| "Strap Me In" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Cars | ||||
| from the album Door to Door | ||||
| B-side | "Door to Door" | |||
| Released | October 19, 1987 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Elektra 69427 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ric Ocasek | |||
| Producer(s) | Ric Ocasek | |||
| The Cars singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Strap Me In" is a 1987 song by the Cars, appearing on their sixth studio album Door to Door .
Like its predecessor, "You Are the Girl", a music video was produced for "Strap Me In". The video featured the band playing in a barren wasteland as a couple fought. It was also the final video the Cars made before they broke up, with the next video being made for "Sad Song" in 2011.
"Strap Me In" first saw release on the Door to Door album in August 1987, opening the second side of the album. In September 1987, "Strap Me In" also saw single release in America (as well in Japan, Germany, and Australia) as the follow-up to the top-twenty single "You Are the Girl". However, it was unable to match the chart success of its predecessor, only managing to reach #85 on the Billboard Hot 100, although it did reach #4 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [1] A follow-up single, "Coming Up You" performed marginally better, hitting #74 in America. [1]
Cash Box called it a "powerful pop/rock number led by Ric Ocasek's inimitable vocals." [2]
"Strap Me In" was noted in the Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology liner notes as the "standout track" from Door to Door, which also said, "'Strap Me In' proved that [Ric] Ocasek could still turn an automotive double-entendre with the best of them." [3]
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 85 |
| US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [5] | 4 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [6] | 84 |
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, it consisted of Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes (keyboards), Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, and David Robinson (drums). Ocasek and Orr shared lead vocals, and Ocasek was the band's principal songwriter and leader.
Richard Theodore Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock band the Cars. In addition to his work with the Cars, Ocasek recorded seven solo albums, and his song "Emotion in Motion" was a top 20 hit in the United States in 1986. Ocasek also worked as a record producer for artists such as Motion City Soundtrack, Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, and No Doubt. In 2018, Ocasek was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Cars.
Door to Door is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on August 25, 1987, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by frontman Ric Ocasek, with additional production by keyboardist Greg Hawkes. Three singles were released from the album, though only "You Are the Girl" reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 17. Door to Door became the Cars' lowest-charting studio album, peaking at number 26 on the Billboard 200, and within a year of its release the band would break up.
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sung by bass player Benjamin Orr and was written by Ric Ocasek.
"Drive" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on July 23, 1984, as the album's third single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the track was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Upon its release, "Drive" became the Cars' highest-charting single in most territories. In the United States, it peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. It reached number five in the United Kingdom, number four in West Germany, number six in Canada and number three in Ireland.
"Shake It Up" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fourth studio album of the same name (1981). It was released on November 9, 1981, as the album's lead single. Although appearing for the first time in 1981, it was actually written years earlier by the band's songwriter and lead singer Ric Ocasek. The song became one of the Cars' most popular songs, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in early 1982. With the track "Cruiser" as its B-side, it reached number 14 on the Billboard Disco Top 80 chart.
"Let's Go" is a song by American rock band the Cars, written by Ric Ocasek for the band's second studio album, Candy-O (1979). A new wave rock song, the song's hook was inspired by the Routers. The song's vocals are performed by bassist Benjamin Orr.
"You Might Think" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Mutt Lange and the Cars, with Ocasek also providing the lead vocals.
"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band the Cars released as the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. Written by Ric Ocasek as a sarcastic comment on rock's idea of good times, the song features layered harmonies courtesy of producer Roy Thomas Baker.
"Magic" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on May 7, 1984, as the album's second single, reaching number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and the Cars. Ocasek sang lead vocals.
"Hello Again" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on October 15, 1984, as the album's fourth single. The song was the fourth top-20 entry from the album, reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also reached number eight on the Hot Dance/Disco chart and number 22 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. Ric Ocasek sings lead vocals on the track.
"My Best Friend's Girl" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977.
"It's All I Can Do" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It is the third track from their 1979 album Candy-O. It was written by the band's leader and songwriter Ric Ocasek, and features bassist Benjamin Orr on vocals.
"Tonight She Comes" is a 1985 song by American rock band the Cars from their Greatest Hits album. It was released as a single in October 1985, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1986. The song reached number one on the Top Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks.
"You Are the Girl" is a 1987 song by the Cars, from their album Door to Door. It was released as a single in August 1987, reaching number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number 12 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was the Cars' 13th and final Top 40 hit.
"I'm Not the One" is a song by the American rock band the Cars, from their fourth album, Shake It Up. It features Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, Benjamin Orr singing the 'You Know Why' phrase, with the whole group repeating "going round and round" as backing vocals throughout the song.
"Since You're Gone" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It was released as the second single from their fourth album, Shake It Up.
"Victim of Love" is a song by the American new wave band the Cars, appearing on their fourth studio album, Shake It Up. It was written by Ric Ocasek.
"Why Can't I Have You" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on January 7, 1985, as the album's fifth single. Written by Ric Ocasek, the song is a lush ballad.
"Coming Up You" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their sixth studio album, Door to Door (1987). It was written by Ric Ocasek and sung by Benjamin Orr.
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Other albums | |
| Singles |
|
| Other songs | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related articles | |
| The New Cars | |
 | This 1980s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
