The Cars Performed September 28, 1979 Follow us on Social Media: / themidnightspecialtvshow / themidnightspecialtvshow / themidnightspecialtvshow / tmstvshow
It's Summer of 1979, I had just graduated high school, and had met a young lady with the most beautiful green cat eyes, who like me loved The Cars and Pink Floyd. We were young, inseparable, and were going to live forever... But when you're young, love is like fireworks on a hot 4th of July. A quick build up with a lot of sparks, explosions, and of course - a fiery end. And plenty of pieces to pick up.... So now every time I hear The Cars, it's Summer of 79 again, and I can still picture Jennifer, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes looking at me and singing "Lets Go"...
@@19Willy67yep, Rush was my favorite band for decades. The list is huge, what an awesome time to grow up with so much fantastic music. The Cars were a kickin' band that had a sound, their sound. I'm getting old like we all do, until we don't.
Elliot Easton is such a master of sonic expression. He could do more with an 8-bar lead than anyone in the business. I got to see The Cars in Atlanta shortly after the release of Candy-O in the Summer of '79. They were on fire, and the crowd went bonkers for them.
I remember in the 70s as a child, how i fought sleep,,struggled to stay awake so i could watch midnight special with my boy cousins,,i thought i was so cool.
The Cars provided the soundtrack for my years in high school. I was a freshman in the fall of '78 when their first album was still riding high, and graduated the summer of 1982 just after Panorama came out. Hearing their music always takes me back to those carefree years
Finally! One of my favourite Midnight Special performances. Others being 'Blinded by the light' by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, 'Frankenstein' by Edgar Winter Group, 'Just what I needed' by The Cars and 'Watcher of the Skies' by Genesis.
That second album was so tight, and sychronized....like the gears of a car. The defining LP for me. I bought it the day it came out-and still remember being blown away and just getting chills from it when I put it on to my brothers turntable. Harder to find moments like that later in life, isnt it?
I can still see my oldest brother who was learning to play drums. He was in high school and fascinated with this song. He wanted to share his newest musical discovery with our biological dad, who couldn't be bothered with him, so Jared followed him from room to room, reading the lyrics. I remember him reading, "she's so beautiful now, she doesn't wear her shoes." and although I didn't realize it at the time, the sadness and desperation of that moment followed he and I into adulthood where we faced the psychological affects of having emotionally absent parents.😢 Whenever I hear this song, I see my poor brother, begging for the approval and affection of a man who had (and has) a cold heart.
What a talented group of guys. There was no one else like them when they appeared on the scene. Sad that Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek are gone, but so glad to see this performance see the light of day again.
🔥🔥 Whoo!! That was an awesome performance! I love The Cars so much!! Sounded completely live! 🤩 Ben had an awesome voice! Miss them so much! Thanks for this!💜
@@brotzmannsax 🤣 I don't think it's as dark as it looks though. Sometimes when the light hit his head a certain way, it looked like a dark blonde. Idk. He did look better blonde though.
Orr sang great and was by far the better singer. But I love both their singers and am grateful they had two vocalists. I feel like they utilized two vocalist very well. Just my opinion.
@@rhgamecock1 No he didn't. Where are you getting that information from? Check the credits. Every album they ever did, all the song writing credits are his alone. there are like two or three exceptions where Hawkes co wrote a song. I think maybe you're looking at the lead vocal thing and thinking it's song writing. It isn't. He did not write Drive. He sang it. He did not write Let's Go. He sang it. and on and on. This is very easy to check just go to wiki and look at the credits. If you don't believe that do an image search of the original album and look at the label. All songs written by Ric Ocasek. So provide your source please.
I remember seeing them in a small venue here in Montreal when they first started out and they just blew the entire place away. To date, they are one of my favourite bands. I miss them dearly.
Kudos,to the Midnight Special for putting on amazing talent and showcasing their music 🎶 🎵, You are responsible for putting a lot of great groups on the map.🎉🎉
I was 19 and in college when this song came out and it was the single that made me a Cars fan. Great music from a great band. Wish I could go back to September 28, 1979.
