthem "Magic" and the eccentric "Hello Again." But it didn't just stop
there, plenty of other tracks could have been hits as well, such as the
sparse rocker "It's Not the Night" and the breezy pop of "Looking for Love."
Other highlights included the ethereal title track, the melodic rocker,
"Stranger Eyes, " and the moderately paced love song, "Why Can't I Have
You." Although the Cars experienced their greatest success yet with
Heartbeat City, it would unfortunately not last for long -- after
just one more studio album (1987's spotty Door to Door), the band
split up. |