Road Rage – willowdot21

This week Jim Adams, our host for Song Lyric Sunday has suggested we find music for driving to. Here is what he had to say about the subject.

“Being in cars or trucks while listening to music goes hand in hand. For long drives or when you get stuck in stressful traffic, music can significantly alter a person’s mood by releasing dopamine in the brain, creating a sense of well-being and this welcomed distraction can be just what the doctor ordered to improve the driving experience. Being inside of a vehicle provides a private, enclosed environment where a driver and the other passengers can listen to their favorite music at a reasonable volume without bothering others. This allows for a personal, immersive listening experience, whether it’s for singing along, deep listening, or simply as a soundtrack to the journey. Music can prevent fatigue and boredom, particularly during monotonous or long stretches of driving. There is evidence which indicates that listening to music while in a vehicle will increase your ability to stay focused on driving for longer periods of time, and with fewer errors.”

Due to all sorts of reasons I have not been about much … So I am just going to showcase one song but boy it’s a great song with an interesting backstory.

Gary Numan – Cars

British artist Gary Numan feels safest in his car in this new wave classic. Deceivingly simple yet utterly catchy, “Cars” (off The Pleasure Principle) hit No.1 in the UK and Canada and was a Top Ten hit in the US.

“Cars” is the first solo single by the English musician Gary Numan. It was released on 24 August 1979 and is from his debut studio album The Pleasure Principle. The song reached the top of the charts in several countries, and is Numan’s most successful single.

“Cars” is based on two musical sections: a verse/instrumental break and a bridge. The recording features a conventional rock rhythm section of bass guitar and drums, but the rest of the instruments used are analogue synthesisers, principally the Minimoog (augmenting the song’s recognisable bass riff) and the Polymoog keyboard, providing austere synthetic string lines over the bass riff. The bridge section also includes a tambourine part. Numan’s vocal part is sung in an almost expressionless, synthesized style. There is no “chorus” as such, and no more lyrics after the 1:30 point.

According to Numan, the song’s lyrics were inspired by an incident of road rage:

I was in traffic in London once and had a problem with some people in front. They tried to beat me up and get me out of the car. I locked the doors and eventually drove up on the pavement and got away from them. It’s kind of to do with that. It explains how you can feel safe inside a car in the modern world…When you’re in it, your whole mentality is different…It’s like your own little personal empire with four wheels on it.

Numan later said that the entire song was written in 30 minutes, originating in the bass riff, which was the first thing he played on a newly bought bass guitar. All I formation from Wiki.

Lyrics

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It’s the only way to live in cars

Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days in cars

Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me, please
If I open my door in cars?

Here in my car
I know I’ve started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right in cars

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Gary Anthony James Webb

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