WCSX Classic Cuts : Drive
WCSX Classic Cuts
The Cars: “Drive”
The Hook: The late Benjamin Orr was glad he got to sing it.
Album: Heartbeat City
Year: 1984
Writer: Ric Ocasek
Stats: Their highest charting U.S. single, it peaked at number-three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Background: The late Cars’ bassist Benjamin Orr sang “Drive,” which became the band’s highest charting U.S. hit in 1984 and was chosen as the theme of the Live Aid broadcast the following year. In a 1986 interview, he reflected on his role in the song and its use in that global event.
In an interview done a year after Live Aid in 1986, the late Cars bassist Benjamin Orr reflected on “Drive.” OC:…really well. :24
“I was real fortunate to be able to perform that one. It just happened to be a natural thing that happened in pre-production when we started, long before the tracks that we did in England. I ended up doing the song and I’m glad I did. I think the song means a lot. I’m really thrilled that they used it for what they did at Live Aid, especially on the European side of it all. It had a nice video that went along and it seemed to fit the track really well.”
