# 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:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/21 "2002-12-05T13:29:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Santos L Halper \* > \*\*They become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record. > > Eric \*\* And, IIRC, The Cars’ first album was “The Cars,” released in 1978. My older sister bought it. I remember it from my childhood as having one of the cooler cover photos from the period. Doesn’t a band also have to sell at least 1 million albums during its lifetime, or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/22 "2002-12-05T13:41:52Z")
Hell Yes! That’s really all there is to say about that. ---
**Author:** ![riserius1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@riserius1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riserius1)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/23 "2002-12-05T13:43:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*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. \*\* Just as there’s no way you should put **ANYBODY** in the RRHoF until Black Sabbath is voted in. They influenced more bands than all the other bands you’ve mentioned combined. Chris W ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/24 "2002-12-05T14:05:59Z")
The Cars album with the coolest cover was _Candy-O_, with the Vargas pin-up cover. _Yeah!_ While I’ll second **Kyomara** ’s feeling about the importance - or rather, the lack thereof - of the R&R HoF, I’m a big Cars fan. Their first album had five songs that still get airplay: “Good Times Roll”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Just What I Needed”, “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”, and “Bye Bye Love”. The rest of the album’s damned good too, with songs like “I’m In Touch With Your World” and the inexplicably overlooked “Don’t Cha Stop”. _Candy-O_ had “Let’s Go”, “It’s All I Can Do”, “Got a Lot On My Head”, and “Dangerous Type”. IMHO, the quality of their albums dropped off after that, with fewer songs per album getting airplay, and fewer non-singles that deserved to be played. But their songs have stayed fresh, at least to me, and apparently to many others. I don’t see getting tired of “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Just What I Needed”, “Tonight She Comes”, or any of the other songs I’ve mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/25 "2002-12-05T15:51:34Z")
Did any one else get confused by the title? I thought we were going to talk about putting like Elvis’ car in the RnRHOF! I guess I’m just an idiot. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/26 "2002-12-05T18:06:18Z")
1. I love the Cars music a lot. No question about it. 2. I don’t see them as being very influential though. How many bands have been inspired by them? (And there’s not a lot of covers of their songs either.) 3. The Police? Give me a break. The Police are an example of what’s wrong with American Music. Bad music _and_ no influence (on other good musicians). ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/27 "2002-12-05T18:18:32Z")
No. Don’t get me wrong, in general, I like the Cars, but HOF material? Can’t see it. I think a HOF inductee should be more than what the Cars were. As for the Police…first of all, they were a British band, and second, yes they _were_ influential. Their earlier style of skittish, reggae rooted punk (well, sort-a like punk), helped spawn a number of ska and punk-reggae bands. Bad music? Says you…and judging from the bands popularity over the years, I think you’re in the minority. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/28 "2002-12-05T18:46:36Z")
Nobody gets in until Skynyrd gets in, dammit! 😉 But yeah, the Cars probably deserve a nod. Their lyrics were awfully lightweight, but the sound was absolutely infectious. They had a nice, long string of hits, and their videos were pretty influential as well. Put 'em in. ---
**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, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/29 "2002-12-05T22:41:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lizard \* > \*\*Doesn’t a band also have to sell at least 1 million albums during its lifetime, or something like that? \*\* Nope, sales don’t seem to be a requirement. From the [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame web site](http://www.rockhall.com): > [@](#): > > **Performers** > Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll. > > The Foundation’s nominating committee, composed of rock and roll historians, selects nominees each year in the Performer category. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts. Those performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted. The Foundation generally inducts five to seven performers each year. > > **Non-Performers** > Songwriters, producers, disc jockeys, record executives, journalists and other industry professionals who have had a major influence on the development of rock and roll. > > **Early Influences** > Artists whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists. > > The special selection committee elects the inductees in the Non-performer and Early Influences categories. > > **Side Men** > This category was introduced in 2000. It honors those musicians who have spent their career out of the spotlight, performing as backup musicians for major artists on recording sessions and in concert. Though they often play a key role in the creation of memorable music, the public rarely knows them by name. A separate committee, composed primarily of producers, selects the inductees in this category. Eric ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519/30 "2002-12-06T02:34:31Z")
Actually, I’ve got nothing against bands getting into the HoF, or otherwise being ranked high on this or that all-time list, because of their influence on other bands. But the idea that a band _should_ be expected to have significant influence on later bands to be highly regarded is a crock, IMHO. The Doors weren’t particularly influential; they were merely great. They’re not influential because nobody else is going to be Jim Morrison. BFD. The Moody Blues created an unforgettable sound, but it really can’t be done by anyone else without looking imitative. So? They were a very good band, better than quite a few that are [in the Hall](http://www.rockhall.com/hof/allinductees.asp). (The Four Seasons? The Bee Gees? Gladys Knight and the Pips? Gotta wonder about the Hall’s standards.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-cars-go-into-the-rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame/140519.md?page=1)