In June 1979, The Cars released “Let’s Go,” a song that would become the perfect driving companion, whether blasted from the car stereo or a modern playlist, capturing the simple joys of chasing the night with a full tank of gas.
Written by guitarist and frontman Ric Ocasek, the track is the lead single on the band’s second album, Candy-O, produced by Queen frequent collaborator Roy Thomas Baker.
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“I knew what I could do. I wanted to see what someone else could do,” Ocasek said about making Candy-O with Baker. “He turned out to be a great friend, and taught us a lot about musical technique. He never infiltrated arrangements or musical ideas.”
Though Ocasek sings lead on much of The Cars’ catalog, “Let’s Go” called upon the tonsils of bassist Benjamin Orr. Other key elements of the standout track include the syncopated rhythm of claps inspired by the 1962 instrumental by The Routers, the infamous “Let’s go!” chorus, and the futuristic synth-pop hook courtesy of keyboardist Greg Hawkes.
A definitive hybrid of 1960s nostalgia and cutting-edge 1970s new wave, “Let’s Go” is catchy, it’s cool, it’s the perfect time capsule to whisk you right back to taking off in your very first car.
According to Songfacts, Ocasek would create personas loosely based on people he’d come into contact with, rather than look inward, for song inspo. With “Let’s Go,” he created an intoxicating world in which the line between innocence and allure is blurred against the landscape of neon-lit nightlife. There’s a girl, a guy, and the promise of a good time: “Let’s go!”
The track became the band’s first Top 20 hit, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helping boost its parent album all the way to the No. 3 spot on the Billboard 200. But the bigger story happened beyond the nation’s borders. Notably, “Let’s Go” became The Cars highest-ever charting single in both Canada, where it peaked at No. 5 on the national chart, and Australia, where it hit No. 6.
“By the end of the year, the project was certified platinum for sales of over a million copies, adding to a string of hit records that continued more or less unbroken for most of the ’80s,” Ultimate Classic Rock reported.
Later that year, The Cars performed a six-song set on the groundbreaking variety series The Midnight Special, with Orr and Ocasek trading off singing lead. It marked their second appearance on the show.
Their sleek, precise, and forever cool showcase helped solidify the band as one of the program’s iconic guests, placing them alongside acts like the Steve Miller Band, Tina Turner, and Gladys Knight & B.B. King. The set offered an early glimpse of the new wave pioneers’ signature style, capturing a band already fully formed in sound and aesthetic.
Now, almost half a century later, the song still feels as cool as that first taste of freedom, turning even the shortest drive into the best time ever.
Related: 1964 No. 1 Hit, From a ‘Forgotten’ Band, Became a Cross-Generational Anthem
