You Are the Girl

"You Are the Girl"
Single by the Cars
from the album Door to Door
B-side"Ta Ta Wayo Wayo"
ReleasedAugust 1987 (1987-08)
Genre
Length3:52
LabelElektra 69446
Songwriter(s)Ric Ocasek
Producer(s)Ric Ocasek
The Cars singles chronology
"I'm Not the One"
(1986) 		"You Are the Girl"
(1987) 		"Strap Me In"
(1987)

"You Are the Girl" is a 1987 song by the Cars, from their album Door to Door. It was released as a single in August 1987, reaching number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] It also reached number 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number 12 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[2] It was the Cars' 13th and final Top 40 hit.[1]

Background

Rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter Ric Ocasek shares lead vocals with bassist Benjamin Orr on "You Are the Girl".[3] Both singers had recently cracked the Top 40 with solo hits, Ocasek with 1986's "Emotion in Motion" and Orr with 1987's "Stay the Night". "You Are the Girl" was the Cars' first—and last—Top 40 hit after their 1987 regrouping following the band members' three-year hiatus to focus on solo work.[1][4] It also became the second (and last) single after "Since I Held You" from "Candy-O" in which both singers shared vocals on a song.

The lyrics for the song are about an ex;[5] the music video, directed by cult filmmaker John Waters, has been described as "alien-populated".[4] In 1987, the Cars performed "You Are the Girl" and "Double Trouble" (another track from Door to Door) at the MTV Video Music Awards.[6]

Cash Box called it a "likeable pop tune" with "slick production values."[7]

Aftermath

The song was recorded for what would be the band's final studio album for the next 25 years, and last with its five original members, 1987's Door to Door. It was recorded at a time of personal conflict between the band members that led to their eventual disbanding.[8] Following the release of the album, there was public speculation that the band was breaking up, and within a year the Cars announced that they had disbanded.[9]

Although "You Are the Girl" was the Cars' last Top 40 hit, two more singles released from Door to Door did reach the Top 100: 1987's "Strap Me In" (number 85) and 1988's "Coming Up You" (number 74).[2]

Charts

Chart performance for "You Are the Girl"
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 69
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 33
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 17
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14] 12
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[15] 2
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[16] 17

References

  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 109. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
  2. ^ a b "The Cars: Charts & Awards: Billboard Singles". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Door to Door (Media notes). The Cars. 1987.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ a b Gundersen, Edna (October 19, 1987). "Ric Ocasek opens a new 'Door' with the Cars". USA Today.
  5. ^ Pareles, Jon (September 9, 1987). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  6. ^ "MTV Video Music Awards: Show Highlights, Winners, Performers, Hosts and More From Past Video Music Awards". MTV.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  7. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. August 22, 1987. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  8. ^ "The Cars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  9. ^ "The Cars: Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
  10. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0893." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  12. ^ "The Cars – You Are the Girl". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "The Cars Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  16. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 31, 1987". Cash Box. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.