Grown to appreciate The Cars in recent years. Was into metal in the 80s, Grateful Dead in the 90s, now with YT been able to go back and see what I've missed. Cars were a very solid band.
UA-cam is the closest thing we have to a time machine. It allows you to go to a time and place and appreciate the things in life that we may not have appreciated or taken notice of the first time around. Happy Thursday... have a wonderful day! 💖
I taped that episode off of VH-1 back in the 90s but unfortunately for me, it got taped over. This compensates for it a little bit. Thank you Midnight Special 😊.
The Cars became really popular I think when I was still in high school. Go ahead and say, “Whatever Boomer!” I don’t really have thick skin, outside of my psoriasis, but this one doesn’t bother me. But I was only a mild fan back then as I was into metal - the music not shiny objects. But Ben Orr was obviously really good and I preferred when he sang lead vocals. But Ocasek was good too. It was funny how Rick never even tapped a foot; he could just keep the beat in his head evidently. Rick would just walk around looking like he was at a cocktail party.
Saw them in ‘79 @ Arrowhead Stadium! Benjamin’s beefed up chest & guns here whew,,,he looks sooo fine!, think he did karate at the time what a great singer-bass player, the whole band is ON! They were at the forefront of the New Wave genre and busted the gate wide open. Ric’s quirky songwriting skills remind me of Bowie both lyrical geniuses. R.I.P. Benjamin and Ric🕊️🥀🎶
@ killer tandem. Ric n Ben. What a privilege to have been around to see them live. Their albums transcend time. Thanks midnight special for keeping this preserved for generations to enjoy. The Cars truly changed the course of rock.
There is very little warning until it's too late. I had a friend from work who was fine until one morning he woke up with severe jaundice. No pain, loss of appetite, etc. Amazingly, he survived long enough to do 24 or 25 rounds of chemotherapy but ultimately lost his battle.
Groovy! I did also in ‘79 @ Arrowhead Stadium w/Nugent(ugh 😵💫), Heart, Bob Welch, Sammy Hagar & local band Missouri. Fantastic all day event, we were lucky! 😉
I don't know who's running this channel but gd, PLEASE keep it coming!! Do you have the whole collection of TMS? 11yr old me in '79 needs the fix brother. I'm jonesin' here.
Rock legends. Benjamin Orr was very underrated as a vocalist for The Cars, but I like him more than Ric Ocasek. When most people think of The Cars, they picture Ric...which is fine, but don't overlook the contributions made by Benjamin.
@@doublestrokeroll While that may be true, Benjamin was lead on some of their best songs. The public generally recognizes the guy doing the vocals more than who was the songwriter, but yeah I get what you're saying.
@@willspies5869 That's true. Most people pay attention to the singer and vocals more than anything else. Especially if they haven't studied music or played an instrument. But that's what leads to a lot of myth making around bands and the idea that bands are always an equal division with equal contributions. While it's true that The Cars would be, and sound a little different if you took out any of the members, the simple fact is they wouldn't even exist without Ric.
Amazing how music from 1978 can sound better than anything from 2023 Plus just think Devo just put out their 1st official album, Van Halen and Kate Bush as well.....mind BLOWN
Did The Cars play Touch And Go on this show? By the way, I'm Brazilian and I didn't know about this show/tv serie, but considering the artists who performed there, it must have been very successful.
I’m not sure but it’s possible because EE and Ric are both playing Dean guitars. I believe it was the Panorama tour when they started playing Dean guitars. You can also see on the back of the that particular album they are pictured with them.
if you werent there. you have no idea how much of a game changer this was. the album was amazing. then Candy-O happened. 2 in a row!
The Cars saved us from disco ...
Did they realize they were inventing how music in the 80's would sound? This was still 1979!
They hit the big time with their kick butt debut album “The Cars”, on June 6, 1978 🙌
It's Summer of 1979, I had just graduated high school, and had met a young lady with the most beautiful green cat eyes, who like me loved The Cars and Pink Floyd. We were young, inseparable, and were going to live forever... But when you're young, love is like fireworks on a hot 4th of July. A quick build up with a lot of sparks, explosions, and of course - a fiery end. And plenty of pieces to pick up....
