Door to Door (album)

Door to Door is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Cars, released on August 25, 1987, by Elektra Records. The album was produced by frontman Ric Ocasek, with additional production by keyboardist Greg Hawkes. Three singles were released from the album, though only "You Are the Girl" reached the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 17. Door to Door became the Cars' lowest-charting studio album, peaking at number 26 on the Billboard 200, and within a year of its release the band would break up.

Door to Door
Studio album by
The Cars
ReleasedAugust 25, 1987
RecordedApril–May 1987
StudioElectric Lady (New York City)
GenreRock[1]
Length46:43
LabelElektra
ProducerRic Ocasek
The Cars chronology
Greatest Hits
(1985)		 Door to Door
(1987)		 Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology
(1995)
Singles from Door to Door
  1. "You Are the Girl"
    Released: August 1987
  2. "Strap Me In"
    Released: October 19, 1987
  3. "Coming Up You"
    Released: January 1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]

Background

Door to Door was both the group's last studio album with the original lineup before they disbanded in 1988 and the last to feature bassist Benjamin Orr before his death in 2000. The band would not release another studio album until Move Like This (2011).

Although by 1987, the Cars had reached the heights of superstardom, their last few albums had relied heavily on studio tricks and machines, but this album was an attempt to return to the group's original roots. For example, where the previous album, Heartbeat City, extensively used sampled and sequenced drums (a move that had somewhat alienated drummer David Robinson), this album returned to having Robinson performing the drums in the studio, often simultaneously with other band members.

During a writing jam session, the band began to play "Ta Ta Wayo Wayo", a song from their earliest days together. It had never been recorded in studio, except as a demo in 1977. They enjoyed the tune so much that the 1987 version of the song made it onto the album. The opening track, "Leave or Stay", also was originally a 1977 demo that was not properly recorded until Door to Door, although they had often played the song live in the band's early days.[3] Both tracks had their respective 1977 demo versions eventually issued on the 1995 compilation Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology.

The lead single from the album, "You Are the Girl", reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Album Rock Tracks chart.[4][5] The follow-up single, "Strap Me In", peaked at number 85 on the Hot 100, while reaching number four on the rock chart.[4][5] The final single, "Coming Up You", peaked at number 74 on the Hot 100, as well as number 37 on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart.[4][6]

The tour to promote Door to Door would turn out to be their last with the original lineup and the show on December 12, 1987 (the final show on the tour) at the Cobo Arena in Detroit would be the last time they performed with Orr.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ric Ocasek, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleVocalsLength
1."Leave or Stay"Ocasek2:55
2."You Are the Girl"
3:52
3."Double Trouble"Orr4:14
4."Fine Line"Ocasek5:22
5."Everything You Say"Orr4:52
6."Ta Ta Wayo Wayo"Ocasek2:52
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
7."Strap Me In" Ocasek4:22
8."Coming Up You" Orr4:18
9."Wound Up on You" Ocasek5:02
10."Go Away"
Orr4:38
11."Door to Door" Ocasek3:17
Total length:46:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Door to Door.[7]

The Cars

Technical
  • Ric Ocasek – production
  • Greg Hawkes – additional production
  • Joe Barbaria – recording, mixing engineering
  • George Marino – LP mastering
  • Stephen Innocenzi – CD mastering
  • Jamie Chaleff – second engineer
  • David Heglmeier, Brian Sklarz, Tracy Wiener – special assistance
  • Andy Topeka – technical assistance

Artwork
  • Marco Glaviano – cover design, photography
  • Emanuele DiLiberto – painting

Charts

References
  1. DeGagne, Mike. "Door to Door – The Cars". AllMusic. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  2. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2011). "Cars". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. Deriso, Nick (August 25, 2017). "Why the Cars Ran off the Road with 'Door to Door'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  4. "The Cars Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  5. "The Cars Chart History (Mainstream Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  6. "The Cars Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  7. Door to Door (liner notes). The Cars. Elektra Records. 1987. 60747-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 56. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0889". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  10. "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 39. October 3, 1987. p. 18. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  11. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Cars – Door to Door" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  13. "Charts.nz – The Cars – Door to Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  14. "Norwegiancharts.com – The Cars – Door to Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  15. "Swedishcharts.com – The Cars – Door to Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – The Cars – Door to Door". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  17. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  18. "The Cars Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  19. "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM. Vol. 47, no. 12. December 26, 1987. p. 9. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
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