# Should The Cars go into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 4, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519 "2002-12-04T21:01:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/1 "2002-12-04T21:01:15Z")
I mean, why not? They’ll be eligible in 2003. They sold enough albums. They had a big impact on New Wave music at the time, and plenty of their tunes were pretty good in their own right. Not only all that, but you still hear them on the radio plenty today. I say they’re in. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/2 "2002-12-04T21:24:59Z")
I’ll drink to that. IMHO, they’re one of the few decent bands in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/3 "2002-12-04T22:07:38Z")
They got my vote, if I could vote for it, which I can’t. Heck, just reading the OP prompted me to put a Cars CD on the stereo. Plus Ric Ocasek produced Bad Brains’ “Rock for Light” album, one of the best punk albums ever! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/4 "2002-12-04T22:13:39Z")
I guess I liked 'em okay, but the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame? Uhhhhh… ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/5 "2002-12-04T22:50:52Z")
The Cars are definitely a good candidate, but I don’t see any compelling reason to put them in. I also think that as time goes on, you’re going to see fewer and fewer shoo-ins, due to the splintering of rock into so many styles. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/6 "2002-12-04T23:46:15Z")
I’d vote 'em in. They were America’s answer to “New Wave”. A bright spot in the dying days of disco. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/7 "2002-12-05T00:59:42Z")
I’m for it. ---
**Author:** ![bigbird120](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@bigbird120](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigbird120)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/8 "2002-12-05T01:05:22Z")
Of course! The cars rock. It sounds corny, but sad corny love songs are much more appealing coming from an amazingly unattractive group. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/9 "2002-12-05T02:10:34Z")
I dunno…I don’t really care to be honest. I’ve become so fed up with meaningless awards shows and halls of fame where all the old people in an industry sit around and suck each other’s wee wees. People get so worked up over who’s getting in, who’s getting teh award, etc. like it really matters. Like getting inducted into the Hall of fame actually _means_ something. So why not, I guess? Go ahead and induct them. Or don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raymond_luxury_yacht/32/4099_2.png) [@Raymond\_Luxury\_Yacht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raymond_Luxury_Yacht)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/10 "2002-12-05T02:47:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyomara \* > **I’ve become so fed up with meaningless awards shows and halls of fame where all the old people in an industry sit around and suck each other’s wee wees. People get so worked up over who’s getting in, who’s getting teh award, etc. like it really matters. Like getting inducted into the Hall of fame actually _means_ something.** Yes. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/11 "2002-12-05T02:50:01Z")
I’d vote 'em in just for the terrific snare tone that they inroduced…snaaap. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/12 "2002-12-05T03:02:34Z")
Second on the snare sound. ---
**Author:** ![mmjewett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mmjewett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmjewett)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/13 "2002-12-05T03:27:36Z")
Thumbs up by me! They had enough hits and broke enough ground to make them a feasible candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/14 "2002-12-05T03:52:16Z")
Yes, they should be in - Too bad Benjamin Orr past away - I love their song Drive - with his vocals. ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/15 "2002-12-05T03:55:04Z")
They should be in just for the intro to their first hit–You’re just what I needed, or something like that– actually, anybody who ever had a hit record ought to be in the Hall of Fame, because they’re already famous. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/16 "2002-12-05T06:34:13Z")
The Cars had a lot of great songs, like “Drive”, “Since You’re Gone”, “Shake it up”, “You Might Think”, “Good Times Roll”, “Magic”, “Tonight She Comes”, “Bye Bye Love”, etc. The Cars are one of those bands of which a lot of people will only be able to name a handful of songs (most likely those that had MTV videos), but those same people will recognize other Cars songs as such when they are played on the radio, and many Cars songs are still played on the radio. The Cars were one of the most popular new wave bands, and the Talking Heads, another early new wave band, are already in the Hall of Fame. It stands to reason that the Cars have a good chance at making the Hall of Fame, especially considering that the Cars had more hit songs than the Talking Heads. There will be a handful of “new wave” bands that make the Hall of Fame, with the Talking Heads and Elvis Costello and the Attractions being the first. I’m guessing that the Cars and the Police, and perhaps Devo (a great band in my opinion) will also make it. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/17 "2002-12-05T07:00:52Z")
[hijack] What determines when a band becomes eligible? [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ersatz_Shmoe)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/18 "2002-12-05T07:06:53Z")
Sources say that the Police are being inducted, and that they are up for performing together again at the ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/19 "2002-12-05T07:08:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sublight \* > \*\*What determines when a band becomes eligible? \*\* They become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record. Eric ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/20 "2002-12-05T07:10:11Z")
There’s no way you could put The Cars in the RRHoF until The Police are in there, because The Police were far more important. ANd ELO should get a crack at it first as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519.md?page=2)