Album · The Cars
Panorama by The Cars
Panorama is an album by The Cars, released in 1980. 6 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 9 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Touch and Go”, on 4 lists with a best position of #7.
Panorama, the Cars' third album, landed on Elektra in August 1980, and once again Roy Thomas Baker was behind the board, the same producer who had buffed the Boston band's first two records to a high gloss. Ric Ocasek, the leader who took songwriting credit for practically everything, pushes the band's art-rock side to the front here, with Greg Hawkes' synthesizers buzzing, Elliot Easton's guitar cutting jagged angles and David Robinson's drums locked into a mechanical pulse.
Less candy, more chrome. "Touch and Go" is the standout, a slinky, stop-start oddity that still finds its hook, while "Gimme Some Slack" and "Don't Tell Me No" keep the nervy new wave twitch going. Ocasek and Benjamin Orr split the lead vocals as always, Orr's smoother voice a warm counterweight to Ocasek's hiccuping deadpan.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Panorama on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Touch and Go | 4 | #7 | – | 1980–2021 | |
| 2 | Up and Down | 1 | #28 | – | 1980 | |
| 3 | Misfit Kid | 1 | #51 | – | 1980 | |
| 4 | Gimme Some Slack | 1 | #69 | – | 1980 | |
| 5 | Don't Tell Me No | 1 | #87 | – | 1980 | |
| 6 | Panorama | 1 | #1787 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.