Remembering the Triumph and Tragedy of Benjamin Orr

[@reesedaniel5835]

Young Benjamin Orr (from age 25-35) was the most handome/beautiful man I've ever seen. Hauntingly handsome/beautiful, like a Prince from a fairy tale.

[@4440ch]

...a straight dude and I thought he was gorgeous especially onstage.....Its All I Can Do my favorite

[@garyskadra5236]

I think he has a son

[@ForceWinds3]

🎯

[@machupikachu1085]

That's a really good description, actually.

[@estelapontellidesouzahauy5912]

Até os 40 anos era lindíssimo

[@laurelwood791]

22+ years after he passed...almost a quarter of a century has gone by. He still makes us feel immortal as we all felt as teens. Sadly his untimely passing was a wake up call, as I watched him loose ground within mere months. Dedicated to his music, he played and sang on, despite the dwindling crowds and the years passing by in what seemed more like seconds. Now he knows, thousands, by the thousands still seek him out, listen and watch. He's on film and recorded, which has immortalized him forever. Our youth, and Ben long long gone....but the kid in us always reveals itself everytime one hears THE CARS.

[@RetroMusicMemories]

Thanks for sharing, Laurel!

[@ElectricAngel181]

Oh my goodness This Gorgeous Pic you have on the thumbnail of Ben is forever ingrained in my mind. He was probably the most Beautiful man I have ever seen. ❤❤ We misd you Ben .

[@karenfindley3791]

Benjamin was the whole package. Good looks beyond belief, one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, and a quiet confidence and humbleness unlike any other. I am still in love with him after all these years.

[@MichelleQuintiaVLOGS]

I’m 37 now and I’m crushing on Benjamin Orr just after learning who he is in one documentary last week. Since then, I’ve been binge-watching youtube vids about him. 🥰🥰

[@virginiawild2052]

Me too! Except I'm 62!

[@lisatrautner9426]

Same!

[@sararichmond8476]

And me - nearly 70!

[@joanRooney-x8j]

Ditto! & I beat you all, I'm 74 soon. 😊 This is proof that us oldies are still capable of lovin'. ( even if it is in our minds! ) 😂

[@mdrinan07]

Exactly what has happened to me!

[@evilpixiedance]

Loved the Door to Door album. I thought it was vastly underrated. I miss Ben and Ric and the music the five of them made together. Thanks for the video.

[@mikeymaff8074]

Ben Orr was the soul of The Cars.... The Lace is an outstanding and extremely underrated album.The melodies are phenomenal and the song sequence is top notch. RIP Ben ✝

[@RetroMusicMemories]

I loved Ben's music...and, yes, "The Lace" was a really great album.

[@carlamongold33]

I disagree, I believe that the Cars were nothing without BENJAMIN ORR, HIS VOCALS WERE AMAZING, HE WAS PURE PERFECTION ALWAYS! RIP 🙏 BEN. YOU WILL ❤️ NEVER BE FORGOTTEN! BLESS YOU ALWAYS, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ❤️ LOVED!!

[@kimschultz2703]

Wonderful voice…He could sing anything!!!!

[@andresfv6490]

Also unreleased songs are great... 'Even angels fall', 'I am', 'Do you know what it feels like', etc.

[@garyskadra5236]

Just What I Needed Let's Go Drive My top Benjamin Orr songs

[@OfficialMichaelLowry]

My favorite Cars album is Door To Door and my favorite Ben song is Everything You Say. I’m one of “those” Cars Fans

[@ladystrange7791]

The Lace is one of what I call my desert island albums - a very short list of albums I'd need to survive if ever stranded on a desert island. It's the most calming album I've heard, even though it's got a good mix of up tempo & slower songs. It's the album I go to whenever I'm feeling upset, anxious or can't sleep...and it's never failed to help. I love the album cover too because to me it is an excellent visual representation of the summation of the album. I think "Drive" is one of the most beautiful songs in the history of music. Have loved it since it's release. However, my favorite has always been "Magic." I first heard it & it was frequently played at the place I loved most as a child. So I've always associated it w/ sheer happiness. A few months before Ric Ocasek died I got severely ill from a rare pneumonia & had to have lung surgery as a result. I never really realized how bad it all was until months later when I was out of the hospital & slowly recovering. The reason for that was a wonderful distraction - throughout the entire ordeal "Magic" kept playing in my mind...song & video. I have had so many Dr's tell me they have no idea how that happened. I tell them "A little bit of magic pulled me through" & sincerely mean that. I wish Ric could have known that was more than just a catchy hit song for them. It had a serious impact on one crazy fan's life & she's truly thankful to them forever.

[@davidgilmour9447]

I was at the old Salt Palace in SLC for that show too. It was killer I thought. Elliot Easton was a very underrated guitar player. I miss the Salt Palace, great acoustic concert venue. Cheers! (Ben should've been lead singer of that band)

[@PDXGal]

Yes, Ben's voice and musical talent were amazing! God Bless you and RIP, Benjamin Orr. You are loved and missed by many. ❤❤

[@cameroncook3863]

Some of the best times of my life. Ah Youth!

