american authors road trip songs

50 Great Songs for Your American Road Trip Playlist

“Get your motor runnin’, head out on the highway. Lookin’ for adventure, and whatever comes our way.” (Steppenwolf)

Imagine the scene. It’s you and your best buddies. The open road in front of you. Maybe you got the top down. The wind is in your hair. There are amazing views all around. A million possibilities await. You’re on a real American road trip. Life is good. Actually, life is amazing!

But the roads are long, and there’s only one thing that could make this trip ANY better! And that’s an epic soundtrack!

Music has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. From my mum’s cassette tapes on long family road trips to the many rock bands I’ve been in over the last twenty years, so I like to think my taste in music is pretty ok… (my friends might disagree).

Think of this as the soundtrack to your adventure. Every great road trip movie has one! And believe me, every time those tunes come on the radio, you’ll be taken straight back to that amazing trip you had!

There are some American classics and a few others I thought appropriate. There were so many more I could have added, but I limited it to 50! Enjoy!

• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
• Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
• Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
• Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
• Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Bright Side of the Road – Van Morrison
• Hotel California – The Eagles
• Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
• Holiday Road – Lindsay Buckingham (the song from the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies)
• Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
• I Drove All Night – Roy Orbison
• (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight – Cutting Crew
• Drive – The Cars
• I Wanna Know What Love Is – Foreigner
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynrd
• California Girls – The Beach Boys
• Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
• Highway to Hell – AC/DC
• The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
• California Dreamin’ – The Mamas and the Papas
• Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins
• Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
• On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
• Maybe Tomorrow – Terry Bush (the theme song to The Littlest Hobo – remember that?)
• San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie
• Holding Out For A Hero – Bonnie Tyler
• Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (a totally British song, but who can forget the opening scene in Wayne’s World?)
• American Woman – Guess Who
• Livin’ On a Prayer – Bon Jovi
• We Didn’t Start the Fire – Billy Joel
• Dude Looks Like a Lady – Aerosmith
• Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
• Country Road – John Denver
• (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay  – Otis Redding
• Layla – Eric Clapton
• American Pie – Don McLean
• Break on Through – The Doors
• Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds
• Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf
• Alright Now – Free
• Paradise By The Dashboard Light – Meatloaf
• Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
• We Built This City – Starship
• Rockstar – Nickelback
• Black Betty – Ram Jam
• Crazy- Aerosmith
• Power of Love – Huey Lewis and the News
• Take It Easy – The Eagles
• Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
• Proud Mary – Tina Turner

And if you want to freak yourself out, watch Deliverance and add on the Duelling Banjos !

Play at full volume and enjoy! Have a missed any good ones?

I love to travel all over the world, but it's Africa that holds a special place in my heart. My mission is to help people travel Africa in an authentic, safe, fun, adventurous and ethical way.

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43 Comments

OMg sooo many good tunes! what a great post!… my download limit will be going crazy tonight!

I know! It was so fun writing this post listening to all the songs again! Ha ha, enjoy!!!!!

I think I would just play Bruce Springsteen on repeat but I like the variety here! I particularly agree with the 1st song, Fleetwood Mac are just perfect road trip material!

Can’t beat a bit of Bruce! I wish I’d put Billy Joel on the list now. I love him! Fleetwood Mac, Go Your Own Way is my ultimate road trip song! Love it!!!!

Love this list! Making the playlist now for our summer road trips. 😉

Brilliant! Fleetwood Mac is my favourite I think! Enjoy!!!

Thanks Elaine!

Great list! But I think you forgot a crucial one with Turn the Page (Bob Seger). That’s a good one for when you’re driving and everyone else is asleep 🙂

Hey Matt, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never heard of that song before! But just listened and I like it! 🙂

Yeah, I can definitely see that. One of those very cool laid back songs! Thanks for the tip. Need to add it to my playlists.

No worries, I think it’s uunderrated! Glad you liked it!

These are all amazing songs for a great roadtrip. I also love the photos you posted, that adventure just rocks and I wish to experience that too where you get to be wild in having fun with your friends. I hope I could have that roadtrip soon. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the lovely comment Joseff!

Get booking or planning your road trip!!! I have some other posts on what we did when we were there also! 🙂

Not only the playlist but also the “picture this…” is awesome! Thank you ever so much for the best webpage with the best playlist, you rock! Gonna have a blast during the upcoming roadtrip (Chicago->Yellowstone-> Vegas-> Route66 Chicago) ‘The wait is so long!

Thanks Joyce for the lovely comment! Your trip sounds amazing!!! Hope you have a great time! Sing loud for me!!!!!!!!!!

It’s a good play list, and you did include Billy Joel, so no worries. Even though I’m an American, I began my 30-year DJ career back in 1982 because of the music I heard coming out of the U.K. in the 70s and early 80s, (can’t drive without Joy Division/New Order, or side 2 of Abbey Road by you-know-who) so my road trip play list differs significantly. One exception is “Dancing in the Moonlight”. I just listened to the Toploaders version, which certainly isn’t bad at all, but I have to say I prefer the American original by King Harvest. “Alright (sic.) Now” is another that I think I have on my BlackBerry for road trips, too.

I’m from Liverpool, and work in Manchester, so very familiar with the bands you mention! 🙂

As a foreigner driving in the US, I like to listen to a lot of American songs! The best playlists are the ones that make you happy! Happy driving!

I would add Truckin’ by the Grateful Dead

Yeah, that’s a great song! Thanks Rashaad! 🙂

Very remarkable compilation I would just add Rockin’ down the Higway by the Doobie Bro

Thnaks for the new suggestion! 🙂

I love this list. Thanks! I would add one more song: 500 miles – Proclaimers 🙂

Yes! The Proclaimers are great! I saw them at V Festival this weekend! 🙂

I think your blog is fantastic, I just read your entire Cali road trip and it’s going to be very similar to mine and my friends except we are starting in San Fran and heading down to Diego. We’re hiring a convertible mustang for the job (we are two guys so we are doing it in true ‘brits on tour’ style). Reading all of it, you’d got us even more completely stoked than we already were.

Cheers for the write up.

Thanks so much Ian! 🙂 Comments like this are what keep me motivated to keep doing what I’m doing! Glad you enjoyed my posts! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, convertible mustang, now THAT is how you do an American road trip!!! 🙂 Have a great time and let me know you get on!!!!!

What a fantastic song list, lots of great music to listen to even if my road trips are mostly the North Yorkshire Moors. My few additions would be: Dakota (Stereophonics), I Need an Energy (Greg Holden) and certainly a bit of U2 and Coldplay.

Thanks for compiling this though, lots of excellent choices.

Happy travelling

Thanks Richard! Great additions! 🙂 (a lot of my road trips are in the UK too)!!

this is a great list. I’m heading on a big road trip in the USA this weekend and downloaded all the songs. Very excited now. Thanks

No worries Tim! Have a great trip!!

Awesome list Helen! Thanks so much for the suggestions! 🙂

No worries Luke! Glad you enjoyed!! 🙂

Thanks for sharing your listing. We did six road-trips, 3 weeks each, through the USA so far. Every year has it favorites. But this one is our favorite: Lonestar – What About Now (Lonely Grill). I was searching on road trip music as I’m an Indoor Spinning instructor and wanted to make a “Road trip” themed lesson. Your input will for sure help me and good to keep the listing for our next road trip to come! Peter – Netherlands.

Hi Peter, no worries! Spinning to a road trip soundtrack? That sounds like my kinda spinning class!!! 🙂

You included The Doors – Break On Through twice!

Thanks! I’d never noticed! Will change when I get a sec.

Thanks to you and everyone else for a great selection of songs!

No PHD “I won’t let you down” REO speed wagon “Take it on the run” Wow!

Can you buy this play list as a cd

There are many reasons why travelers decide to take a road trip. For many with larger families, a road trip could be much more economical than flying. For many others, nothing beats becoming a good old street map and plotting where to proceed. There are numerous major reasons why choosing a road trip is this wonderful adventure. 1 popular explanation is that the road trip provides the excitement of seeing what’s round the corner. For the spontaneous road tripper, a car ride to where the road takes you’ll result in many surprises along the way.

Magnificent Seven – Elmer Bernstein

All are amazing songs for a great road trip. I wish to experience with my friends. Hope so we gonna plan road trip very soon. Thanks for sharing!

This is a great list for traveling anywhere 🙂

All songs are awesome listed above, i find almost all song on spoytify.

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101 Perfect Road Trip Songs – Get This Epic Playlist!

by Denise Mai | Last updated Jan 15, 2023

What would a road trip be without a great playlist? Music has been an essential part of every journey I’ve ever been on. The overwhelming feeling when you hear a song again after a few years and remember all the amazing adventures you had while listening to it. That’s why I have created a playlist with the best road trip songs I can think of. It’s a mixture of new songs and classics, different genres and sentiments. Check out this list and pick your favorites for your next holiday!

Do you need unlimited WIFI while being on the road? Check out my favorite device for getting reliable internet even in remote areas: Skyroam .