So now every time I hear The Cars, it's Summer of 79 again, and I can still picture Jennifer, the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes looking at me and singing "Lets Go"...
❤
❤🧡💛💚💜💙💜 I _feel_ you!
Great times!
The Cars were one of those rare “new wave” bands that even Zeppelin and Aerosmith fans liked.
I listen to Led Zeppelin everyday. I also listen to the cars weekly.so I definitely agree 😁☮️
Rush fans too
I thought they were rock singers not new wave.
@@19Willy67yep, Rush was my favorite band for decades. The list is huge, what an awesome time to grow up with so much fantastic music.
The Cars were a kickin' band that had a sound, their sound.
I'm getting old like we all do, until we don't.
@@susanb2015 New Wave was the genre at the time, I witnessed it 1st hand 😉
Greg Hawkes really was a groundbreaking keyboardist with a recognizable soundscape that was so important to The Cars. One of the best of all time.
so true
Is it just me, or does Greg Hawkes really look like Wormser from Revenge of the Nerds?
Gorgeous Ben Orr. RIP
If they had bands like this today I would still be buying records.
Absolutely 💯
They do. You just don't know where to find them because you're old.
@@planomathandscienceI’m old and I find new music.
Elliot Easton is such a master of sonic expression. He could do more with an 8-bar lead than anyone in the business. I got to see The Cars in Atlanta shortly after the release of Candy-O in the Summer of '79. They were on fire, and the crowd went bonkers for them.
Where did they play?
Grant Field (Georgia Tech Football stadium) It was the 2nd Champagne Jam July 1979@@cyb0lt
Elliot was so underrated! Fantastic guitarist!
I remember in the 70s as a child, how i fought sleep,,struggled to stay awake so i could watch midnight special with my boy cousins,,i thought i was so cool.
The Cars provided the soundtrack for my years in high school. I was a freshman in the fall of '78 when their first album was still riding high, and graduated the summer of 1982 just after Panorama came out. Hearing their music always takes me back to those carefree years
Also graduated in 82 and wore out their first album! Breakthrough sound for 78/79.
Same here!!!!
Killer version and thanks again to Midnight Special for releasing all of this important music and footage!
This song is over 40 years old and yet sounds like it could be from 40 years in the future. Outstanding!
RIP Ben and Ric. Thanks for the great music. ♥️♥️
one of my favorite band of the 80s it's a hit in the Philippines
Finally! One of my favourite Midnight Special performances. Others being 'Blinded by the light' by Manfred Mann's Earth Band, 'Frankenstein' by Edgar Winter Group, 'Just what I needed' by The Cars and 'Watcher of the Skies' by Genesis.
That second album was so tight, and sychronized....like the gears of a car. The defining LP for me. I bought it the day it came out-and still remember being blown away and just getting chills from it when I put it on to my brothers turntable. Harder to find moments like that later in life, isnt it?
I also bought it day 1...and remember dropping the needle. This was Side 1 Track 1 and I was never he same...The New Wave had arrived.
Most music doesnt have the clarity and adventure they did. A moment in time, for lots of things.
Their debut & 2nd album were both bangers & on heavy rotation at parties I attended, still have them!
Benjamin Orr was a huge talent. Real tragedy.
Absolutely
The best Cars songs are when Benjamin Orr is on lead vocals.
RIP Benjamin & Ric ❤
I can still see my oldest brother who was learning to play drums. He was in high school and fascinated with this song. He wanted to share his newest musical discovery with our biological dad, who couldn't be bothered with him, so Jared followed him from room to room, reading the lyrics. I remember him reading, "she's so beautiful now, she doesn't wear her shoes." and although I didn't realize it at the time, the sadness and desperation of that moment followed he and I into adulthood where we faced the psychological affects of having emotionally absent parents.😢 Whenever I hear this song, I see my poor brother, begging for the approval and affection of a man who had (and has) a cold heart.
