Sorry, I couldn’t resist titling this post that way, but I’m dancing around like a crazy person– both with the unbridled joy that a Cars reunion elicits from me, and because of the Earworm of Awesome that is their new single, “Blue Tip.” I found its video online today while having my morning caffeinated beverage, and was dancing in my seat only a few bars in. The trademark Cars sound is intact, despite the intervening years: Ric Ocasek’s swoopy sprechstimme vocals and Greg Hawkes’s relentlessly catchy keyboards transported me back to 1985 a lot faster than Bowling For Soup did. (Not dissing on Bowling For Soup by any means; I like them a lot. Their song entitled “1985” just didn’t sound, well, 80’s enough for me.) There is, however, a hole in the lineup: bassist Ben Orr passed away in 2000 from pancreatic cancer, and the band opted not to replace him (a wise decision, as Orr, the lead voice from “Drive”, is IMHO irreplaceable), instead using bass lines either played or programmed by Hawkes. The song “Blue Tip” itself is reminiscent of “Hello Again” in style and tone, but I had to think for a minute to draw that parallel, so it’s safe to say it’s fresh on its own merits while maintaining the group’s signature sound. I still haven’t figured out why it’s called “Blue Tip”, a type of match to the best of my knowledge, but that’s okay; it had me doing the Robot. The freakin’ Robot!!! Now I’m waxing all nostalgic about banana clips and LA Gear and arcades. In defense of myself, banana clips are an honestly flattering hair accessory for every face shape, LA Gear made cute shoes that didn’t wear out (though, alas, were not immune to the red Georgia dirt stains of my youth), and arcades were…well, arcades were a waste of money but a good place to run into people. But I digress. The Cars were the soundtrack of my life at a certain place in a certain time, and Fluffy is SERIOUSLY dating herself here more than she cares to, but in short I’m glad they’re back. I hope it’s not another 24 years before we get another album. Here’s the video. Listen, watch and enjoy:
seriouslyfluffy 