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Table of Contents

Best Road Trip Songs For An Epic Journey

• Walk on the Ocean – Toad The Wet Sprocket
• California – Phantom Planet
• Somewhere over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo
• Highway to Hell – AC/DC
• I Lived – One Republic
• American Pie – Don McLean
• Wonderful World – Sam Cooke
• Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn
• It’s my Life – Bon Jovi
• I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers
• Hitch a Ride – Boston
• Island in the Sun – Weezer
• Life is a Highway – Cochrane
• Proud Mary – Creedance Clearwater Revival
• Shut up and Drive – Rihanna
• Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
• Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
• Good Life – One Republic
• Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
• Riptide – Vance Joy
• Hotel California – Eagles
• Ho Hey – The Lumineers
• Route 66 – Chuck Berry
• What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
• On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
• Learning to Fly – Tom Petty
• Trucking – The Grateful Dead
• Young, Wild & Free – Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa
• Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band
• Packing Blankets – Eels
• The Passenger – Iggy Pop
• Take it Easy – Eagles
• Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
• Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts
• Caravan – Van Morrison
• The Way – Fastball
• Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show
• Counting Stars – One Republic
• Legendary – Welshly Arms
• Some Nights – Fun
• Don’t Stop Belivin’ – Journey
• Viva la Vida – Coldplay
• Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Dream On – Aerosmith
• Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
• Piano Man – Billy Joel
• Paradise City – Guns ‘N’ Roses
• Come Away With Me – Norah Jones
• Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles
• Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
• Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf
• Where the Streets have no Name – U2
• Heaven is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
• Leaving on a Jet Plane – Peter, Paul, and Mary
• Perfect Strangers – Jonas Blue
• Summer Nights – John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
• Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme Song
• We Are Young – Fun
• Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
• I’m Yours – Jason Mraz
• Good Riddance – Green Day
• Drops of Jupiter – Train
• A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay
• Sunday Morning – Maroon 5
• Windows are Rolled Down – Amos Lee
• Into The Great Wide Open – Tom Petty
• Adventure of a Lifetime – Coldplay
• Budapest – George Ezra
• Best Day of My Life – American Authors
• All Summer Long – Kid Rock
• On Top of The World – Imagine Dragons
• Drive – Incubus
• A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton
• Big Jet Plane – Angus and Julia Stone
• In the Aeroplane Over The Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
• Jackie Wilson – Hozier
• Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
• Castle On The Hill – Ed Sheeran
• Wheels – Foo Fighters
• Empire State of Mind – Alicia Keys & Jay Z
• C’est la Vie – Bob Seger
• Summer of ’69 – Bryam Adams
• Beautiful Day – Eels
• Far Away – Ingrid Michaelson
• Up Up and Away – Kid Cudi
• Alaska – Maggie Rogers
• Sweet Ride – Mando Diao
• Tiger in My Tank – Eels
• Traveller’s Chant – Rizzle Kicks
• Surfin USA – The Beach Boys
• Ride – Twenty One Pilots
• Long Train Running – Doobie Brothers
• My Favorite Game – The Cardigans
• Everybody Knows This is Nowhere – Neil Young
• Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
• (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding
• Hook – Blues Traveler
• Here I Go Again – Whitesnake

Do you want to have even more opportunities for road trips? Remote work allows you to work from anywhere in the world which means you can travel whenever and wherever you want and simply take your work (aka your laptop) with you.  If you have no idea what kind of job you could do online, check out my popular online course “ Zero to Remote Work Success “.

Here you learn step by step how you can find a remote job that you love AND that pays the bills – even with no previous experience or without being very tech-savvy. Kickstart your remote career today and enjoy the freedom to travel whenever you want!

How to Listen to Your Favourites

The easiest way to listen to your favorite and best road trip songs while traveling is probably by using your smartphone and a streaming service, such as Spotify or Apple Music . If you won’t have an internet connection while driving you can save playlists offline. These services are fairly cheap, too. Student plans start at around 5 EUR a month.

You could also use the free version of Spotify and simply use a hotspot with unlimited WIFI to stream it as you go. This also gives you the chance to do other stuff on the internet as well while traveling.

If you don’t want to listen to the songs with a headset and your smartphone is not loud enough, use a portable speaker . There are some great wireless speakers out there, working with Bluetooth, which have excellent sound quality. Most of them are very small (mini ones even fit on your keyring) and have a USB port, in case you don’t want to use it via Bluetooth.

Rock Your Next Road Trip

I hope these 101 best road trip songs prepared you for your next journey. If you haven’t lined up a trip at the moment, listen to them while working out, cleaning the house or relaxing on the couch. They will surely trigger your desire for adventure and make you want to pack your bags and leave straight away. Nothing better than starting your new trip with good music.

Which song do you like most? Maybe there is another great road trip song that you absolutely love and that is missing? Let me know in the comment section below!

In case you are still in need for some inspiration, check out these awesome quotes about traveling , that you don’t get to hear every day.

Founder of Digital Nomad Soul

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by! My name is Denise and I have been working online for more than 10 years. In the past, I worked as a remote employee and freelancer & managed to build a six-figure online business. I know that many others would love to work from home or work while traveling, too. That’s why I want to share my experience and help you on your way to your remote career!

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Road Trip Playlist (150 Songs!)

By: Author Isabelle Robledo

Posted on Last updated: December 14, 2023

If you’re going on a road trip you must have an awesome playlist! As a passionate road tripper, who’s been traveling in an RV with my parents and four siblings for the last 5 years, and a music lover, going on a road trip without an awesome road trip playlist is the worst packing mistake you could make.

I’ve put together a complete road trip playlist to last you til the end of time (or at least 9 hours). Below is the perfect road trip playlist divided into four parts whether you’re looking for happy music, chill background tunes, head-nodding jams, or classic sing-alongs!

I’ve included a link at the bottom so you can download this entire playlist on Spotify as well as each playlist.

Before you head out on that epic road trip, check out our other Road Trip Blogs:

• Road Trip Pack List
• How to Plan a Successful Road Trip
• Tips for Your First Camping or RV Trip
• 14 Tips For Your First Road Trip
• How To Road Trip on a Budget
• Essential RV Gadgets for Your RV
• Roadschooling Your Kids

The Perfect Road Trip Playlist 

• Happy Playlist

Songs to keep the good vibes rolling

1. Buttercup – Jack Stauber

2. Shut Up And Dance – WALK THE MOON

3. Blisters In The Sun – Violent Femmes

4. Gone Daddy Gone – Violent Femmes

5. Everyday People – Sly & The Family Stone

6. Someday – The Strokes

7. One Of Us – New Politics

8. NBHD – Onerepublic 

9. Good Life – Onerepublic

10. Life in Color – Onerepublic 

11. Lucky – Jason Mraz

12. Midnight City – M83

13. Oxygen – Dirty Heads

14. I Don’t Care – Ed Sheeran (with Justin Bieber)

15. Dog Days Are Over – Florence And The Machine

16. When It Was Wrong – California Honeydrops

17. Cleopatra – The Lumineers 

18. Burn The House Down – AJR

19. Everything Now – Arcade Fire 

20. Ride – Twenty One Pilots

21. High Hopes – Panic! At The Disco

22. We Are Young – fun

23. The Walker – Fitz And The Tantrums

24. Wake Up – Arcade Fire

25. Upside Down – Jack Johnson

26. Starman – David Bowie

27. 9 to 5 – Dolly Partson

28. Faith – George Michael 

29. Take It All Back 2.0 – Judah & The Lion

30. Unbelievers – Vampire Weekend 

31. Might Be Right – White Reaper

32. Everybody Talks – Neon Trees

33. The Hype – Twenty One Pilots 

34. Fool – Dan Luke and The Raid 

35. The Underdog – Spoon

36. Safe And Sound – Capitol Cities

37. Best Day Of My Life – American Authors

38. My Life – Billy Joel

• Jam On Playlist

These songs for when you’ve been driving for hours on end and to need a jump start

39. What’s Up- 4 Non-Blondes

40. Back In Black – AC/DC

41. Like A Stone – Audioslave

42. E-Pro – Beck 

43. Hard To Handle – The Black Crowes

44. Pump It – Black Eyed Peas

45. Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen

46. Come A Little Closer – Cage the Elephant 

47. The Distance – Cake

48. What I Got – Sublime

49. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) –

50. The Kids Aren’t Alright – Fall Out Boy

51. This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race – Fall out Boy

52. Handlebars – Flobots

53. Best Of You – Foo Fighters

54. Sweet Child O’Mine – Guns N’ Roses

55. Choke – I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME

56. Believer – Imagine Dragons

57. Overthinker – INZO

58. Gloria – The Lumineers 

59. Float On – Modest Mouse

60. Supermassive Black Hole – Muse

61. Come As You Are – Nirvana

62. Feel It Still – Portugal. The Man

63. Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen

64. Creep – Radiohead

65. Sky Is The Limit – Rebelution 

66. Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers

67. Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers

68. Paint It Black – The Rolling Stones

69. I Heard It Through The Grapevine – The Slits 

70. Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol

71. Best Friend – Sofi Tukker (Feat. NERVO, The Knocks, & Alli Ueno)

72. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden

73. Dream On – Aerosmith

74. Drive – Incubus 

• Chill Playlist

Songs perfect for when you want good music that can be in the background

75. Stand Tall – Dirty Heads

76. Home – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros 

77. Take a Walk – Passion Pit

78. Young Folks – Peter Bjorn & John

79. High Dive – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

80. When It Was Wrong – California Honeydrops

81. The Girl – City and Colour

82. Clocks – Coldplay

83. Hang Me Up To Dry – Cold War Kids 

84. Half The World Away – Oasis

85. Space Oddity – David Bowie 

86. Ho Hey – The Lumineers

87. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

88. Everlong (Acoustic Version) – Foo Fighters

89. Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People

90. Dead Sea – The Lumineers 

91. Dirty Paws – Of Monsters And Men

92. Oxford Comma – Vampire Weekend

93. Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton

94. Viva La Vida – Coldplay

95. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s

96. The Night We Met – Lord Huron

97. The World At Large – Modest Mouse 

98. Guiding Light – Mumford & Sons 

99. Starlight – Muse

100. Liztomania – Phoenix

101. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd 

102. Circles – Post Malone

103. death bed (coffee for your head) – Powfu, beabadoobe

104. Karma Police – Radiohead 

105. Courage To Grow – Rebelution

106. Losing My Religion – R.E.M

107. Wish I Knew You – Revivalists

108. Tiger Striped Sky – Roo Panes 

109. New Slang – The Shins 

110. Sunday Best – Surfaces 

111. Dancing In The Moonlight – Toploader

112. Riptide – Vance Joy

113. Superposition – Young The Giant 

114. In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins 

• Classics Playlist

Songs we consider classics in our household that you will want to sing along to, dance, or both

115. A-Punk – Vampire Weekend

116. I’m Yours – Jason Mraz

117. Have You Ever Seen The Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival

118. Starman – David Bowie

119. American Pie – Don Mclean

120. Heartache Tonight – Eagles 

121. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go – Wham!