What a talented group of guys. There was no one else like them when they appeared on the scene.
Sad that Benjamin Orr and Ric Ocasek are gone, but so glad to see this performance see the light of day again.
THANK YOU MIDNIGHT SPECIAL!!!
THE CARS, ONE OF THE BEST BANDS THAT'S EVER BEEN
RIP BEN ORR AND RIC OCASEK. THEY WERE PERFECT FOR EACHOTHER
thats one tight band. massively underrated IMO. In the 80s I know they were popular but they deserve some recognition today.
We drastically Desperately need an 70's & 80's RESURGENCE of amazing New Music today...😎✌
It’s right here, in front of us 😊
@@KittyGrizGriz Not Fully. Needs more Bombastic XPOSURE !🤩👊👊
@@massapower OK, KA Pow!! 💥💥💥
Summer of '79! What a great time! I was 16 years old and not a care in the world!
Ric Ocasek & Benjamin Orr R.I.P.
🔥🔥 Whoo!! That was an awesome performance! I love The Cars so much!! Sounded completely live! 🤩 Ben had an awesome voice! Miss them so much! Thanks for this!💜
Hi Steph, Ben as a brunette isn't working for me, ha.
@@brotzmannsax 🤣 I don't think it's as dark as it looks though. Sometimes when the light hit his head a certain way, it looked like a dark blonde. Idk. He did look better blonde though.
@@StephanieJeanne Shame he passed so early, here's a great version with blond hair.
ua-cam.com/video/msAcTMKMSKA/v-deo.htmlsi=TwWR93_8YYwo6rRK
@@brotzmannsaxBen bald would still “work” for me haha
@@KittyGrizGriz Every chick I knew had the hots for Ben, I can't imagine the amount of action he received, ha.
They were really good. Anyone else think they should have let Orr sing more?
Orr sang great and was by far the better singer. But I love both their singers and am grateful they had two vocalists. I feel like they utilized two vocalist very well. Just my opinion.
@@LAwithCB I totally agree with your assessment, love the idea of two lead singers also, Ben and Ric were da bomb !!
Orr should have sang more, especially on the later albums.
Well...they were pretty much all Ric's songs. Almost without exception. So it's not too surprising he'd want to sing some of his own stuff.
@@rhgamecock1 No he didn't. Where are you getting that information from? Check the credits. Every album they ever did, all the song writing credits are his alone. there are like two or three exceptions where Hawkes co wrote a song.
I think maybe you're looking at the lead vocal thing and thinking it's song writing. It isn't. He did not write Drive. He sang it. He did not write Let's Go. He sang it. and on and on. This is very easy to check just go to wiki and look at the credits. If you don't believe that do an image search of the original album and look at the label. All songs written by Ric Ocasek.
So provide your source please.
I remember seeing them in a small venue here in Montreal when they first started out and they just blew the entire place away. To date, they are one of my favourite bands. I miss them dearly.
Kudos,to the Midnight Special for putting on amazing talent and showcasing their music 🎶 🎵, You are responsible for putting a lot of great groups on the map.🎉🎉
Benjamin just nails those high notes 🔥. Miss that voice so much ❤️. Easy on the ears and eyes 🥰 Can’t wait to see the entire episode!!
He was so handsome! I do like him better blonde, but that smile 😃
Ben's pitch is absolutely spot-on.
"Lets Go!" Hearing them brings back so many phenomenal memories!
Happy Thursday... thank you for sharing! 💖
The 70 was an amazing time
I was 19 and in college when this song came out and it was the single that made me a Cars fan. Great music from a great band. Wish I could go back to September 28, 1979.
Grown to appreciate The Cars in recent years. Was into metal in the 80s, Grateful Dead in the 90s, now with YT been able to go back and see what I've missed. Cars were a very solid band.
UA-cam is the closest thing we have to a time machine. It allows you to go to a time and place and appreciate the things in life that we may not have appreciated or taken notice of the first time around.
