My Best Friend's Girl (song)

"My Best Friend's Girl" was written by Ric Ocasek for the Cars' self-titled debut album. 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. The song first appeared in 1977 on Boston radio stations WCOZ and WBCN from the said demo tape, along with "Just What I Needed". DJ Maxanne Sartori, who was given the tapes of these songs by Ric Ocasek, recalled, "I began playing the demos of 'Just What I Needed' and 'My Best Friend's Girl' in March during my weekday slot, from 2 to 6 p.m. Calls poured in with positive comments." Shortly thereafter, it became one of the stations' most requested songs. ==Composition==

"My Best Friend's Girl" is a new wave, power pop and rockabilly song, written in the key of F major. It begins with chords in the lower register of the guitar, following a two-bar chord progression of F-B-C. The lyrics depict a man's frustration with a woman who is dating his best friend after the man dated her. The narrator notes, "She's my best friend's girl, but she used to be mine." ==Release==

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. The single was the first picture disc available commercially in the UK. "My Best Friend's Girl" was included on the soundtrack to the film Over the Edge (1979), and the song appears on numerous compilation albums, such as the band's Greatest Hits (1985), Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology (1995), and Complete Greatest Hits (2002). A live version of the song by the New Cars appears on their debut album, ''It's Alive!'' (2006). The song originates from late 1976-early 1977 as another successful demo, like "Just What I Needed", of the song was done.{{cite web ==Reception==

Music critics have given the track generally favorable reviews. Billboard 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", Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian rated it as the Cars' 6th greatest song, praising Elliot Easton's opening guitar riff and saying that "The song has such a happy, good-time feel; you would think it’s a song about being happy in love when it’s really all about seeing one’s ex-girlfriend with the guy’s best friend." "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. ==Track listing==

;7" vinyl • "My Best Friend's Girl" (Ocasek) – 3:44 • "Moving in Stereo" (Hawkes, Ocasek) – 5:15 == Personnel ==

• Ric Ocasek – lead vocals, rhythm guitar • Elliot Easton – lead guitar, backing vocals • Benjamin Orr – backing vocals, bass guitar • David Robinson – drums, percussion, Syndrums, backing vocals • Greg Hawkes – keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==