Remembering O.A.R.’s Always Turn the Car Around: A Nostalgic Dive into a Pop-Rock Anthem

hey does anybody remember that time when o.a.r. always turn the car around I love it when a good pop rock song embraces the piano and this one just starts off with it right off the bat and this little piano riff to me gives you the sense of like time ticking away or maybe even just a little bit of urgency most of the rest of the song will be based around this riff even if it’s not played on piano and then when the lead singer comes in with that first verse I love that both the lyrics but also just the tone of his voice the way that he’s performing the song to me at least it came at this time in my life where I related to it and he sings it in a way that feels like the kind of way you talk to yourself when you’re giving yourself a Pep talk you know and I love how this melody on the phrase back to you both gives you the sense of closure but also it returns to the original piano riff the beginning so kind of back to you and returning to the original melodic idea but it’s always for me this pre chorus always gave me like a little bit of a hint of U2 just had that vibe about it that I’m good without you they give you this warm up anthem melody the yeahs I remember being in bars and just being out with friends hanging out and stuff and this yeah coming on and us just singing along with it at the top of our lungs and just felt such a great release this hook melody might be one of my favorite pop rock odds melodies ever and then it ends with the Ultra anthemic turn the car around I remember playing this in cover bands or listening to cover bands play this and everyone in the room sings along with this last line I gotta admit when this song first came out I wasn’t in love with it initially but the more I heard it the more I started liking it and now it’s just such a staple part of that era of my life