Cruiser (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Cruiser

| cover = The Cars Cruiser label.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = The Cars

| album = Shake It Up

| A-side = Shake It Up

| released = {{Start date|1981|11|9}}

| recorded = 1981

| studio = Syncro Sound (Boston)

| venue =

| genre = {{hlist|New wave|rock}}

| length = 4:54

| label = Elektra

| writer = Ric Ocasek

| producer = Roy Thomas Baker

| prev_title = Gimme Some Slack

| prev_year = 1981

| title = Shake It Up

| title2 = Cruiser

| next_title = Since You're Gone

| next_year = 1982

| misc = {{Extra track listing

| album = Shake It Up

| type = single

| tracks = {{Shake It Up tracks}}

}}

"Cruiser" is a song by American new wave band the Cars, from their 1981 album Shake It Up.

Background

"Cruiser" was written by Cars songwriter and vocalist Ric Ocasek and sung by bassist-vocalist Benjamin Orr.

Upon the release of Shake It Up, "Cruiser" was singled out for some praise. The Bangor Daily News, in an otherwise unenthusiastic 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. On the other hand, AllMusic critic Tim Sendra describes the song as "a pale version of a rocker from either of the first two albums."{{cite web|title=Shake It Up|accessdate=2020-04-27|publisher=AllMusic|author=Sendra, Tim|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shake-it-up-mw0000193205}} Daily Record critic Jim Bohen describes how drummer David Robinson "pounds his drums over the beat of the rhythm machine" to generate "dance floor dynamics."{{cite news|title=Shortcuts|author=Bohen, Jim|accessdate=2020-04-27|via=newspapers.com|newspaper=Daily Record|date=December 13, 1981|page=D6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49677019/daily-record/}}

At the end of the song, guitarist Elliot Easton played in multiple styles in an attempt to emulate the Beatles' guitarists playing off each other during their song "The End".

In addition to appearing on the album, "Cruiser" was released as the B-side of the single "Shake It Up". "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.

Live versions of the song appeared in the VHS release The Cars Live 1984–1985 and the CD/DVD release The Cars Unlocked.

Reception

"Cruiser" became a minor rock radio hit on its own. It reached number 37 on Billboard{{'s}} Top Tracks chart in 1982.{{cite web|title=The Cars Mainstream Rock Songs|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=2020-04-27|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-cars/chart-history/rtt/}} Along with "Shake It Up" it reached #14 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.{{cite web|title=The Cars Dance Club Songs|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=2020-04-27|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-cars/chart-history/dsi/}} Boston Globe critic Steve Morse praised "Cruiser" as a highlight of Shake It Up and an exception from the "absence of spirit" of the album.{{cite news|title=Geils accelerates, while the Cars stall|author=Morse, Steve|work=The Boston Globe |pages=57, 66|date=November 29, 1981|via=newspapers.com|accessdate=2020-04-27|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49677952/the-boston-globe/}}

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Bryan Wawzenek described it as a "modern rock radio favorite."{{cite web|title=How the Cars Balanced Rock and New Wave on 'Shake It Up'|author=Wawzenek, Bryan|accessdate=2024-10-05|publisher=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=November 6, 2016|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/cars-shake-it-up/}}