122. Without Me – Eminem

123. Africa – Toto

124. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads

125. Santeria – Sublime

126. Escape (The Piña Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes 

127. Come And Get Your Love – Redbone

128. Oh Pretty Woman – Roy Robinson

129. Stand By Me – Ben E. King

130. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

131. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

132. Counting Stars – Onerepublic 

133. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye

134. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – Frankie Valli

135. You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall & Oats 

136. Hotel California – Eagles

137. Loser – Beck

138. Hooked On A Feeling – Blue Swede

139. Cigarette Daydream – Cage The Elephant

140. Dancing Queen – ABBA

141. House Of The Rising Sun – The Animals

142. Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The Clash 

143. All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers

144. Island In The Sun – Wheezer

145. Fell In Love With A Girl – The White Stripes

146. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

147. Free fallin’ – Tom Petty

149. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrn

150. The Joker – The Steve Miller Band

151. Another One Bites The Dust – Queen

152. The Devil Went Down To Georgia – The Charlie Daniels Band

Download the Entire Playlist on Spotify

You can click here to get the whole Spotify playlist or the titles below for each playlist

Road Trip Inspo

Here are some of our favorite road trip itineraries to inspire your next vacation!

• Ultimate West Coast Road Trip Guide
• Southern California Road Trip
• Million Dollar Highway Road Trip
• Alaska Road Trip
• Colorado Road Trip
• Oregon Road Trip
• Idaho Road Trip
• California Coast Road Trip
• Northern California Waterfall Road Trip
• Washington Cascade Loop Road Trip
• Southwest National Parks Road Trip
• Washington State National Parks Road Trip
• South Dakota Black Hills Road Trip
• Canada National Parks Road Trip
• Sea To Sky Highway Road Trip

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60 Best Road Trip Songs to Rock the Drive

Written By: The Planet D

Updated On: March 16, 2023

Our list of the best road trip songs from the classics to today. We do a lot of road trips have rounded up the best driving songs to help you pass the time.

Nothing makes driving better than a good road trip playlist. And we’ve compiled the ultimate road trip playlist for your next overland adventure.

Table of Contents

The Best Road Trip Songs

1. sympathy for the devil by the rolling stones.

If you are looking for a song to drive to with a lot of groove, Sympathy for the Devil is just the ticket. We’ve been lucky enough to see the Rolling Stones in concert three times. Dave even met the band way back in 2003 when he shot a media blitz they did in Toronto.

This is by far our favorite Rolling Stones song for a road trip . Even if we have to get out of the car soon, we’ll leave the engine running until the final chord is played!

Get it on Amazon for just $1.29 / Buy the  Rolling Stones Greatest Hits  on Amazon

2. Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd

I didn’t know a lot about Lynyrd Skynyrd until I watched the documentary Muscle Shoals . It’s a music biography about one of the most innovative sound studios of the 60s featuring the Rolling Stones and Lynard Skynyrd.

But I have always known the song Sweet Home Alabama, and there is something about this song’s beat that make it the perfect driving song.

In Sweet Home Alabama, there’s a stanza saying: “ Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers And they’ve been known to pick a song or two “

Watching Muscle Shoals makes us want to get in the car and drive to Alabama to see the famous studio for ourselves!

Purchase Sweet Home Alabama for $1.29

3. Little Red Corvette By Prince

One of the best driving songs ever is Little Red Corvette by Prince. Who wouldn’t want to be driving a red corvette through the streets. The song is filled with metaphors, but when I sing it, I just think about driving.

It is sad to see another legend lost, but his music lives on. Buy Little Red Corvette $1.29

Pick up a copy of  Prince’s Greatest Hits , you won’t be disappointed. But there are some tributes happening on Spotify now.

4. Another One Bites the Dust by Queen

Queen is my ultimate favourite band. Metallica is Dave’s. I could have just said, “ buy Queen’s greatest hits and you’ll have the perfect Road Trip playlist”.

However, I can only choose one, and if you want a song that picks you up when you’re feeling a little groggy on the road, Another One Bites the Dust does the trick. Man, I love the bass in this song.

If you watch the Queen Documentary on the  BBC , you’ll learn that the Bass Player, John Deacon, actually wrote some of Queen’s biggest anthems, like this one, You’re my Best Friend and I Want to Break Free.

Get Another One Bites the Dust on Amazon just $1.29 / Watch Bohemian Rapsody

• Start Planning our own road trip with  National Geographic’s World Atlas  available on Amazon 

5. Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars

While spending a summer in Spain and driving around  Costa Brava this Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars tune was was our go-to road trip song. We called it the song of summer and whenever it came on, we’d jive and jam in the car.

Dave and I love to sing during a road trip and this one makes you want to wail at the top of your lungs. “We’re gonna Uptown Funk you Up!”

Download Up Town Funk on Amazon 

6. Home for a Rest by Spirit of the West

This roadtrip song by Canada’s Spirit of the West always makes me want to go to London, England, and hang out in the pubs. I think about all the travels we have done, and when we do come home, we really do need a rest. 

Travel  is exhausting and when you add pub crawling to the mix, it is doubly exhausting. Spirit of the West captured the spirit of travel beautifully with this perfect driving song.

“ You’ll have to excuse me I’m not at my best, I’ve Been Gone for a Month, I’ve Been Drunk Since I left. These so called vacations will soon be my death, I’m so sick from the Drink, I need home for a rest …”

Download now on Amazon

7. Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

How does one choose a favourite Red Hot Chili Pepper’s song? They have so many great albums. But Californication is the perfect tune for a road trip. Heck, even the video is all about driving.

I used to say, “How can anyone not name Red Hot Chili Peppers as one of the greatest bands of all time?” I mean, everything is perfection. Anthony Kiedis is a poet, Flea is a master on the bass, and John Frusciante creates the most memorable and intricate guitar riffs out there today. Plus, how can you forget Chad Smith on drums. He’s quiet and unassuming in real life, just like his music: Subtle and creative. Plus, he looks exactly like Will Ferrel.

You’ve got to read  Scar Tissue  by Anthony Kiedis – this book will blow your mind about everything he and the band have gone through. Buy the album  Californication . The entire disc is perfection.

8. 500 Miles by The Proclaimers

There’s nothing really amazing musically about this song by the  Scottish  Band, the Proclaimers, but when it comes to road trip music, it has the perfect beat. When comes up on the playlist, everyone stops to sing along. This song was made to be a song to drive to!

It’s one of those songs that you can’t help but love. Even if you hate it! I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) must be included on your Road Trips Songs playlist, it would be criminal to leave it out. Check out our guide to the North Coast 500

Buy it on Amazon for $1.29 / Rent  Benny and Joon where the song was featured

9. Take it Easy by The Eagles

Remember when Elaine’s boyfriend refused to speak to anyone when Desperado came on the radio during a classic  Seinfeld episode ? When it comes to the Eagles,  Hotel California  is our song. But when it comes to road trip songs by The Eagles, Take it Easy is Number one. See a great California Road Trip at 17 Mile Drive in Monterey

“ Well I’m a runnin’ down the road trying to loosen my load I’ve got seven women on my mind”

This song was meant for driving. It’s seriously all a bout driving.

If you happen to be going on an Arizona Road Trip, be sure to stop on the corner of Winslow Arizona like in the lyrics “ Well, I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona . Such a fine sight to see .”

Don’t speak to me, don’t even look at me when Hotel California comes on because I am going to sing along and play air guitar to that classic solo.

Get it now on Amazon / Get the  Hell Freezes Over Tour  where the Eagles come together live.

10. Running on Empty by Jackson Browne

I bet you didn’t know that Jackson Browne played a huge role in making the Eagles famous. He was roommates with Glen Frey and Don Henley at one point.

Heck, for the longest time when I was a kid, I thought Running on Empty was performed by the Eagles. They have similar sounds because Jackson Browne actually co-wrote a lot of the Eagles songs. How do we know all this? We watched the Eagles documentary.

Anyway, back to the song. Running on Empty is a road trip song, period. Come on, the album cover has a road on it!

Buy Running on Empty on Amazon / Rent the movie  The Eagles History  to see the role Jackson Brown played in their success.

11. Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf

Who doesn’t love Meatloaf? Paradise by the Dashboard Light was the song of the 70s. There are so many layers to this song and right from that first guitar lick, you can’t help but get ready to start singing along in the car.

Dave and I love it when it breaks into a duet and we sing back and forth. We start screaming until our vocal chords nearly break. After that song, you almost have to pull over for a break. It’s that intense. For us, it’s one of the most fun songs to drive to on our playlist.

