‘My Best Friend's Girl’ is a song by American rock band the Cars from their 1978 self-titled debut album on Elektra Records, released on June 6 of that year. Written by Ric Ocasek as a song about something that "probably ... happened to a lot of people," the track found radio success as a demo in 1977. It peaked at number 35 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached number three in the UK. It has since been positively received by critics and included in compilation albums for the band.
This was the second single from The Cars, following ‘Just What I Needed.’ Like most of their early songs, Ocasek wrote the song and made the demo at his home studio in Boston. When the band signed with Elektra Records, they recorded these songs with producer Roy Thomas Baker, who was at the controls for many of Queen's recordings. They ended up using Baker on their first four albums. His forte was layering harmony vocals and getting a very clean, crisp sound on his recordings. As he did with Queen, he let The Cars dictate the sessions and encouraged experimentation.
Ric Ocasek later said the lyrics were not inspired by any personal incident, saying "Nothing in that song happened to me personally. I just figured having a girlfriend stolen was probably something that happened to a lot of people." Ocasek also said that the lyrics for the chorus were an afterthought, saying, "At some point, I realized my lyrics didn't include the words 'My Best Friend's Girl.' So I pulled out the lyrics someone had typed up and added a chorus in the margin in pen: 'She's my best friend's girl/She's my best friend's girl/But she used to be mine.'"
Released in October 1978, ‘My Best Friend's Girl’ entered the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the week ending October 21. It peaked at number 35 on the charts in December. In addition, the song reached number 40 on the Dutch Top 40, number 55 in Canada, and number 67 in Australia. The song was the highest-charting UK single of the band's career, peaking at number three in November 1978. The single was the first picture disc available commercially in the UK.
Billboard Magazine described the song as a "melodic youth-oriented rocker" that uses "catchy handclaps" to generate the feel of an early 1960s song. Cash Box said that "the guitar work is derivative but the enthusiasm is refreshing" and praised the vocals and organ playing. AllMusic's Donald A. Guarisco called the song "one of the classics of the Cars' catalog", and Rolling Stone writer Kit Rachlis called it a wonderful pop song. ‘My Best Friend's Girl’ was ranked the 12th best song of 1978 by critics Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein, and it was named one of "The 1001 Best Songs Ever" in a 2003 issue of Q magazine. Some critics have noted the similarity in style of Fountains of Wayne's 2003 hit single ‘Stacy's Mom’ to this song.
Label – Elektra
Songwriter – Ric Ocasek
Producer – Roy Thomas Baker
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]You're always dancing down the street
With your suede blue eyes
And every new boy that you meet
He doesn't know the real surprise
[Pre-Chorus]
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky, ooh
She'll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky
I kinda like the way she dips
[Chorus]
Oh, she's my best friend's girl
Well, she's my best friend's girl, girl
But she used to be mine
[Verse 2]
You got your nuclear boots
And your drip dry glove
Ooh, when you bite your lip
It's some reaction to love, o-ove, o-ove
[Pre-Chorus]
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky, yeah
I'll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky
(Here she comes again)
I kinda like the way, I like the way she dips
[Chorus]
'Cause she's my best friend's girl
Well, she's my best friend's girl, girl
And she used to be mine
She's so fine
[Breakdown]
[Verse 3]
Always da-dancing down the street
With your suede blue eye-eyes
And every new boy that you meet
He doesn't know the real surprise
[Pre-Chorus]
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky
(Here she comes again)
Oh, she'll make you flip
(Here she comes again)
When she's dancing 'neath the starry sky
(Here she comes again)
I kinda like the way, I like the way she dips
[Chorus]
'Cause she's my best friend's girl
She's my best friend's girl, -irl, uh-irl
And she used to be mine
She's so fine
[Outro]
(My best friend's girlfriend) Oh
(My best friend's girlfriend) She used to be mine
(My best friend's girlfriend) Yeah, yeah
(My best friend's girlfriend) Said she used to be mine
(My best friend's girlfriend) Yeah, yeah, yeah
(My best friend's girlfriend) She used to be mine
(My best friend's girlfriend)
(My best friend's girlfriend)