Moving in Stereo

"Moving in Stereo"
Single by The Cars
from the album The Cars
Released	1978
Genre	New Wave, Rock
Length	4:43
Label	Elektra Records
Writer(s)	Greg Hawkes / Ric Ocasek
Producer	Roy Thomas Baker

"Moving in Stereo" is a song originally recorded by the American rock band The Cars, featuring lead vocals by Benjamin Orr. It appeared on their self-titled debut album released in 1978. It is one of the few Cars songs partially written by the band's keyboardist, Greg Hawkes.

Airplay

While not released as a single and not documented on any Billboard chart, the song has received widespread airplay on American FM rock radio stations.

In the context of the original album, "Moving in Stereo" segues somewhat seamlessly and gently into the final track "All Mixed Up," with no dead space between the songs. AOR and classic rock radio stations often play both songs together as one selection. Both songs featured Benjamin Orr (bass guitar) on lead vocals.

"Moving in Stereo" is noted in the "Classic Rock Tracks" section of Joel Whitburn's book Rock Tracks. This section attempts to document songs regularly played on classic rock radio stations that were released prior to Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which debuted in 1981.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The song was notable for its use in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where it accompanied Judge Reinhold's fantasy of Phoebe Cates removing her bikini top while walking toward him. It has also been featured in TV parodies of that scene. While the song was in the movie, it was not included on the soundtrack album released by Asylum Records, coincidentally a sister label to Elektra.

As heard on TV

• Alias episode "Double Agent" (Parodying the scene from Fast Times, although Sydney is wearing a blue bikini.)
• Cold Case episode "Blank Generation".
• Drawn Together episode "The Other Cousin".
• Family Guy episode "The Kiss Seen Around the World" (Parodying the scene from Fast Times, as Meg fantasizes about newscaster Tom Tucker.)
• Glory Daze episode "Pilot".
• Scrubs episode "My Own Personal Jesus" (Parodying the scene from Fast Times.)
• The Sopranos episode "All Happy Families...".
• One Tree Hill episode "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight"
• Out of Order pilot episode (in a drug party scene and in a pool scene starring Eric Stoltz who was also in the cast of Fast Times)
• 2010 TV commercial for Pennzoil Ultra.

As heard in cinema

• Kids in America (Parodying the scene from Fast Times)

Cover versions

• Fu Manchu – We Must Obey (2007)
• The Commons – High School Reunion - A Tribute To Those Great 80's Films! (2005)
• Signal 12 - on the album Aphonia plus a remix (2000)