Happy Thursday... have a wonderful day! 💖
And Elliot Easton's playing, especially solos, will always be the most underrated player to me.
I love metal, The Dead,The Cars and all things in-between. There's plenty of room in our heads and hearts for diversity.
Something about that smirk at 1:43 that just gets me.
Ben Orr is a rock god here. Never seen a Midnight Special crowd so up for a band. He had them eating out of his hand.
I agree the keyboard contributed massively to the sound in this band. I really like it well done to Greg !🎉
Fantastic! Way ahead of the Curve.
I taped that episode off of VH-1 back in the 90s but unfortunately for me, it got taped over. This compensates for it a little bit. Thank you Midnight Special 😊.
It would be unwatchable, in any case, just like my Miami Vice tapes.
Remember cranking this up in the car in the summer of '79 at the tender of 18. Good times!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I'll be waiting for more of The Cars's live performances in The Midnight Special!!! Thank you!!!!!! ❤❤❤❤
Awesome, Elliot is my greatest influence
Ben was a total rock star. Amazing look and his singing voice...wow.
I played SO MUCH of The Cars on my Guitar back in the 1970's its just ridiculous!
Damn Orr just NAILED this performance. Unbelievable skill.
This was the episode where The Cars hosted and had NYC's Suicide as their guest!!! Can't wait to see this whole episode again after all these years!!!
I like the night light, baby! 🕯️
One of my all time favorites. I miss these guys.
arguably the best pop song ever
The Cars became really popular I think when I was still in high school. Go ahead and say, “Whatever Boomer!” I don’t really have thick skin, outside of my psoriasis, but this one doesn’t bother me. But I was only a mild fan back then as I was into metal - the music not shiny objects. But Ben Orr was obviously really good and I preferred when he sang lead vocals. But Ocasek was good too. It was funny how Rick never even tapped a foot; he could just keep the beat in his head evidently. Rick would just walk around looking like he was at a cocktail party.
🙌 So true about Ric.😂
F the assholes that use "boomer" as a pejorative---their generation is a TOTAL GARBAGE GENERATION. I'm not too old to bloody their nose, either.
No Ric = No Cars as he was the songwriter, loved that they had 2 lead vocalists in one band, an anomaly
@@KittyGrizGriz Yes, to both your statements! 🙌
Saw them in ‘79 @ Arrowhead Stadium! Benjamin’s beefed up chest & guns here whew,,,he looks sooo fine!, think he did karate at the time what a great singer-bass player, the whole band is ON! They were at the forefront of the New Wave genre and busted the gate wide open.
Ric’s quirky songwriting skills remind me of Bowie both lyrical geniuses.
R.I.P. Benjamin and Ric🕊️🥀🎶
Always liked those guys.
I keep forgetting how good The Cars' early stuff is! Thanks for the upload.
@ killer tandem. Ric n Ben. What a privilege to have been around to see them live. Their albums transcend time. Thanks midnight special for keeping this preserved for generations to enjoy. The Cars truly changed the course of rock.
Excelente✨️✨️✨️👍. Muchas Gracias.
I had graduated Marine Corps Boot Camp just one week before this aired on TV, I loved the Midnight Special Show !
One of my favorite bands when I was in junior high school!😊 ❤
WOW! 2 early Dean guitars. Never would have thought I'd see them in a Cars recording.
Good eyes,..
I saw that,...too.
Pancreatic cancer is such a cruel disease.
It is by far the most aggressive cancer with a mortality rate of 70%
There is very little warning until it's too late. I had a friend from work who was fine until one morning he woke up with severe jaundice. No pain, loss of appetite, etc. Amazingly, he survived long enough to do 24 or 25 rounds of chemotherapy but ultimately lost his battle.
You gotta die of something.
@@Chilly_Billy
🕯. Sorry to read
about the loss of your friend, Billy. 💞
Ben Orr looked terrible in the last public interview with The Cars. Pancreatic Cancer did it to him in the end.
Perhaps the best live recording of any Cars performance! More please!
I saw the Cars live back in the day and was surprised how tight and “boogie-able” they were .
