Song of the Night (#4) Gary Numan - Cars

I'm going to try to include in this feature more songs that our less dour and downbeat than my past selections. I fear that so far, this series is nothing more than a collection of late-night downers.

Hence tonight's choice: Gary Numan's 80s bouncy, up-tempo smash-hit Cars. If you've heard of Gary Numan, there's a 99.9% chance that it was through this song. As an old warhorse on many a Pop or Rock radio station, many a DJ has given this song a spin without bothering to consider the rest of Numan's formidable and eclectic discography. This has helped the perception that Numan is a so-called "one-hit wonder"(though only in America).

Enough digression. What are Numan's trademarks as an artist? When you listen to Cars, you'll be struck by that gorgeous, gorgeous synth melody. This is arguably Numan's most appealing strength as a songwriter. All throughout the 80's, he constantly experimented with the synthesizer, resulting in many an unearthly, haunting melody. These melodies were combined with grounded pop elements (ie humble guitar riffs; questing bass guitar and crisp drumming) to form appealing and listenable pop songs.

In spite of its rather fearful and inward lyrics, Cars has always proven to be an optimistic and uplifting soundtrack for my daily life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.