Get the album  Bat Out of Hell . Every song is great.

A great one day drive that we highly recommend is the  Hana Highway on Maui.  Make sure you have your road trip songs picked out because radio service in limited. 

12. Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band

“T his here’s the story ’bout Billy Joe and Bobby Sue “.

The Steve Miller Band’s Songs were made to sing along to. Dave and I love to harmonize to their music. It’s just so easy to hear the thirds and fifths. The reason we chose Take the Money and Run is that ” They’re headed down south and they’re still running today .”

We don’t plan on shooting anyone and taking their money, but we do plan on traveling forever. It’s in our blood and even if we do settle down a bit, something tells me we’ll always be on the move. Dave and I moved to  Vancouver  in 1992 and we’re still moving today. Maybe not running, but definitely at a steady pace.

Get Steve Miller’s Take the Money and Run

13. Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf

It’s probably the first and most cliché road trip song that anyone thinks of. Considering the lyrics start with:

“ Get your motor running Head out on the highway .”

So, really any road trip playlist would be remiss by not including it. It’s a good one to get the energy up when hitting the open road.

Add it to the list from Amazon

14. I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash

I love this song by the Man in Black. If you are looking for a song to drive to that is challenging to learn, this is it! It’s all about the places he has been crisscrossing through North America on his tour bus.

I originally only had this song in our travel songs playlist, but I realize that not everyone checks out both articles, so I had to bring it over here. You can’t ever leave out Johnny Cash man.

Get motivated on Amazon

15. On the Road Again by Willie Nelson

On The Road Again is the quintessential song about road tripping. But, his laid back style of singing will make for a relaxed road trip moment and be sure to keep you within the speed limit. It’s a fitting song for this list because after all “I just can’t wait to get on the road again.”

Buy it now $1.29

16. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Everybody loves Bruce Springsteen and Baby we were born to run, is one of the great songs to drive to. This entire song is about driving and running. It’s about getting out of the small town trap and getting to the place you want to be.

The Boss is a great lyricist using car metaphors to tell his story. This driving beat will make you want to get behind your engine and run too.

Buy it on Amazon

17. Graceland by Paul Simon

When Paul Simon’s Graceland came out I went nuts for the rhythms inspired by his trip to Africa. When I went to Kenya for the first time , I was totally blown away that I stayed at the same lodge that he and Carrie Fisher stayed at during that exact trip. But that’s another story.

Graceland is an awesome song that fits with driving through America’s southern states. Who wouldn’t want to take a road trip to Elvis’s Graceland?

Get it now to see what I’m talking about

18. Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane

We always love including Canadians. Tom Cochrane’s rock anthem “Life is a Highway” was playing across radio stations throughout the summer that Dave and I met.

We’d drive down the road belting out “ life is a highway, I wanna drive it all night long .” It has a great driving beat and the lyrics are easy to learn. It’s perfect for a road tripping son.

get it on Amazon

19. Love Shack by the B52s

You can’t have a party without The B52s. I’ll never forget seeing them in concert. I had no idea who they were a friend invited me and I’m glad he did.

We arrived at Massey Hall in Toronto where the crowd was filled with people sporting beehive hairdos and wardrobes straight out of Austin Powers.

Once the music started, we rushed the stage and there I stood at the very front listening to the best party tunes I’ve ever heard. When choosing road trip music, be sure to include Love Shack!

Get Love Shack on Amazon

20. Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys

It was after watching  Love and Mercy  and  The Wrecking Crew  that we realised just what a genius Brian Wilson is. We even had the opportunity to see the Beach Boys live (sans Brian Wilson) at a private party in Orlando a few years ago.

They made a lot of good lighthearted songs like California Girls, Surfin’ USA and Kokomo, but it’s Good Vibrations that really shows the depth and musicality of the band’s genius. This song has the vibe that both Dave and I love for a road trip. I’m pickin’ up Good Vibrations.

Listen now on Amazon

21. Back in Black by ACDC

You may be thinking “No way, Highway to Hell is the ACDC song that fits in the road trip play list”. You may be correct, but doesn’t Back in Black have an awesome beat. That guitar at the beginning just rocks.

It’s no wonder Marvel’s Iron Man used it as the song for their opening scene as Robert Downey Jr. was driving with a band of army guys (and gal) from his arms dealing display in  Afghanistan .

Ever since then I’ve associated Back in Black with driving. Sure, he was in a Humvee and I’m usually in a mini compact economy car, but hey, I feel tough when that tune is playing.

Start making your own road tripping playlist for just $1.29 / Buy it on Amazon

22. The Way by Fastball

Don’t you ever want to just hit the road without ever knowing the way. That’s what this song is about. One of my favorite lyrics in the song is “an exit to eternal summer slacking, but where were they going without ever knowing the way.” So let’s. go wander the highway while listening to The Way.

23. Lose Yourself by Eminem

I once sang this song in  Belize  with the local crime lord. I didn’t know it at the time, but after I got off the karaoke stage, where I was joined by a random man who had a big grin on his face, I was told, he was that man. Woah.

The friends you make when you sing Eminem. But this song rocks. Dave and I saw 8 Mile in the theatre and were totally impressed with Mr. Marshall Mathers’ acting ability.

We promptly bought the soundtrack and learned the lyrics to this song.

It’s one of those songs where, once you learn the lyrics, you never forget them because they are so fast and furious, you fall over yourself trying to say them with him!

Listen to Lose Yourself now / Get the Movie  8 Mile on Amazon Prime

24. Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac

A road trip song playlist wouldn’t be complete without Fleetwood Mac and this song has the groove for driving.

“Let’s all sing it together….You can go your own way, Go your own way You can call it another lonely day You can go your own way”

25. See You Again by Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth

Why this song wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award was beyond me. Everyone was shocked when actor Paul Walker was killed in a car crash. He died during the filming of Furious 7.

I never did see the film, but this song played during his final scene in the movie, which I read all about. It seemed to be a beautiful send off to him and whenever I hear it, it still brings a little tear to my eye.

This is a great song for a road trip and is fitting since it’s the title theme for a movie about fast cars.

Buy this song on Amazon $1.29 / Watch all the  Fast and the Furious Movies  in this Box Set.

26. Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp

John Cougar was the first musician I ever saw live. My brother and now sister in law brought me to a show at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton and I couldn’t get enough of his music after that.

I loved his rockabilly sound and to this day, the minute those first five chords ring out over the car stereo, I start rockin’. Jack and Diane is probably his best song and is all about two American kids living in the  heartland .

Check it out on Amazon $1.29

27. Drive My Car by The Beatles

Baby you can drive my car, yes I’m gonna be a star. Have you watch Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney and James Corden yet? It is awesome and yes, they do sing the quintessential Beatles road tripping song as they drive around Liverpool checking out Paul’s old haunts.

28. You Oughta Know by Alannis Morisette

The feminism anthem of the 1990s was written and performed by a Canadian. We owned the album Jagged Little Pill and there isn’t a bad song in the bunch.

But it’s You Oughta Know that is one of the best road trip songs on the album. The staccato speech at the beginning gets you hooked for the driving beats ahead making it one of the best driving songs out there.

“I – Want – you – to – know. That – I’m – happy for you. I – wish – nothing – but – the – best – for – you both.”

Was this sone about Joey from Full House? We’ll never know. But you oughta know

Buy the  album Jagged Little Pill,  it’s a good one!

29. Sweet Child O’Mine by Guns n’ Roses

Okay, Dave and I are huge Guns n’ Roses fans. When choosing road trip songs, GnR is right at the top.

We know every word, and both of us immediately stop talking and start singing and playing air guitar. (Or if Dave’s driving, air drumming on the steering wheel.) Guns n’ Roses’ music holds up after all these years and they have many songs made for passing the time on long drives.

Download Sweet Child O’ Mine on Amazon

30. Coming to America by Neil Diamond

During our cycling road trip through Africa . I had Neil Diamond’s Greatest Hits on my playlist. Whenever I was feeling exhausted or just overwhelmed with the scope of the day’s ride ahead, I’d put on Neil Diamond’s mix of mellow and fun tunes. It was “Coming to America” that picked me up the most. It’s just so motivating.

The driving beat makes you feel that you can do anything. It’s all about traveling far and coming to America. I’m not even American, and it inspires me. This song captures what America used to be to so many people. Let’s hope they get there again.

Buy on Amazon Now

Enjoy reading about our road trip through the Causeway Coast at  The Best Things to do in Northern Ireland

31. Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas

If you are a fan of  Supernatural , (the TV series) you’ll recognize this song from the recaps they do at the beginning of most seasons. This song by Kansas has stood the test of time, not only because of Supernatural, but it was huge during the Guitar Hero days.

When they belt out their harmonies at the beginning followed by the hard drums and guitar solo, you can’t help but bounce to the beat. It’s no wonder this song is featured on Supernatural, Sam and Dean are always driving from town to town in Dean’s 1967 Chevy Impala

32. Hello by Adele

Who doesn’t love Adele’s velvet voice? Sure, “Hello” isn’t a fast-paced tune, but it is an excellent road trip song. Why? Because you can howl, scream and holler along.

Turn the stereo up to 11 and belt out those notes along with Adele. Don’t worry, everyone in the car will be singing along, so nobody will hear you scream “ Hello from the outside “.

Buy Hello to Add to your Road Trip Songs playlist $1.29

33. The Nights by Avicii

The best road trip songs are upbeat and easy to sing to. If you agree with that definition, The Nights is definitely a perfect tune for your playlist.