Groovy! I did also in ‘79 @ Arrowhead Stadium w/Nugent(ugh 😵💫), Heart, Bob Welch, Sammy Hagar & local band Missouri. Fantastic all day event, we were lucky! 😉
Awesome singer and band!!
NAILED IT
Classic gold!
Oh, I remember watching this! Thanks for the memories. :-)
Great song. Great band.
Benjamin.❤❤❤
Great song.
Hopefully all these great Midnight Special uploads will remind many folks just what a fantastic band The Cars were.
Live!!!
I don't know who's running this channel but gd, PLEASE keep it coming!!
Do you have the whole collection of TMS?
11yr old me in '79 needs the fix brother. I'm jonesin' here.
I always loved his voice! Sounds every bit as good in person as it does in the studio!
The cares hit like a twenty car pile up! Life's the same......moving in stereo
Rock legends. Benjamin Orr was very underrated as a vocalist for The Cars, but I like him more than Ric Ocasek. When most people think of The Cars, they picture Ric...which is fine, but don't overlook the contributions made by Benjamin.
Well...Ric basically single handedly wrote every single song they ever had so there's kind of a reason why he's the face of the band.
@@doublestrokeroll While that may be true, Benjamin was lead on some of their best songs. The public generally recognizes the guy doing the vocals more than who was the songwriter, but yeah I get what you're saying.
@@willspies5869 That's true. Most people pay attention to the singer and vocals more than anything else. Especially if they haven't studied music or played an instrument. But that's what leads to a lot of myth making around bands and the idea that bands are always an equal division with equal contributions. While it's true that The Cars would be, and sound a little different if you took out any of the members, the simple fact is they wouldn't even exist without Ric.
Amazing how music from 1978 can sound better than anything from 2023
Plus just think Devo just put out their 1st official album, Van Halen and Kate Bush as well.....mind BLOWN
Oh my gosh, yes! Incredible!
there's still good new music, just so much more to sift through these days... but the cars never leave rotation ;)
Agreed. It's the greatest time in history for music... it's just that none of it is on commercial radio.@@paladro
1979
@fretfix1 yeah but the album came out June 6 1978
Great memories.
Couldn't wait every week to watch The midnight special
Tight tight tight. . . damn
Hoping heaven on the bye and bye is Ben Orr singing with Cars.
0:17 and 2:25 are pure rock star energy
What a band, too bad they don't make em like this anymore.
One of the best 80’s bands. One of a kind Maybe early Punk Rock?
Ric Ocasek was so cool that when he went into a grocery store the cucumbers in the produce aisle put on sweaters.
And the supermodels drifted his way to, from what I hear.
So wait, they wrote this song *AND* play their own instruments?!? 😮
Lots of artists did then. Music was nothing like it is now.
well...Ric wrote this song.....and every other cars song. But yeah...they did all play.
Benjamin Orr!!!!♥♥♥
Fan effin tastic !!!
I went to check on tomorrow nights show and there are 5 people waiting in the chat room, ha.
Did The Cars play Touch And Go on this show? By the way, I'm Brazilian and I didn't know about this show/tv serie, but considering the artists who performed there, it must have been very successful.
I’m not sure but it’s possible because EE and Ric are both playing Dean guitars. I believe it was the Panorama tour when they started playing Dean guitars. You can also see on the back of the that particular album they are pictured with them.
Also The Midnight Special started up in the early 70’s way before MTV was a thing.
Greg Hawkes played it well.
This song could be from 50 years ago, or from 50 years in the future… and it still effing plows !
The Cars' material from the late 70s sounded 80s because they were one of the acts that pioneered that sound.
Ahead of it's time !
Love this but looks like Dean guitars sponsored Ric and Elliot. Ha!
Is this the episode they hosted and picked the other bands? Because I hope you show Suicide from that episode
...and there was to be no talking either, as per The Cars.
What a banger
45 years later and it doesn't sound any less cool to me ...rip Ric and Ben
👍👍
When bands actually played real music - and real good music!!!!!
Elliot Easton 🤘