45 RPMs 84: Gary Numan ~ Cars

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Gary Numan  ~ Cars 

45 RPM front cover 

photo by Styrous®

On August 21, 1979, the Gary Numan single, Cars, was released. It was the huge hit from his debut solo album, The Pleasure Principle released on September, 7, 1979, by Beggars Banquet Records. Cars reached the top of the charts in several countries, and is Numan's most successful single.      

 

Numan later said that he had chart success in mind: "This was the first time I had written a song with the intention of 'maybe it could be a hit single'; I was writing this before Are 'Friends' Electric? happened." He has since described Cars as "a pretty average song" and the entire song was written in 30 minutes.       

 

The recording features a conventional rock rhythm section of bass guitar and drums, the rest of the instruments used are analogue synthesisers, the Minimoog (augmenting the song's recognisable bass riff) and the Polymoog keyboard, providing synthetic string lines over the bass riff.            

 

According to Numan, the song's lyrics were inspired by an incident of road rage: 

"I was in traffic in London once and had a problem with some people in front. They tried to beat me up and get me out of the car. I locked the doors and eventually drove up on the pavement and got away from them. It's kind of to do with that. It explains how you can feel safe inside a car in the modern world...When you're in it, your whole mentality is different...It's like your own little personal empire with four wheels on it."       

The music video (link below) featured Numan's then-current backing band, including Billy Currie from the band Ultravox, but Currie had not played on the recording of Cars.    

Retrospectively, Cars has been called "one of the greatest singles in pop history".     

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars

Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please?
If I open my door
In cars

Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars

   

Tracklist:
       
Side 1:

        

A - Cars - 3:57

       
Side 2:
       
B - Cars - 3:57
       
Companies, etc.
       
    Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation
    Recorded At – Marcus Recording Studios
    Published By – Blackwood Music Inc.
    Published By – Geoff & Eddie Music Co., Inc.
    Manufactured By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Atlantic
    Lacquer Cut At – Atlantic Studios
       
Credits:
       
    Engineer, Mixed By – Harvey Webb, Rikki Sylvan
    Lacquer Cut By – GP*
    Producer – Gary Numan
    Written-By – Gary Numan
       
Notes:
       
Label Notes:

Promotion Copy Not For Sale

Recorded at Marcus Music AB London

       
Barcode and Other Identifiers

  

    Pressing Plant ID: SP
    Rights Society: BMI
    Matrix / Runout (Stereo Label): ST-79C-37790-SP
    Matrix / Runout (Mono Label): 79C-37790-SP
    Matrix / Runout (Stereo Etchings): ST-79C-37790-12 @tgp [SRC Logo] 1-1
    Matrix / Runout (Mono Etchings): 79C-37790 7 @tgp [SRC Logo] 1-1  

  
Gary Numan – Cars
Label:    ATCO Records – 7211
Format:    Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Promo, Stereo, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre:    Electronic
Style:    Synth-pop       

         

Viewfinder links:        

        

Billy Currie        

Gary Numan        

Ultravox        

        

Net links:        

        

YouTube links:        

        

Cars        

        

        

         

        

        

        

Styrous® ~ Wednesday, August 21, 2024       
       

 

 

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