[@luckystaramourangel9345]

And after we are gone We wish for none to cry Or speak of us here We deserve our rest and the time we never had

[@luckystaramourangel9345]

Dear Soul I do not have a fave Cars song there are many. The first one I ever heard was Just What I Needed and that was when I first felt him. Thankyou for the sensitive way you spoke about the Fire Boys there was real warmth there ✌🌹🔥❤

[@Cat-Privilege]

Very cool, hearing about Ben's Bass Guitar leaning on the bar stool reminded me of The Traveling Wilbury's "End of the Line" video with Roy Orbison's photograph in the rocking chair. He sang on the song but passed away before the video was made. They were correct, Both Ben & Roy were irreplaceable. May they both rest in peace.

[@benjaminorrelectricangelro5493]

Thanks for this :) I have created my KZbin channel and Facebook page ( and also working on a website) to honour the legacy Benjamin Orr left behind for his fans.

[@RetroMusicMemories]

Fantastic!

[@benjaminorrelectricangelro5493]

@@RetroMusicMemories Thank you :) Warmest regards from Down Under in Tasmania, please stay safe, Tia

[@susangordon7087]

Stay The Night is amazing and the songs with The Cars well I love Drive and Just What I Needed . I love all the songs that Benjamin sang with The Cars 💔💔💔💔💔

[@sherigilmore9141]

I ordered The Lace and its going to take two months to get here. Can't wait to get it though.

[@RetroMusicMemories]

Two months? Yikes!!

[@sherigilmore9141]

@@RetroMusicMemories Yep thats what I thought.

[@Rob33696]

He was a legend.

[@pl6035]

All mixed up is a great song.

[@luckystaramourangel9345]

None really knew or understood And none may know You kept your secrets well You only told one person Someone whose very Soul depended on it Love you forever babe ✌🔥😇❤

[@gregwillert-po6nq]

I saw him after the Cars broke up. Must have been 93 or 94, at Snowfest in Two Rivers WI. Could not believe how fantastic he and his band were, and was wondering how this talent was playing in front if maybe 300 people, when at worst he should have been opening for some other vand on a stadium tour!

[@michellebeadle176]

I listen to The Lace at least twice a week. Have a lyric from Stay the Night on my arm.

[@kimberlyholzerland4599]

What lyric?? That's awesome!

[@jacilenesantos4587]

Amo todas as músicas de ben orr mas drive nossa e demais ❤

[@luckystaramourangel9345]

And just so you know I'm nearly home honey

[@esteban1487]

The Cars first album, like Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin, could have been their greatest hits.

[@byronjackson9373]

Rest easy old FRIEND🐣🐣🐣

[@bassmaster1953]

WHAT SONG? ...ALL OF THEM.

[@soniavidal2881]

Ele era belíssimo talentoso Elegante e tinha simpatia educação. Ele teve um conjunto de coisas boas. Ele foi belo em tudo E tinha uma voz maravilhosa Saudades de Benjamin Orr Que deus o abençoe no plano espiritual 🌻

[@analiajimenalopez4666]

Benjamin Orr i love you ❤❤❤

[@soniavidal2881]

Gosto muito de Stay The Night Ouço todo dia

[@April-pw5ub]

The Lace had a few good songs but the album as a whole was weak. He relied too heavily on his girlfriend at the time for the lyrics. When he asked Ric if some of the songs he and his girlfriend could be included in the D2D album Ric saidno and it hurt ther relationship.

[@iwantthe80sback59]

I always wondered why Ben didn’t seek professional help for lyrics. He must have known of and/or been aquatinted with numerous lyricists.

[@April-pw5ub]

According to an article about the making of the album he was offered lyrics from other sources but he chose to collaborate with his girlfriend and only use her lyrics. Why he did that is a source of debate.

[@April-pw5ub]

@@iwantthe80sback59 He went with his girlfriend writing the lyrics for the Laceby his own admission he was not good at lyrics. After the album Ben asked Ric if the songs he wrote with his girlfriend could be included in the Cars album Door to Door Ric said no. He criticized the lyrics from The Lace album . Ben was supposed to do two more albums but it never happened. I don’t know why Ben even asked Ric to include the songs he wrote with his girlfriend, knowing that Ric was a control freak and wrote all the songs. I think Ben’s girlfriend put him up to it to further her own career.

[@iwantthe80sback59]

@@April-pw5ub I didn’t know that. Thanks for filling me in.

