"Heartbeat City" is a song by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
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 ( keyboard ...
from their
fifth studio album of the same name (1984). It was released in September 1985 as the album's sixth and final single.
Background
Original US pressings of the LP and
cassette
Cassette may refer to:
Technology
* Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback
** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...
versions listed the title of "Heartbeat City" as "Jacki".
"Heartbeat City" was one of the four songs performed by the Cars during their performance on
Live Aid in 1985, along with "
You Might Think
"You Might Think" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their fifth studio album, ''Heartbeat City'' (1984). The track was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Mutt Lange and the Cars, with Ocasek also providing the lead vocals.
The s ...
", "
Drive", and "
Just What I Needed
"Just What I Needed" is a song by American rock band The Cars from their self-titled debut album (1978). The song, which first achieved radio success as a demo, took inspiration from the Ohio Express and the Velvet Underground. The song is sun ...
".
Release
"Heartbeat City" was released internationally as the sixth and final single the ''Heartbeat City'' album, where it was backed with "
Why Can't I Have You". The song charted at number 78 in the United Kingdom and number 75 in Australia. Prior to its single release, "Heartbeat City" appeared as the B-side to "You Might Think" in the United States and "Why Can't I Have You" in the United Kingdom.
Reception
"Heartbeat City" has been described retrospectively as "ethereal" and as a "highlight" from ''Heartbeat City'' by
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 databa ...
critic Greg Prato. Donald A. Guarisco, also of AllMusic, characterized the track as "a memorable effort in
hevein
f 'atmospheric moodpieces' a hypnotic bit of
new wave that mixed impressionistic lyrics with an entrancing electronic soundscape." He concluded, "The result was probably a little too esoteric to be a hit but it got some exposure as the B-side to 'You Might Think' and provide a fittingly arty finale for the ''Heartbeat City'' album."
Charts
References
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1984 songs
1985 singles
The Cars songs
Elektra Records singles
Song recordings produced by Ric Ocasek
Song recordings produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Songs written by Ric Ocasek