It’s easy to learn the lyrics and a lot of fun to sing a long with. The song is by the Swedish DJ Avicii, but it feels more  Celtic  to me. It was an awesome tune on our playlist for our road trip through Ireland last year.

You can buy the single on Amazon

34. The Distance by Cake

Man, Cake has some great road trip songs. They have a super sense of humour and their music is just simply a lot of fun. I could choose a couple of their songs for our road trip playlist, like Short Skirt Long Jacket or the hilarious Sheep go to Heaven, but Going the Distance is the song that was made for a road trip.

Because that’s in essence what you are doing when driving, right? “You’re going the distance, and you’re going for speed.”

Add Going the Distance to your Road Trip Playlist

35. More Than a Feeling by Boston

Lead Singer Brad Delp had one of the best voices in Rock n’ Roll. Dave and I love great vocalists and Boston’s songs were meant to wail to. He could reach the high notes with such clarity and there’s nothing more satisfying when out for a long day on the road than reaching those notes in the car and pretending to be a rock star. This is the song to do that to.

Buy More than a Feeling on Amazon

36. American Pie by Don McLean

When on a long road trip, there’s nothing better than a really long anthem-like song to come on. The miles seem to just fall away on the road. American Pie is one of those songs. A song that cuts nearly 10 minutes out of your road trip, as you sing along with each verse.

There’s something about knowing all the lyrics of American Pie that makes you feel like you are smart or something. When you know every word, it’s impressive to others. Well, at least Dave and I impress ourselves and that’s all that matters since we’re usually the only two in the car!

Download the ultimate road trip song on Amazon

37. American Woman by The Guess Who

Let’s stay with the American theme and go with this American classic, written by Canadians! When Dave and I got free tickets to see The Guess Who from his friend who ran their lighting, we weren’t sure what to expect. Weren’t these some old guys that sang songs we’ve never heard of? Boy were we wrong.

Burton Cummings’ voice is outstanding and Randy Bachman can make his guitar sing. But you’d also be surprised how many songs you know by the Guess Who. They had hit after hit.

American Woman has been deemed an American Anthem, but what’s funny about it is that the entire song disses on America.

“ I don’t need your war machines, I don’t need your ghetto scenes”. Colored lights may hypnotize Sparkle someone else’s eyes”

Listen closely and you’ll see that they’re telling America to stay away from them!

Get American Woman on Amazon 1.29

38. All About the Bass by Meghan Trainor

When I first heard Meghan Trainor’s voice I was hooked. It’s so clear and fun. Have you seen her sing on Jimmy Fallon with the Roots playing kids school instruments as back up? It’s amazing. That’s how you know someone can sing: When they’ve got nothing backing them up but a kazoo and they sound awesome.

This tune is so much fun. We’re also fans of Your Lips Are Movin’ by her as well. Meghan Trainor’s tunes were made for road tripping.

Get this road trip song on Amazon

39. Africa by Toto

Let’s slow This Road Trip Songs Playlist down a little now. Africa by Toto didn’t mean a lot to me until I went to Africa. They capture it beautifully in the song and it’s so soothing to listen to.

Wild dogs really do cry out in the night and yes,  Kilimanjaro  does rise like Olympus above the Serengeti. When Africa comes on, it makes me want to book a flight to Tanzania or Kenya.

These countries are two of our favorite places in the world and we could go back again and again. But until we do, there’s always Toto there to remind us of how much we love it.

Download on Amazon

• One of our favorite road trips where we had the tunes cranked was definitely a drive along the  Cowboy Route in Southern Alberta. 

40. Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey

Journey may have had a resurgence thanks to Glee, but we have always loved them. Open Arms is actually my favourite by them, but it doesn’t exactly fit the bill as one of the best road trip songs of all time. It’s more of a love ballad. We were both huge fans of Separate Ways, but perhaps the synthesizer is a little dated.

Don’t Stop Belivin’ is definitely the Journey song that was made for driving. Heck it’s even about taking a journey. “Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit . He took the midnight train going anywhere”.

Buy the song on Amazon / Rent the movie  Don’t Stop Believin ‘, it’s so inspiring!

41. I Bet My Life by Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons are quickly becoming one of our favourite bands of the 2000s. They are so versatile, with so many hits you don’t even realise they are the same band. They are the same guys that sing Radioactive, Demons and It’s Time. All songs are so different.

But it’s I Bet My Life that makes us want to bop our heads to the beat. We drove a lot through  Europe  last year and this was one of the big road trip songs for us to listen to.

Buy I Bet My Life for just $1.29

42. Dream On by Aerosmith

This song starts off slow and builds to a screeching point with Steven Tyler wailing “ Dream On, Dream On, Dream On, Dream Until Your Dreams Come True! “

You don’t want to be in the car with Dave and I when this song is on. Both of us are yelling at the top of our lungs and banging our heads to the beat. When Dream on comes on the radio, there’s no talking to either of us until the song is over.

Buy  AeroSmith’s Greatest Hits

• You don’t have to be in a car to appreciate good music. We had our playlist going like made in our Bluetooth helmets during our  tour around Lake Superior  on motorcycles. 

43. Rock Star by Nickelback

Hey, don’t hate on Nickelback okay? Everyone loves to hate this band, and yet they still have tons of top hits and sold out shows. Yes, Chad Kroeger’s hair sucks with his long bleach blond locks and dark roots and his goatee does not fit his face, but Nickleback has some pretty memorable tunes.

I remember listening to them sing live from “The Edge Studios” in Toronto for the first time when they belted out How you Remind Me. That song was their breakout hit, but you gotta listen to Rock Star. The lyrics of this song are hilarious and it was made for singing along to in the car.

Give Rock Star a chance now

44. Hey Ya by Outkast

I love the positive beat of this song. Sure it may or may not be a break up song, I can’t be sure about the lyrics – is it about breaking up or staying together? Who cares, it’s gone a cool vibe.

The video is so much fun and when this tune comes on, you instantly feel good. Andre3000 was named one of the best rappers of all time, and yet it’s this little ditty that we love for a road trip. My Baby don’t mess around.

Hey Ya on Amazon

45. Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks

The ultimate female rock voice is Stevie Nicks. This has been one of my favourite songs for years. I could only wish that I had a Rock n Roll voice. Mine was stuck in the pop world, but that didn’t mean that I didn’t daydream about rocking it like Stevie on the big stage one day.

This rock song is great for anyone.  Even Dave rocks out to it when I turn it on. It may have never made it to the top 10 when it was released in 1981, but this is the most memorable of all her songs and over time has gained more fame and glory than it had during its original release.

Give it a shot and listen to it!

46. I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones

This is the easiest song to sing along to. It repeats and repeats but the beat keeps on going. When we’re on a super long road trip, we agree, Twenty, Twenty, Twenty-Fours hours to go! I wanna be sedated. Get the Ramones on your road trip playlist now. They’ll have you Ba ba baba, baba ba baba along all night long!

Purchase I Wanna Be Sedated

One of our latest road trip adventures took us to  Fraser Island in Australia . We spent 3 days driving through the sand dunes and scenery of this amazing destination. 

47. Redemption Song by Bob Marley

Bob Marley is another artist where we could just put on his greatest hits and make that a road trip playlist. But the self imposed rules of this article was to choose only one song per artist.

Yes, he has more up-tempo songs that could fit the genre better, but we feel that sometimes you gotta slow down when choosing a road trip song and let the mellow feeling takeover as you drive the open road.

Redemption Song is the perfect song for that occasion. It’s one of those songs where you can put your vocal skills to the test and sing with feeling.

Download Redemption Song for 1.29 on Amazon

48. Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie

Sticking with slow songs, Dave and I love this one by Death Cab for Cutie. It’s a love song and we love a good love song. Hey, we’re both romantics at heart. One of my favourite lines is:

“You and me have seen everything to see From Bangkok to Calgary The soles of your shoes are all worn down “ That’s how Dave and I feel, we’ve seen it all together and we love doing so.

Download this now  for your Road Trip Song Playlist on Amazon

49. Life’s Been Good by Joe Walsh

Another very long tune. Life’s Been Good is a great road trip sing-a-long song. It goes on for a whopping 8 minutes. Do you know how many km you can cover when driving at 100km (or if you’re like most people, 120km) per hour?

That’s right, 15km will fly right by! How does Life’s Been Good fit with a road trip? Well, he does sing, “ My  Maserati  does 185, I lost my license, now I don’t drive. ” Best lyrics ever!

50. Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan

Well, since we’re in the vein of 1960s music icons. We must include a little Bob Dylan. You see, you want your road trip playlist to be versatile. You can’t stick with one genre or one decade. It needs to span many years and cover all music types.

That way you never get bored. Shelter from the Storm is one of Bob’s greatest hits and he’s had many.

You may choose one of his more famous songs like Blowin’ in the Wind, Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door or Mr. Tambourine Man, But listen to Shelter from the Storm. This is a great song.

Purchase Shelter From the Storm Now

51. Piano Man by Billy Joel

I’ll never forget locking up Sherry Ott’s phone (of  Ottsworld’s ) during the  Mongol Rally.  She and Rick had to listen to our playlist the rest of the 10,000 km and she mentioned, if only we had some Billy Joel. I love Billy Joel, so I felt the same way!

We didn’t have Spotify then, so we couldn’t just magically download Billy Joel in the Gobi desert, but I do agree, he makes for some great road trip music. Yes, he has a lot of hits, but Dave and I both love Piano Man.

It’s another long anthem type song that lets you sing along forever. With verse after verse our voices grow stronger and more powerful in the car until we’re both belting out “Sing us a Song You’re the Piano Man!” no you’re the piano man!

