Even among rock music fans, the Cars tune "Moving in Stereo" is an unusual work, hailed by AllMusic as one of the band's "finest experimental tracks." And yet there it is in the Belwin sheet music catalog in an arrangement for "intermediate string orchestra," of all things.
"A blast from the past, yet new audiences are discovering this '80s rock classic," according to the pitch from Alfred Music, which owns Belwin. "The challenging rhythms, dynamics and sonic textures of this arrangement grab the attention of today's young musicians and listeners alike. Detailed instructions are included to help capture the style."
The song, written by the Cars' frontman, Ric Ocasek — who died Sunday at 75 — and keyboardist, Greg Hawkes, features bassist Benjamin Orr singing as if he's a villain in a vintage Universal horror movie. The simple, syncopated instrumentation, pushed by a percussive groove, is all about effect. Eric Gorfain's string arrangement captures the surreal nature of the song with glissandos and pizzicato passages, with hard bowing providing the beat in the absence of drums.
Take a listen, in this performance by a youth ensemble:
Here's the Cars' version from their self-titled 1978 debut album for comparison:
Strangely, considering its revamp for school musicians, "Moving in Stereo" is best known as the tune that plays in the 1982 movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High when Judge Reinhold's character is lustily fantasizing about Phoebe Cates' character emerging from a pool.
Do school music directors realize this? Awkward.
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