The Cars made their first two music videos in 1980, when many others bands were making their first videos. At the time, there was primitive technology, and special effects were limited. But as with most videos from MTV's earliest days, the Cars' first two videos have that glazed, antique look and are very hard to come by. Both videos, "Touch and Go" and "Panorama" were directed by Gerald V. Casale, the lead singer of Devo. And like the lyrics in The Cars' songs, Ric Ocasek didn't want these videos or others to depict one specific idea or meaning, as they were always creating images that were unique and sometimes didn't correspond with the lyrics., but told stories of their own. "Touch and Go"
88"Touch and Go" was the first official Cars video, and one of the rarest to find. It revolves around Ric standing in front of a carrousel while the rest of the Cars and mannequin-like girls pass by him riding the horses. They Cars are also seen playing their instruments whole spinning on a tilt-a-whirl. It's not one of the Cars' best-made videos, but a good first try. "Panorama"
79The album's title track, "Panorama," which wasn't even a single, was the basis for their second video. And if not anywhere else, "Panorama" can be found on The Cars' 1984 "Heartbeat City" video album, also making it one of their rarest. In it, Ben & Elliot and Greg & David play two groups of spies pursuing Ric, with each pair trying to get a hold of whatever he's hiding in his briefcase. A very well-made video for it's age, you can never tell who is conspiring against whom and what will happen next. There's even another pair of spies who seem to win out in the end, trapping Ric in a helicopter, then pushing him out! But we never find out what was in that briefcase! But there's another story behind this videos that viewers weren't aware of when it was new. As mentioned on this site, the sales of "Panorama" the album were low due to the fact the the Cars' fans weren't happy with their darker, more serious image. Ric felt betrayed by the people who had once supported him and used this video to express how he felt, namely, "his fatalistic, depresses attitude."
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Read more about the album "Panorama..."
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Music & Video: Cars Discography & Lyrics |
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