Get it on Amazon

52. Old Man by Neil Young

From Piano Man to Old Man. Niel Young is another iconic Canadian in our list. I could do a Canadian version of Road Trip Songs, but I am afraid half of you wouldn’t know the songs I am talking about.

Anyone else out there know of The Tragically Hip’s  Fireworks ? Our Lady Peace’s  Starseed  or Blue Rodeo’s  Bad Timing ? Didn’t think so.

But we the world knows Neil Young. Even the younger generation knows him thanks to Jimmy Fallon. Old Man is our favourite. What’s yours?

Listen to Old Man Now

Watch Jimmy Fallon and Neil Young on YouTube

53. Lust for Life by Iggy Pop

In the 1990s, I didn’t know a lot about punk rock. Dave and I were into Grunge at the time. But when we went to go see Trainspotters at the theatre, we were introduced to Lust for Life by Iggy Pop.

If this doesn’t get you rocking in the car, nothing will. It is the perfect way to end our road trip songs playlist with an upbeat tune that was made for road tripping.

Lust for Life is on Amazon for just $1.29

54. Radar Love by Golden Earring

Whenever the popular rock and roll radio station in Toronto does a traffic update, they play this song. They also play “I’m a highway star” but Radar Love has the much better groove. I love adding grooving songs to drive to on my playlist.

55. Route 66 by Nat King Cole

It’s a classic and an oldie but goodie. All kinds of people have covered Route 66 but nothing compares to the velvet voice of Nat King Cole. So add this classic road song to your playlist and get your kicks on Route 66.

56. Mustang Sally in the Commitments

When I was younger I was in a band that had the feel of the movie The Commitments. I loved singing back up vocals to Mustang Sally, “Ride Sally Ride. This song has a cool groove that gets you in the mood to drive. (Among other things)

57. The Air Tonight by Phil Collins

Who doesn’t love that drum solo by Phil Collins in the Air Tonight. I’ll never forget hearing it for the first tim eon Miami Vice when Crocket and Tubs were driving down the strip of Miami. Man, this is the best grooving driving song out there.

58. Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is awesome. There isn’t a song of his I don’t like. But when it comes to songs about driving, this is it. I love the lyrics:

“I’m on my way Driving at ninety down those country lanes Singing to “Tiny Dancer” And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill.”

Dave and I totally sing to Tiny Dancer when driving and we always think about driving those back roads in Ireland. How can the locals possibly go 90 on narrow winding roads, and yet they do. they really do! Get Castle on a Hill now

59. Boys of Summer by Don Henley

I admit, I bought a pair of RayBans just because of these lyrics… “Driving in your car with those Wayfarers on baby.”

When I listen to the Boys of Summer, I envision beautiful people driving up and down the sunset strip in Los Angeles. I always have and still do. Check out our guide to the Ultimate California Road Trip

60. Where the Streets have No Name by U2

And let’s end with a song that actually has a street in the name. Well, the Streets have no name here. U2s anthem is the perfect ending to our road tripping song. From the Joshua Tree, that takes us through the California desert, the Streets Have No Name, is a song that will hypnotize you as you get lost in Bono’s dreamy vocals. Just make sure to keep your eyes on the road!

So there you have it. This is our list of our favorite road trip songs. So are you ready to hit the road with the best playlist ever?

We have this on our playlist, what’s on yours? Have you ever taken a road trip going anywhere?

Do you have a song that needs to be included when you go traveling? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

• Best Travel Songs Playlist – It’s different from this!
• Best Travel Movies
• Best Travel Books to Inspire the Wanderer in you
• Best Travel Tips from 20 Years of Traveling

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO . 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

• Allianz - Occasional Travelers.
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Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

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81 thoughts on “60 Best Road Trip Songs to Rock the Drive”

Where Chris Rea? There should be at least one song if not 3

Interesting list you have here. I have some recommendations here if you don’t mind.

Raspberries – Go All the Way Jason Isbell – Super 8 Big Star – In the Street Crack the Sky, the best band to come out of Baltimore – Nuclear Apathy Wishbone Ash – (In All My Dreams) You Rescue Me The Bottle Rockets – Radar Gun Danny O’Keefe – Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues Cross Canadian Ragweed – Fightin’ For

Thanks for the nice collection, will definitely try this!!

Thank you so much for sharing this playlist. I really loved it.

Very nice collection thanks for sharing!!

Blatantly missing: “Roll on Down the Highway” – Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Great selection. Along with ‘Go Your own Way’ and ‘Life is a Highway’, I’d add ‘Peaches’ by Justin Bieber

Nice One! Amazing Playlist! Really love This, thank you for sharing this lovely playlist.

Awesome Playlist !! Love It

Thanks for the song list now it will be very easy for me to go on a road trip.

thanks for the list of songs. I loved the ‘boys of summer’ song so much. Every time when I drive I always play this song.

Superb Collection..i definitely tryy all songs..i am planning to go out . i hope it helps for me. Thank you

Thank you very much for this playlist. I really loved it.

Superb Collection.. Thanks for the lovely post

fantastic article thanks for sharing, I appereciate your work

Thanks so much! Do you have a favourite song to add?

Most of these songs and genres that aren’t rock should be left off the list completely. The best road songs are real rock hands down. The best road song ever is Judas Priest’s “Heading Out To The Highway”. The live version of the Priest Live album from 1987.

You reminded me of songs that I love but forgot about. Thanks for making this playlist, I will definitely be listening to some old favorites as well as some ones you’ve recommended…Old is gold

Thanks for this article but there are many tracks apart from these to make the highway journey a perfect experience.

You reminded me some of the songs that I love but forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me again, I will definitely be listening to some old favorites as well as someones you’ve recommended. 🙂

Great collections thank you so much for sharing this article.

Really a great collection of songs thanks for sharing hopefully it will help me next time i go out.

Thank you for this wonderful list. It really helped me a lot during my road trip.

Amazing article I really loved it. Thanks for sharing this amazing content.

Hey there Thanks for the Wonderful Playlist.

This is an excellent list. I have a trip to plan here shortly. Hopefully everyone can agree on this playlist.

Yes.. This is an excellent list of songs for road trip

Superb Collection. Thanks for sharing it.

Superb Collection..i definitely tryy all songs..i am planning to go out . i hope it helps for me.

You reminded me of songs that I love but forgot about. Thanks for making this playlist, I will definitely be listening to some old favorites as well as some ones you’ve recommended…Old is gold

Awesome and ‘d add Big Sugar’s “Please Let Me Sleep In Late or My Heart Refuses To Pound”.

The requirement for any good road trip is, as everyone knows, a killer soundtrack. And summer is the optimal time to hit the road and go on an adventure. Whether you’re embarking on a solo trip or gathering with friends and family, you’re going to need some tunes to keep you company along the way. We’ve collated classic driving songs from throughout the eras and assembled the best road trip songs to fire up as you head out on the open road.

Hey, nice post loved it.

You reminded me of songs that I love but forgot about! Thanks for making this playlist, I will definitely be listening to some old favorites as well as some ones you’ve recommended!

Awesome playlist! Added some of these for my next road trip, thankyou so much sir ??

Awesome playlist! Added some of these for my next road trip 🙂 Thanks for the post!

really nyc playlist

awesome..amazing man..!!

Thank you so much!! You don’t know how you helped me. But you helped me a lot. Usually, I get bored while going for a long ride but now it is gonna Amazing. Thank you again.

Hi, You have put together a great collection of songs. It’s true music and travel if combined together can make any trip a great one. I have although written a similar article on my blog but being an Indian I love Bollywood songs. Lately, I have added some modern International songs too on my playlist and I am loving those. I have noticed that you have added many classic old songs, I have listened to a few of them on YouTube and I found them pretty great. Thanks for sharing your list of songs with us. You can check out mine too. It’s a bit different from yours.

Great collection. There is so much good music out there, old and new, the challenge always seems to be keeping the list to a manageable number. Quite a few caught me by surprise. I was a long haul truck driver for many years, and a big music fan, but you learn something new every day. A running joke in my house is that I have been more places with Melissa Etheridge than I have with my wife of 36 years. Submitted for your consideration: You can sleep while I drive-Melissa Etheridge. Radar Love-Golden Earring Roll Me Away- Bob Seger In The Air Tonight- Phil Collins Uneasy Rider-Charlie Daniels Here I go Again-Whitesnake Eastbound and Down-Jerry Reeves This Flight Tonight-Nazareth Fly At Night-Chilliwack The Load Out-Jackson Browne Several dozen more than you will have space for.

Superb Collection..i definitely try all songs..i am planning to go out . i hope it helps for me.

Thank You So Much For The Playlist. Now I Am Gonna Rock The Long Drive.

What an Amazing Wonderful Collection Realy I Love IT 🙂

Great collection man..Enjoy

Nice playlist. I’d include America’s Ventura Highway.

was going to put I’ve Been Everywhere Man on the list and then I decided against it because I have it on another music list on this site. I linked to it in this article and I thought, uh oh, I can’t repeat songs too muc

wonderful collection

Thank you so much for the playlist. I loved all of them. Now am ready to hit the long roads.

I can’t argue with most of the selections on the list, but there are a few blatant omissions:

Born To Be Wild Radar Love Twilight Zone

I don’t know how any music list (regardless of theme) can be complete without a single song by Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, or the Boss, let alone missing all of them???

I love music so much.this is the best article ever about road trip songs playlists. Thank you for nice article.

