"Coming Up You" by The Cars

Song#:  3384

Date:  01/23/1988

Debut:  80

Peak:  74

Weeks:  5

Genre:  Synthpop

Pop Bits:  The Cars' sixth studio album, Door to Door, did not perform according to expectations. Its first single, "You Are the Girl," failed to make the Pop Top 10 while a second single couldn't even reach the top half of the chart. The final blow came with this third single, which stalled near the bottom quarter of the Pop chart. The track failed to make the Rock chart, but did make a brief appearance on the AC chart at #37. Without a more significant hit to support the album, it would only be a gold seller and their lowest charting (#26) effort. The band was already a bit fractured at the time and the results probably didn't do much to entice them to stay together and in April of '88, the band did indeed called it quits.

ReduxReview:  This tinkling little confection was probably the best track from a lackluster album. It was a lovely little pop ditty written by Ric Ocasek and sung by Benjamin Orr. It wasn't something that ranked among their classics, but it was a nice track that got overlooked. The tune wasn't going to be a Top 10 contender, but it certainly deserved to get up into the Top 40. It would end up being the band's last song to reach the Pop chart and even though it didn't get far, it was a nice tune to go out on.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  After the band dissolved, the members went out and did their own projects. Ric Ocasek had perhaps the most high-profile post-Cars career issuing out five solo albums (following his two done while with The Cars) and doing production work for artists like Weezer and No Doubt. Benjamin Orr performed with his own band, ORR, along with a couple of other side bands. He attempted to record a second solo album, but it never came to fruition. Orr died in 2002 from pancreatic cancer. Two other members, Greg Hawks and Elliot Easton, got together with Todd Rundgren in 2005 and toured as The New Cars for a few years. The surviving members of The Cars got back together in 2011 and recorded the LP Move Like This. It would receive good notices and debut at #7. A tour would follow. They would reunite once more in 2018 to perform for their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2019, Ric Ocasek would die of natural causes at age 75.

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