[@ВераДУХ-л3д]

😭😭😭😭😭🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😭🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏

[@MR-jq4du]

Ben Orr and Ric Ocasek or Ric and Ben, were quite the pair. They seemed co-joined in an intriguing almost mysterious way as if they had something between them you didn’t have. Ben, with his amiable personality and rockstar good looks, was always the focus of any performance of the two of them or with the bands they fronted. If anyone had the goods to make it, Ben had it. Ric, with his lanky frame and face was their manager, promoter, leader and hanger-on. Hanger-on because he didn’t have any musical talent to speak of. He was a third rate singer at best. If they made it, it would be because of Ben’s musical talents, not Ric’s - that’s how it seemed…then. Rick had this slick, huckster like quality, which he brought to most of his interactions. They had some cred because of the Milkwood album. It was also clear they hadn’t gotten very far because of Milkwood. “I’ve been listening to Patti Smith. I can’t tell you what effect listening to her music has had on me!” Ric Ocasek told me over the phone back in 1977 or 78. I don’t specifically remember the year. He and I would talk occasionally after I returned to Vermont having failed in my efforts as a lead singer to get a recording contract, to front a popular drawing crowd band, to get noticed at all. I knew of Patti Smith. I hadn’t bought any of her albums, but I was tuned to the groundswell about her at that time. There was a seriousness and an openness in his voice I hadn’t heard before. He sounded genuinely moved. That was the last time I spoke to Ric. I joined a band called Zzebra. As lead singer of Zzebra, I, we, the world, started hearing about the Cars. Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr made it. They made it big. I still listen to their music quite regularly because I truly enjoy it, for what it represents: pop/rock music with a synthesized, digitized, forward leaning, art/rock, yet, rooted sensibility. Rick Ocasek found his voice …big time. Patti Smith and the punk/new age music explosion of the times freed him to express himself on his own terms. He doesn’t sound like Patti Smith (but if you knew him and how he sounded earlier you can understand how hearing Patti Smith opened up floodgates for him), he sounds like Ric Ocasek. I get goosebumps at times, recognizing he shared that with me. I’ve always acknowledged I never found my voice as a singer, as good of a vocalist as I might’ve been. Knowing someone who did find their voice the way Ric found his gives me a sense of satisfaction. As good of a vocalist and as charismatic of a personality Ben Orr was (he sang their number one signature song, “Just What I Needed,” and “Drive” - the ones that Ric wrote that needed Ben’s melodic good voice) he never matched his partner’s unique and singular sound and voice. As the far weaker singer, Ric became the dominant voice and icon of the group, despite his vocalist shortcomings. His vocal personality became the signature sound of the group. How far would the Cars have gotten with Ben as the sole voice, like Roger Daltry with the Who, we will never know.

[@soniavidal2881]

Eu discordo Ele foi belíssimo os 53 anos na terra

[@chancewilkins3320]

Not into the lace at all..

[@MR-jq4du]

Ben Orr and Ric Ocasek or Ric and Ben, were quite the pair. They seemed co-joined in an intriguing almost mysterious way as if they had something between them you didn’t have. Ben, with his amiable personality and rockstar good looks, was always the focus of any performance of the two of them or with the bands they fronted. If anyone had the goods to make it, Ben had it. Ric, with his lanky frame and face was their manager, promoter, leader and hanger-on. Hanger-on because he didn’t have any musical talent to speak of. He was a third rate singer at best. If they made it, it would be because of Ben’s musical talents, not Ric’s - that’s how it seemed…then. Rick had this slick, huckster like quality, which he brought to most of his interactions. They had some cred because of the Milkwood album. It was also clear they hadn’t gotten very far because of Milkwood. “I’ve been listening to Patti Smith. I can’t tell you what effect listening to her music has had on me!” Ric Ocasek told me over the phone back in 1977 or 78. I don’t specifically remember the year. He and I would talk occasionally after I returned to Vermont having failed in my efforts as a lead singer to get a recording contract, to front a popular drawing crowd band, to get noticed at all. I knew of Patti Smith. I hadn’t bought any of her albums, but I was tuned to the groundswell about her at that time. There was a seriousness and an openness in his voice I hadn’t heard before. He sounded genuinely moved. That was the last time I spoke to Ric. I joined a band called Zzebra. As lead singer of Zzebra, I, we, the world, started hearing about the Cars. Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr made it. They made it big. I still listen to their music quite regularly because I truly enjoy it, for what it represents: pop/rock music with a synthesized, digitized, forward leaning, art/rock, yet, rooted sensibility. Rick Ocasek found his voice …big time. Patti Smith and the punk/new age music explosion of the times freed him to express himself on his own terms. He doesn’t sound like Patti Smith (but if you knew him and how he sounded earlier you can understand how hearing Patti Smith opened up floodgates for him), he sounds like Ric Ocasek. I get goosebumps at times, recognizing he shared that with me. I’ve always acknowledged I never found my voice as a singer, as good of a vocalist as I might’ve been. Knowing someone who did find their voice the way Ric found his gives me a sense of satisfaction. As good of a vocalist and as charismatic of a personality Ben Orr was (he sang their number one signature song, “Just What I Needed,” and “Drive” - the ones that Ric wrote that needed Ben’s melodic good voice) he never matched his partner’s unique and singular sound and voice. As the far weaker singer, Ric became the dominant voice and icon of the group, despite his vocalist shortcomings. His vocal personality became the signature sound of the group. How far would the Cars have gotten with Ben as the sole voice, like Roger Daltry with the Who, we will never know.