Excellent collection of songs! I truly needed to recommend this to these amazing people who have done great road trips I’m in touch with and will do in future. One of their trips was 20,000 Kms. Will share it ahead!

Thank you for the great road trip list. It was great.

Thanks Dev & Deb !! You made my day…!! By reading your article I found so much happiness because in coming days I’ll go on long tour with my new car & these road trip songs will rock it all the way … !! 🙂

– Jenny Diana

Jessica by the Allman Brothers is one of the best for me. In the movie of my life, it’s the music that would playduring the scenewhen I take a long road trip or move cross-country. 😛

Great addition, I’ll have to add it to my Spotify.

Ooooooh, so many. Led Zep’s Dazed and Confused (26 minute version), Hendrix’ Voodoo Chile, a lot of Buddy Guy. Yesterday I heard B-52s “Planet Claire”–that is a serious jam.

I am so happy to spend my time here, i am always search exactly like this blog. Thanks for sharing us.

Great choices and I love that you included a Canadian. Life is a Highway. Woot!

Awesome and ‘d add Big Sugar’s “Please Let Me Sleep In Late or My Heart Refuses To Pound”.

Great selection. Along with ‘Go Your own Way’ and ‘Life is a Highway’, I’d add ‘Dance the Night Away’ by Van Halen

Superb!! Never gonna to forget this one!!

I Wanna Be Sedated BY The Ramones

Amazing this post, thanks for share it.

Amazing this one thanks for share it.

Fantastic list, thank you! One addition comes to mind right away: “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane. I mean, it actually has the word highway in it. Classic.

That’s a great addition. I was actually thinking about that song. I love him because he’s also Canadian and I like adding Canadians to the list. But I then decided to leave him out because for me, he was oversaturated (in our neck of the woods anyway) and that song was totally overplayed and now I just can’t listen to it anymore. But most people love it!

I would add “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac.

Great choice! How could I forget that one!

thank you! One addition comes to mind right away: “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane.

LOVE THESE!! Couldn’t agree more about Paradise by the Dashboard Light. I love Meat Loaf, LOL. He was my first concert at age 8 😀 and we played “I Would Do Anything For Love” at our wedding hahaha. Great pics. I love any Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash as well—perfect for an All-American road trip. Also 80’s rock.

Road trips are the best!!

I loved that I would do Anything for Love. It was a great comeback song for him. So what wouldn’t you do? Haha, He says, I would do anything for love, but I won’t do that. HAha. I always think about what is that? 🙂 I was going to put I’ve Been Everywhere Man on the list and then I decided against it because I have it on another music list on this site. I linked to it in this article and I thought, uh oh, I can’t repeat songs too much.

Very good article…this is a very unique article for me. I have never seen this kinda article on any sites… REALLY VERY NICE..CHEERS

Thanks Jessica. We love music so much we decided that we had to put together a list of our playlists. So there you go!

20 Amazing Songs for Your Great American Road Trip Playlist

Are you planning a road trip in the USA? Before you hit the road, download these songs for the ultimate American road trip playlist!

No matter where you’re headed in the US, there is a song for that.

The songs listed below will make the miles fly by as you take in the beautiful scenery.

So let’s hit the road with the great American road trip playlist!

14 Road Trip Mistakes to Avoid Making This Year

1. Sweet Home Alabama

What better way to start the ultimate American road trip playlist than with a trip down to Alabama? Turn it up!

2. California

Calllllll-i-forrrrr-nia, here we come!

There are many great songs about California ( California Dreamin’ , Hotel California , and San Francisco to name a few). I chose this one by Phantom Planet because I like its optimistic feel.

3. Take Me Home, Country Roads

A friend recently shared a video from Oktoberfest in Germany, where hundreds of people from around the world were belting out this song.

A song about West Virginia that’s beloved around the world? That makes it a must for your American road trip playlist.

4. Pink Houses

Well, ain’t that America.

The lyrics of this song encourage the listener to question the American dream. And what better place to do that than while driving across the country?

5. Empire State of Mind

For the sanity of you and other drivers, I hope your road trip doesn’t require you to actually drive on the streets of Manhattan. But once you find a nice parking spot, the streets of NYC have a lot to offer you!

6. Devil Went Down to Georgia

I dare you to not sing along to this song! While I’ve yet to master the faster lyrics, it seems like a road trip is a pretty good place to practice.

7. Born in the USA

This is another song that asks the listener to really think about life in the USA. Something to think about as the miles pass by.

8. Kentucky Rain

Driving through a rainstorm? You need Elvis! Kentucky Rain is the perfect song to get you through the rain.

9. Walking in Memphis

After you listen to an Elvis song, the next logical song is about Memphis, where you’ll find Elvis’ Graceland home.

10. American Pie

While the song covers serious themes, its upbeat pace almost encourages the listener to look for a better future. However you interpret the lyrics, this is a song that belongs on your American road trip playlist.

11. Proud Mary

While I love Creedence Clearwater Revival’s original version , the building pace of Tina Turner’s version is great for entertainment during a dull stretch of your road trip.

12. All My Exes Live in Texas

We can’t leave Texas off the American road trip playlist. And while George Strait is hanging his hat in Tennessee, there is a lot to explore in Texas.

13. Rocky Mountain High

Of course this playlist has two songs by John Denver. John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High will have you rerouting your GPS to Colorado.

14. Take It Easy

Have you even lived if you haven’t stood on the corner of Winslow, Arizona?

I have a super awful picture of me standing on a street corner in Winslow, Arizona. You can bet that anytime this song comes on, I’m telling anyone who will listen that I stood on that street corner.

15. Meet Virginia

So, this song isn’t exactly about the State (er, Commonwealth) of Virginia. But it’s catchy and as a resident of Virginia, I love it.

16. Viva Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas is a completely awesome and completely different version of Elvis than Kentucky Rain. Both songs are fantastic road trip material.

17. Party in the USA

Prepare to get strange looks on the highway as you shoulder dance to this song in your car.

18. House of the Rising Sun

New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the world. This song is just as mysterious as New Orleans itself.

19. Small Town

You’ll pass through many small towns driving across America. Stop by a local diner to eat some delicious food before heading on to your next stop.

Yes, this song was horribly overplayed for awhile. But I think it’s ready for a comeback. Welcome to Miami!

I hope this list helped you put together an incredible American road trip playlist. Happy travels!

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50+ BEST Road Trip Songs for the Ultimate Road Trip Playlist

Heading on a road trip soon and looking for the top road trip songs to add to your road trip playlist?  I’ve got you covered with 50+ of the best road trip songs to listen (and sing along to) on long car drives.

Road Trip Songs For Your Road Trip Playlist

I hope you enjoy this list of great road trip songs. I have included a mix of road trip songs from different genres (including rock, pop and country) and different eras (from classic road trip songs to modern road trip songs). Most of these great songs are about road trips and travel or cars, highways and driving in general.

(And if you are planning on taking a road trip soon make sure to check out my essential road trip packing list  to make sure you have all your road trip essentials before you go!)

10 Best Road Trip Songs of All Time

I think these are the 10 best road trips songs of all time (in no particular order).

• “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
• “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
• “Life Is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane
• “Little Red Corvette” by Prince
• “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by the Proclaimers
• “Take It Easy” by the Eagles
• “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
• “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (This song is perfect for a classic American road trip in the South.)
• “I Can’t Drive 55” by Sammy Hagar

Best Classic Road Trip Songs

Below are the greatest classic road trip songs that need to be on your music playlist:

• “Long Lonely Highway” by Elvis Presley
• “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
• “American Pie” by Don McLean
• “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles
• “Route 66” by Chuck Berry
• “No Particular Place to Go” by Chuck Berry
• “Truckin’” by The Grateful Dead
• “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne
• “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John
• “Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett
• “Radar Love” by Golden Earring
• “Hotel California” by Eagles
• “America” by Simon & Garfunkel
• “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop

80s Road Trip Songs

Below are best 80s road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham
• “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads
• “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins (from the movie Top Gun)
• “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey
• “Love Shack” by the B52s
• “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
• “Born in the U.S.A” by Bruce Springsteen
• “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
• “I Drove All Night” by Cyndi Lauper
• “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

90s Road Trip Songs

Below are best 90s road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Road Trippin'” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash
• “The Distance” by Cake
• “Drive” by Incubus
• “The Way” by Fastball
• “Everyday is a Winding Road” by Sheryl Crow

Modern Road Trip Songs

Below are best modern road trip songs to add to your music playlist:

• “Shut Up and Drive” by Rihanna
• “California” by Phantom Planet – this is one of my favorite California road trip songs .)
• “Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire
• “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton
• “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus
• “California Gurls” by Katy Perry (featuring Snoop Dogg)
• “Maps For The Getaway” by Andrew McMahon
• “Holocene” by Bon Iver
• “I Am The Highway” by Audioslave
• “Wild” by John Legend and Gary Clark Jr.
• “Thousand Miles” by Miley Cyrus (feat. Brandi Carlile)
• “Levitating” by Dua Lipa
• “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – this is the perfect song to listen on the way back home after a long trip

Road Trip Playlist on Spotify

To make it easier for you to listen, I have created a spotify playlist of the best road trip songs of all time:

What are your favorite road trip songs?

Need some road trip inspiration?

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savvyglobetrotter

These are all classics for sure when you’re talking about a road trip. My favorite would be Sammy Hagar “I Can’t Drive 55”. Something about that cool flow that makes it perfect for a summer road trip. But I would not follow the advice because I wish not to get pulled over crossing the country LOL.

