"Let's Go" is a song by American rock 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 ( keyboar ...

, written by

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 ...

for the band's second studio album, ''

Candy-O ''Candy-O'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Cars, released on June 13, 1979 by Elektra Records. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album spawned two singles, " Let's Go" (number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100) and " It's ...

'' (1979). A new wave rock song, the song's hook was inspired by

the Routers The Routers were an American instrumental group in the early 1960s. Career Formed in 1961 by Michael Z. Gordon, the Routers' recordings sometimes used session musicians in addition to the actual group with the exception of Gordon who also form ...

. The song's vocals are performed by bassist

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 ...

. "Let's Go" was released in 1979 as the debut single from ''Candy-O'' on

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the ...

. The single was a chart success, reaching number 14 in the United States and charting in multiple other countries. It has since appeared on several compilation albums and has seen critical acclaim. It was the 100th video to be played on the first day of MTV on August 1, 1981.

Composition

"Let's Go" was described by

Brett Milano __NOTOC__ Brett Milano (born 1957) is a Boston-based music critic and columnist. His fourth book, a biography of Game Theory's Scott Miller, was published in October 2015. Music journalism and writing career According to the ''Boston Globe'', Mil ...

as "another double-edged anthem" in the liner notes for '' Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology''. The song's signature hook is a series of claps followed by a shouted "Let's go!", which is derived from the 1962 song "

Let's Go (Pony) Let's Go (Pony) is a 1962 song by The Routers. Its infectious “ lap clap clap-clap-clap clap-clap-clap-clapLet's Go!" chant became a favorite of cheerleaders and football fans worldwide. The musicians were key members of the famous session music ...

" by

, as well as a simple synth melody played by Greg Hawkes, using the Sync II lead preset (or a slight variation of it) from a

Prophet-5 The Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the American company Sequential. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977, who used microprocessors, then a new technology, to create the first polyphonic synthesizer with f ...

synthesizer. The song tells the story of a 17-year-old girl and her budding interest in " the nightlife".

Release

"Let's Go" was released as the debut single from ''Candy-O'' in June 1979. The song's B-side is a non-album track titled "That's It" that features Benjamin Orr on lead vocals. The single peaked at number 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart in the US, making it the first song by The Cars to reach the ''Billboard'' top 20. The song was an even bigger success elsewhere, hitting the top 10 in multiple countries. In Canada, the track reached #5, and remains the Cars' highest ever charting single in that country. Similarly, "Let's Go" peaked at #6 in Australia, where it remains The Cars' highest charted hit. Two follow-up singles from ''Candy-O'', "

It's All I Can Do "It's All I Can Do" is a song by the American rock band the Cars. It is the third track from their 1979 album ''Candy-O''. It was written by the band's leader and songwriter Ric Ocasek, and features bassist Benjamin Orr on vocals. Sound and genr ...

" and " Double Life", were released after "Let's Go". Although "It's All I Can Do" was a minor hit, "Double Life" failed to chart.

Reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' critic Tom Carson described "Let's Go" as "the best cut on ''Candy-O'', while the ''

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 adverti ...

'' review of ''Candy-O'' listed the song as one of the "best cuts". ''Billboard'' described the song as a "catchy midtempo number" with a guitar-driven "sassy rock sound." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said it begins "with a crash, moving into a streamlined pop rocker, filled with a futuristic combination of synthesizer blips, handclaps and crunching guitar chording." The ''Fort Worth Star Telegram'' rated it to be the 8th best single of 1979. William Ruhlmann, author of ''The All-Music Guide to Rock'', said, "'Let's Go' (the Cars' biggest hit so far) became one of the summer songs of the year," and Hamish Champ, writer of ''The 100 Best-Selling Albums of the 70s'', said the track (as well as its follow-up, "

"), "give ample evidence of the band's range".

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

reviewer Greg Prato said the song was "intensely fun".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

;Sources * * Synthmania.com - Prophet-5 Classic polyphonic ana

External links

* {{authority control 1979 singles 1979 songs The Cars songs Songs written by Ric Ocasek Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker Elektra Records singles Alvin and the Chipmunks songs