"Just What I Needed" - The Cars

It’s easy to forget just how unbelievable The Cars’ self-titled debut album is. This is their first album, mind you, and of the mere nine songs on there, six of them are:

• “Good Times Roll”

• “My Best Friend’s Girl”

• “Just What I Needed”

• “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”

• “Bye Bye Love”

• “Moving in Stereo”

That is… astonishing. That’s skipping ahead and releasing your greatest hits album first. Even more amazing is that the album came out in 1978, and none of these songs sound dated. Sure, they may have a couple extra bloops and blips on a newfangled/vintage synth, but they all hold up.

I get that I’m not introducing you to “Just What I Needed,” you’ve no doubt heard the song many many times before. It was a toss up, whether I’d pick this or “Moving in Stereo.” They are both phenomenal in their own ways (the technical wizardry of “Moving in Stereo” in particular). But “Just What I Needed” has more of a Monday morning vibe. It’s got more energy, more pep, more fun. This song is just what you, and we, all needed to kickstart the week.

“Just What I Needed” also really illustrates how The Cars are a band. Everything is in sync and running on every cylinder here. The crunch of the guitars, the striking of the drum, the synths that weave their way through the song, and Benjamin Orr’s vocals. It’s not even that if one piece faltered, the song wouldn’t work — it’s that the song works so well, and is so seamless, none of it could break down. Ric Ocasek (RIP) could have had a myocardial infarction on stage while playing “Just What I Needed,” and the song itself would have kept him alive to finish it. You just need to listen to it.

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Stay cool. Have a great summer.
Class of ‘90 rulez.