I have long debated with several of my friends the greatest driving song of all time. The kind of song that has you drumming on your dashboard, blaring your crackling stock speakers in your Honda and risking a serious fine from local law enforcement for your excessive speed. I have narrowed the list to a couple of songs that I especially love. The list includes Free Falling by Tom Petty, Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes, Teenage Wasteland by The Who, Ramble On by Led Zepplin, Panama by Van Halen, Radar Love by Golden Earring, Barracuda by Heart and Alive by Pearl Jam. The list obviously reflects my love for Classic and 80′s/90′s Rock, but I think it covers a number of different genres and very different bands. My criteria became 1) A song you always turn up when it comes on the radio 2) A song that has maintained airplay for an extended period of time 3) A song you enjoy more when you are in the car 4) A song that evokes a physical reaction, such as drumming the stearing wheel or tapping your foot or bobbing your head 5) A song that gets your heart racing and makes you feel free, alive and powerful.
With those criteria I began to make difficult choices amongst the songs I had added to the list. Songs whose lyrics I am most people get wrong and thus sing poorly to were downgraded. (Panama, Ramble On, Blister in the Sun, Barracuda) Free Falling is almost too mainstream and loved by most people so I downgraded it as well. Alive isn’t even close to my favorite Pearl Jam song, even though I think it is their best driving song, so it was downgraded. This left me with The Who, and Golden Earring. The far more significant impact of The Who almost won me over, but the lyrical imagery of Radar Love pushed it over the top. After investigating this song, it turns out the band actually intended to create a great driving song when they wrote it. Well done then gentlemen. I don’t know who you are or even if you are still kicking, but your ode to rockin’ on the highway is still relevant and vivid.
July 17, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I haven’t encountered “Wiser Time”by the Black Crows, so I will give it a listen. Roadrunner is also on my to examine list, thanks for the suggestions.
I also really like to listen to Audio Slave when I drive. Lately the Foo Fighters have been getting a lot of burn as well. The Best of You is a great one to really put to the pedal to the metal to.
July 20, 2008 at 3:35 am
Dire Straits’ “Telagraph Road” (all 12 minutes of it, from the album *Love Over Gold* – which in itself is actually a quite nice travel disk … I can play it in its entirety on a road-trip between Indianapolis and Cincinnati (once I get on I-74, that is).
July 21, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I haven’t cranked up the Dire Straits in sometime. I think that Sultans of Swing is one of my favorite songs ever.
August 6, 2008 at 12:06 am
First i would like to clarify some things…Teenage wasteland by the who…the songs actual title is baba o’reily. the song easy livin’ is by uriah heep.i do agree they are great songs to drive to. but now for some of my favorites. these are not in order other than alphbetical.
rockin into the night 38 special
it’s a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll acdc
walk this way aerosmith
fantasy aldo nova
schools out alice cooper
ramblin man allman brothers
rock n roll party in the streets axe
takin care of buisiness bachman turner overdrive
white wedding billy idol
iron man black sabbath
highway song black foot
smokin boston
born to run bruce springsteen
should i stay or should i go the clash
hot rod lincoln commander cody & the lost planet airmen
suffragette city david bowie
highway star and space truckin deep purple
let it go def leppard
layla derek and the dominoes
china grove doobie brothers
life in the fast lane eagles
slow ride (live) foghat
long,long way from home foreigner
bad to the bone george thorogood
radar love golden earring
jump into the fire harry nilsson
cleveland rocks ian hunter
are you gonna be my girl jet
locomotive breath jethro tull
all along the watch tower jimi hendrix
heading out to the highway judas priest
detroit rock city kiss
kashmir led zeppelin
freebird lynyrd skynyrd
green grass and high tides outlaws
bohemian rhapsody queen
black betty ram jam
back on the road again reo
i can’t drive 55 sammy hagar
the zoo scorpions
born to be wild steppenwolf
stranglehold ted nugent
runnin down a dream tom petty
new orleans is sinking tragically hip
low rider war
i can see for miles the who
i may have left out a few but i think this is a good list. just my opinion
August 12, 2008 at 3:05 am
What about eminence front by the who?
January 26, 2009 at 9:52 am
how about magic carpet ride by steppenwolf?
i give my cars theme songs, and that was the theme song of my tiny little 1990 civic hatchback in college. the stereo and speakers cost more than the car itself.
since then i’ve had a 2002 civic in the reddest red you can imagine, and he loved hot weather, sunglasses, and peeling out at stoplights. his theme song was caress me down by sublime.
at the moment, i have have a 2002 wrangler, affectionately named cowboy, and i indulge him with the only country song i’ll ever play on his soundbar and bazooka tube: save a horse, ride a cowboy.
in my case, it’s about the perfect match with the car, and how awesome i feel while driving and rocking out.
February 14, 2009 at 11:25 am
Springsteen!! You can’t have this list without Springsteen. Thunder Road and Pink Cadillac have to be given strong consideration. In fact, I don’t think you could find anyone with the word “road” in more songs than the Boss, so he has to make this list.
April 1, 2009 at 10:29 pm
“Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac. No matter how loud you have the car stereo, you’ll crank it up even louder during Lindsey Buckingham’s climactic guitar solo.
May 5, 2009 at 1:37 am
I’m going with one of your choices. “Panama” by Van Halen is the best driving song ever. Trampled Underfoot by Led Zeppelin is pretty good too.
April 28, 2011 at 10:13 pm
That’s really thnkniig out of the box. Thanks!