The Cars - Double Life

What this video is

Released in December 1979 as the third single from The Cars' sophomore album Candy-O, 'Double Life' arrived at the precise moment when new wave was consolidating its commercial foothold in the United States. The Cars occupied a unique position — critically celebrated for bridging 1970s guitar rock, punk minimalism, synthesizer-driven art rock, and melodic power pop — yet 'Double Life' failed to chart despite the…

Why it matters

Represents the first generation of American new wave performance videos — direct antecedents to the MTV era. The Cars were among the earliest bands to build a significant video catalog before MTV launched, and 'Double Life' exemplifies the stripped-down, performance-first promotional clip that…

The director

Gerald Vincent Casale (born July 28, 1948, Ravenna, Ohio) is co-founder, bassist, co-lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the new wave band Devo, formed in Akron, Ohio in 1973. He directed the majority of Devo's music videos from the mid-1970s onward and…