"Cruiser" is a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

new wave band

The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...

, from their 1981 album ''

Shake It Up Shake It Up may refer to: * ''Shake It Up'' (Boney James & Rick Braun album), 2000 * ''Shake It Up'' (The Cars album), 1981 ** "Shake It Up" (The Cars song), the title song * "Shake It Up" (Divine song), 1983 * "Shake It Up" (Koda Kumi song), ...

''.

Background

"Cruiser" was written by Cars songwriter and vocalist

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

and sung by bassist-vocalist

Benjamin Orr Benjamin Orzechowski (September 8, 1947 – October 3, 2000), known professionally as Benjamin Orr, was an American musician best known as the bassist, co-lead vocalist, and co-founder of the rock band The Cars. He sang lead vocals on sever ...

. Upon the release of ''Shake It Up'', "Cruiser" was singled out for some praise. The ''

Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...

'', in an otherwise unenthusiastic review of ''Shake It Up'', cited "Cruiser" as a source of "real excitement".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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." ''Daily Record'' critic Jim Bohen describes how drummer

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

"pounds his drums over the beat of the rhythm machine" to generate "dance floor dynamics." In addition to appearing on the album, "Cruiser" was released as the B-side of the single "

". "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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Tracks Classic Vinyl is a Sirius XM Radio channel focusing on classic rock music mostly from the late-1960s to the mid-1970s, with the channel's name meant to indicate that it consists of music that first appeared on vinyl records. This encompasses musi ...

chart in 1982. Along with "Shake It Up" it reached #14 on the ''Billboard''

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. ''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.

Chart performance

References

The Cars songs 1981 songs Songs written by Ric Ocasek Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker {{1980s-single-stub