Artist · chart history
Ric Ocasek
Solo artist Baltimore United States
Ric Ocasek is an artist from Baltimore. Ric Ocasek has 3 chart appearances on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations on RockLists, spanning 1983–2005. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Gimme Something to Grab For”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #83. The station that charted Ric Ocasek most often is KROQ (Los Angeles, CA), with 2 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1983.
Ric Ocasek, born Richard Theodore Otcasek, was the voice and the pen behind the Cars: he was its main lead singer, played rhythm guitar and wrote songs for a band that turned cool detachment into hooks. Going solo, he found radio play with "Gimme Something to Grab For", and "True to You", from the 1986 album This Side of Paradise, showed he could make glossy, synth-slick pop on his own terms. That same year "Emotion in Motion" gave him a top 20 hit in the US.
He made seven solo studio albums in all, but his other great legacy sits behind the mixing desk. As a producer, he worked with an eclectic crew: Suicide, Bad Brains, Weezer, Nada Surf, Guided by Voices, No Doubt and Motion City Soundtrack, a list that says a lot about his ears and his curiosity.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him with the Cars in 2018. Born on March 23, 1944, he died on September 15, 2019.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Ric Ocasek on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gimme Something to Grab For | 1 | #83 | – | 1983 | |
| 2 | True to You | 1 | #103 | – | 1986 | |
| 3 | Bottom Dollar | 1 | #102 | – | 2005 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 102 | Bottom Dollar | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2005 |
| 1986 | 103 | True to You | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1986 |
| 1983 | 83 | Gimme Something to Grab For | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983 |
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