"Emotion in Motion" by Ric Ocasek

Song#:  2855
Date:  09/06/1986
Debut:  87
Peak:  15
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave, Rock



Pop Bits:  Following the success of The Cars' Greatest Hits LP, the band took a break and that gave member Ric Ocasek a chance to record his second solo album. His first solo effort, 1982's Beatitude, was a modest charter that spawned the #5 Rock/#47 Pop single "Something to Grab For." The Cars' popularity soared to new heights following their 1984 smash album Heartbeat City and that set Ocasek up well for his next solo disc, This Side of Paradise. This first single was issued out and it reached #1 at Rock. It would be Ocasek's first and only solo effort to top that chart and he would also be the only Cars member to do so. Response was also good at AC (#8) and Pop where the song made the Top 20. The album would do about the same business as his solo debut getting to #31.

ReduxReview:  This laid-back mid-tempo track was a slight change of pace from the typical more-urgent synthpop of The Cars, yet it was still close enough that if you didn't know the artist credit, you'd most likely say this was a Cars tune. Ocasek doesn't do much to distance himself from the band and I guess that is okay. Usually solo efforts outside of an artist's band are a bit more adventurous because they want to spread their wings. Here it seems Ocasek just wanted to stick close to home and try to generate some Cars-level hits. This one did well, but it certainly didn't do much to establish him as a viable hit maker outside of the band. It was a satisfactory tune that wouldn't have been out of place on any Cars album.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  In 1983 when Ocasek was recording his first solo album, he had an extra track titled "Steal the Night" that was used in the Martin Scorsese film The King of Comedy, which starred Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis. Scorsese got Robbie Robertson of The Band to oversee the soundtrack. Scorsese and Robertson had a history together as Scorsese directed 1978's The Last Waltz, a documentary on the last concert by The Band. It's considered one of the best concert films ever made. The King of Comedy soundtrack featured Robertson's first solo recording after leaving The Band. The song "Between Trains" was on the album, but it was never used in the film. The King of Comedy was Scorsese's follow-up to his award-winning classic Raging Bull. The film was reviewed well, but was a box office bomb. However, it has gained much favor in Scorsese's catalog and is now considered one of his finest films.

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