Cruiser (song)
Encyclopedia
"Cruiser" is a song
by American
New Wave
band The Cars
from their 1981 album Shake It Up.
and sung by bassist-vocalist Benjamin Orr
. Upon the release of Shake It Up, "Cruiser" was singled out for praise; the Bangor Daily News
, in an otherwise negative review of Shake It Up, cited "Cruiser" as a source of "real excitement". Allmusic reviewer Greg Prato describes the song as "rocking" and a highlight of the album. In addition to appearing on the album, "Cruiser" was released as the B-side of the single "Shake It Up", and became a minor rock radio hit on its own, reaching number 37 on Billboard
Top Tracks chart in 1982.
"Cruiser" was also included in the 1995 Cars compilation Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
; Prato describes the song as a highlight of the anthology.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
from their 1981 album Shake It Up.
Details
"Cruiser" was written by principal Cars songwriter Ric OcasekRic Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
and sung by bassist-vocalist Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars....
. Upon the release of Shake It Up, "Cruiser" was singled out for praise; the Bangor Daily News
Bangor Daily News
The Bangor Daily News is an American newspaper that was founded on June 18, 1889; in 1900 the paper merged with the Bangor Whig and Courier. The Bangor Publishing Co. publishes the paper in Bangor, Maine, in addition to two weekly papers distributed by the BDN and several others distributed by the...
, in an otherwise negative review of Shake It Up, cited "Cruiser" as a source of "real excitement". Allmusic reviewer Greg Prato describes the song as "rocking" and a highlight of the album. In addition to appearing on the album, "Cruiser" was released as the B-side of the single "Shake It Up", and became a minor rock radio hit on its own, reaching number 37 on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Tracks chart in 1982.
"Cruiser" was also included in the 1995 Cars compilation Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology is a career compilation from the 80s New Wave rock group The Cars...
; Prato describes the song as a highlight of the anthology.