The Cars released their hugely successful fifth studio album, Heartbeat City, 40 years ago—on March 13, 1984. The album included the New Wave band’s biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Drive,” and featured a total of five singles that made a significant impact on the chart.
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Considered a comparative comeback for The Cars, Heartbeat City peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, tying it for the band’s highest-charting album with the group’s sophomore studio effort, Candy-O (1979). Here’s are five fascinating facts about Heartbeat City:
[RELATED: Making the Case for the Dark but Brilliant Candy-O as The Cars’ Greatest Album]
Heartbeat City Yielded Five Hit Singles
“Drive” became The Cars’ highest-charting single ever on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 3. “You Might Think” also broke into the chart’s Top 10, reaching No. 7.
Three other songs from Heartbeat City were Top 40 hits on the Hot 100. “Magic,” “Hello Again,” and “Why Can’t I Have You” reached No. 12, No. 20, and No. 33, respectively.
An Innovative, Award-Winning Video Was Made for “You Might Think”
The “You Might Think” music video was among the first to utilize computer graphics. The cartoonish clip featured Cars frontman Ric Ocasek pursuing and harassing model Susan Gallagher in various surreal scenarios.
At different points in the video, Ocasek appears as a hangar on the model’s coat rack, ogles her through a periscope that pops up in her bathtub while she’s taking a bath, peers at her through her bathroom mirror, and sits down next to her in a movie theater and then becomes the helmet-wearing gorilla creature that was just on the screen.
Later in the clip, Gallagher is about to get her tooth drilled by a dentist (portrayed by Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes), who discovers a miniature Ocasek in her mouth already drilling away. Ocasek also pop out of the model’s lipstick tube, buzzes around her in fly form, and appears on the face of her alarm clock.
A giant Ocasek also grabs Gallagher through her window and, like King Kong, climbs to the top of the Empire State Building before dropping her.
“You Might Think” won the Video of the Year prize at the first MTV Music Video Awards ceremony in 1984. The clip was directed by filmmaker Jeff Stein along with Alex Weil and Charlie Levi, founders of the Charlex visual-effects company. Stein previously had directed the popular 1979 Who rockumentary The Kids Are Alright.
The “Drive” Video Featured Ocasek’s Future Wife, Was Directed by an Oscar-Winning Actor
As with “You Might Think,” the commercial success of “Drive” was helped by a music video that received plenty of MTV airplay.
In addition to showcasing The Cars’ photogenic bassist Benjamin Orr, who delivered lead vocals on the Ocasek-penned track, the “Drive” video featured Czech supermodel Paulina Porizkova.
The clip for the breakup ballad alternates between scenes of Orr in a lonely bar, and Porizkova alone in a room, as she cycles through a series of emotions. One segment of the video shows Porizkova arguing with Ocasek, who apparently is portraying her boyfriend in the clip.
The video was directed by actor Timothy Hutton, who had won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Ordinary People in 1981.
Porizkova and Ocasek married in 1989 and had two sons together. The couple separated in 2017, but were still married when Ocasek died in September 2019 at the age of 75.
Mutt Lange Co-Produced Heartbeat City
The Cars’ first four albums were produced by Roy Thomas Baker, who also was known for his work with Queen and Journey. For Heartbeat City, the band teamed up with acclaimed producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange to co-produce the project.
Before collaborating with The Cars, Lange had produced such classic album as AC/DC’s Back in Black, Foreigner’s 4, and Def Leppard’s Pyromania.
In taking on the Heartbeat City gig, Lange had told Def Leppard that he wouldn’t be able to produce that band’s next album, Hysteria. However, that project was delayed when Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was involved in the serious car accident that resulted in the loss of his left arm. The delay extended long enough for Lange to become available to produce Hysteria, which has been certified 12-times platinum by the RIAA for sales of 12 million in the U.S.
Heartbeat City was certified four-times platinum by the RIAA.
A Video for “Hello Again” Was Co-Directed by Andy Warhol
The music video for the Heartbeat City single “Hello Again” was co-directed by Andy Warhol with Don Munroe. The pop-art legend also was featured as a bartender in the clip, which was filmed at the Be-Bop Cafe in Manhattan. A young Gina Gershon makes a cameo in the video, which also features various quirky people from the downtown New York underground scene.
