Heartbeat City


Heartbeat City is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Cars. It was released on March 13, 1984, by Elektra Records. The band produced the album with Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Met with a positive commercial response, the album had numerous tracks getting airplay with the hit singles "Drive" and "You Might Think" reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album also received favorable reviews from several critics; for example, Robert Christgau stated that "the glossy approach the Cars invented has made this the best year for pure pop in damn near twenty years, and it's only fair that they should return so confidently to form."

Background

Heartbeat City contains five US top-40 hits. "Drive" and "You Might Think" reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at numbers three and seven, respectively. A number of songs from the album gained significant radio and television exposure, notably "Drive", "You Might Think" and "Magic", which all received heavy rotation on MTV.
The lead vocal on "Drive" was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr. The song's video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton and features Ric Ocasek arguing with a troubled young woman played by model Paulina Porizkova. "Hello Again" had a video directed by Andy Warhol, who also appeared onscreen.
The single "It's Not the Night" reached number 31 on the rock charts. The song "Stranger Eyes" was used in the theatrical trailer of the 1986 film Top Gun, but never made it onto the soundtrack. "Looking for Love" was 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 alongside the fan favorite "Just What I Needed".
The album was produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange. His commitment to the Cars album meant that he told Def Leppard he could not work on their album, Hysteria. However, due to delays in that album's recording, Lange was eventually able to produce it.

Artwork

The cover art is from a 1972 piece by Peter Phillips called Art-O-Matic Loop di Loop.

Track listing

Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Heartbeat City.

The Cars

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Canada Top Albums/CDs 69
US Billboard 20049

Certifications