Thank you so much for putting out this list of road trips and songs!!

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From backseat singalongs to nomadic anthems, the best road trip songs capture the feeling of freedom that’s sometimes just a car ride away.

Published on

The requirement for any good road trip is great songs. Whether you’re embarking on a solo trip down the highway or gathering for a vacation with friends and family, you’re going to need some tunes to keep you company along the way. We’ve collated classic driving songs from throughout the eras and assembled the best road trip songs to fire up as you head out on the open road.

Listen to some of the best road trip songs for your next vacation on Apple Music and Spotify .

25: Youngblood Hawke: We Come Running

With its driving beat and epic build up, this indie-pop song from LA pop-rockers Youngblood Hawke will get you revving down the highway. They spell it out directly, inviting the listener to head “for the open door, tell me what you’re waiting for”.

‘California Dreamin’’: Mamas And The Papas’ Homesick Shade Of Winter

‘does your mother know’: the story behind the abba song, 24: blink-182: what’s my age again.

In just under two and a half minutes, blink-182 ’s ‘What My Age Again’ is pop-punk perfection. This song cooks and there’s nary a second wasted, which is exactly what you want in the best road trip songs.

23: The Killers: Mr Brightside

Pomp, bombast, killer riffs and melodies is one way to set you free, even when stuck in traffic. “Mr. Brightside” from The Killers ’ debut album, Hot Fuss , is the rare road trip song that can get you through the traffic blues and out of the “cage” that is the daily grind.

22: Nirvana: Breed

Just like Appetite For Destruction , Nirvana’s Nevermind features an endless array of road trip songs, but there’s one standout track that sounds like burning rubber. With its blast of feedback and machine-gun intensity, “Breed” will get everybody headbanging in the backseat.

21: Sammy Hagar: I Can’t Drive 55

This is a classic highway vacation song. If the Red Rocker can’t you get to go past the speed limit (which we’re not officially condoning), nothing else will. Sammy Hagar’s breakout solo single has been blasting out of every car stereo since 1984, and has never stopped.

20: Katy Perry: Teenage Dream

When there’s a long stretch of road ahead, sometimes you want psychedelic acid rock where you can put cruise control on and zone out, but when you’re traveling on vacation with a crew, singalong pop anthems are the best road trip songs. Katy Perry ’s ode to the endless possibilities of adolescence will have you sticking your head out the sunroof like a drunk teen on prom night.

19: Warren G (featuring Nate Dogg): Regulate

Few songs encapsulate an entire era better than this 1994 G-funk classic. Between Warren G’s storytelling and Nate Dogg’s smooth vocals, this is the song you can blast whether you’re cruising in your drop top or mid-sized sedan.

18: John Mellencamp: Pink Houses

This slice of heartland rock isn’t all that it seems. John Mellencamp seems to paint the perfect picture of the American dream, but if you keep listening, it’s really the indictment of a broken system. On one hand it remains a misunderstood political song but on the other, it’s a great road trip song.

17: The Rolling Stones: (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Tapping into that feeling of wanderlust, The Rolling Stones ’ search for satisfaction landed them their first No.1 hit . From Charlie Watts’ propulsive drumming to Mick Jagger’s cracking vocals and Keith Richards’ fuzz-box riff, “Satisfaction” beckons you to the road and the dancefloor.

16: U2: Where The Streets Have No Name

Like the morning’s first light coming over the desert highway, this U2 anthem begins with the sound of heavenly organs that quickly build to a driving rhythm led by The Edge’s arpeggiated guitar lines. Political origins aside, the song conjures images of the American West and the open road. It’s hard not to feel nostalgia when you glide in and out of traffic.

15: Guns N’ Roses: Appetite For Destruction

Forget road trip songs, this is a road trip album. From the menacing “Welcome To The Jungle” to the soaring “Rocket Queen” that closes Guns N’ Roses ’ Appetite For Destruction , you won’t find an album of songs better suited to a road trip vacation than this.

14: Dr. Dre: Let Me Ride

Any G-funk track is made for driving, but this cut from The Chronic is the ultimate road trip song. Between the Parliament-sampling chorus and Dre ’s evocative verses, “Let Me Ride” was tailor-made for summer driving… and is even better if you’re cruising around in a drop top.

13: Bob Seger: Hollywood Nights

While Bob Seger sings about “looking down at the lights of LA” in this 1978 hit, the anticipation of a night on the town is universal. Seger’s frantic vocals and epic storytelling, combined with the uptempo music, is the perfect formula to speed towards the horizon.

12: Cyndi Lauper: I Drove All Night

Some people escape the “sticky and cruel” city by seeking solace in the great outdoors. Not Ms. Lauper. Her vocal calisthenics are just the motivation to drive all night to see your lover.

11: Snoop Dogg: Gin And Juice

Another slice of G-funk heaven. You don’t need hydraulics to roll with the melodic flow of “D-O-double-G.” Released during the heyday of gangsta rap, Snoop took the wild antics of his hometown, Long Beach, and turned them into an idyllic summer jam.

10: Jackson Browne: Running On Empty

Few artists embodied the late 70s Laurel Canyon sound quite like Jackson Browne. “Running On Empty” isn’t a hard road rocker, but Browne could turn the most mundane experiences (like running out of gas) into a metaphor for missing out on the connections in life.

9: The Beatles: Day Tripper

The Beatles have an endless catalogue of travel tunes, from “Ticket To Ride” to “Drive My Car,” but “Day Tripper” is the real road trip song. Featuring one of the best guitar riffs of all time , “Day Tripper” is not so much about a quick getaway but about trying on the hippie lifestyle for a day or two.

8: Stevie Wonder: Master Blaster (Jammin’)

This could be included among the best vacation road trip songs for the intro alone, but the whole thing swings with a swagger that won’t (hopefully) have you swerving from side-to-side. Stevie Wonder ’s tribute to Bob Marley saw Stevie moving away from his typical one-man show and inviting a whole crew to boogie down.

7: Willie Nelson: On The Road Again

Country music is littered with dirt-road anthems, but one of the true classics is Willie Nelson ’s ode to the nomadic life, “On The Road Again.” Nelson was tasked with creating an original song for the aging rocker character he played in the film Honeysuckle Rose . Willie delivered and nabbed an Oscar nomination in the process.

6: Tom Cochrane: Life Is A Highway

Canadian treasure Tom Cochrane is a household name up north, but in rest of the world he’s best known for this highway song anthem that’s become the perfect pep talk for hitting tarmac.

5: Prince: Little Red Corvette

Prince seemingly never suffered from either writer’s block or a shortage of sexual metaphors, as evidenced on his 1983 classic, “Little Red Corvette.” This tale of an ill-fated one-night stand was supposedly inspired by his bandmate Lisa Coleman’s pink Edsel, but “little red Edsel” just isn’t as catchy a refrain.

4: The Beach Boys: Fun, Fun, Fun, I Get Around

Both of these Beach Boys tunes helped define the 60s driving culture, particularly in the winding highways of Southern California. Tight harmonies and terrific rhythms, these songs will transport you to the windswept cliffs of the Pacific Coast Highway, driving along with the top down.

3: Tom Petty: Runnin’ Down A Dream

“Free Fallin’” is a great singalong, but when it comes to essential Tom Petty road trip tunes, “Runnin’ Down A Dream” takes the cake. Thanks to the highway imagery and scuzzy guitar riffs, this hard-charging song is best listened to with the windows down and your foot on the gas.

2: Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run

No survey of the best road trip songs would be complete without The Boss. Bruce Springsteen ’s entire body of work unpacks the experience of small-town living and the feeling that escape is just a car ride away.

1: Steppenwolf: Born To Be Wild

You don’t need a bike or road leather to blare this Steppenwolf classic. Most famously featured in the film Easy Rider , Jon Kay’s invitation to “head out on the highway” is a song that became an American anthem and a call for rebellion.

Honorable Mentions

Looking for more great road trip playlist songs for your next vacation? With compulsively sing-along lyrics, these tunes are perfect for lonely highways where you just want to shout out your open car window.

John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) Tracy Chapman – Fast Car Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama The Eagles – Take It Easy Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way Sheryl Crow – Everyday Is A Winding Road The Grateful Dead – Truckin’ Toto – Africa Arcade Fire – Keep The Car Running Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack Bon Jovi – Living on a Prayer Ike & Tina Turner – Nutbush City Limits Don McLean – American Pie The Allman Brothers – Midnight Rider Outkast – Hey Ya Rascal Flatts – Life Is A Highway Van Morrison – Bright Side of the Road Sufjan Stevens – Chicago Rihanna – Shut Up And Drive The Eagles – Hotel California The Allman Brothers Band – Ramblin’ Man Elton John – Tiny Dancer Simon & Garfunkel – America Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited ABBA – Waterloo Dolly Parton – 9 to 5 Billy Joel – Piano Man Paul Simon – Graceland

Looking for more options? Check out our list of the best songs about cars and driving .

11 Comments

June 26, 2019 at 7:37 pm

Golden Earring – Radar Love

June 27, 2019 at 5:16 pm

Mountain Jam, The Allman Brothers Band

August 2, 2019 at 8:34 am

Neil Young : White Line, DriveBy, Albuquerque, Trans Am

September 21, 2019 at 4:00 pm

Joanne Nagen

September 25, 2019 at 5:02 pm

John Hartford Steam Powered Aeroplane; Joe Bonamassa Drive; Govt Mule Travellin Tune; Greatful Dead Truckin;Jerry Reed’s Eastbound and Down …..as Roy Rogers said Happy Trails to you Thanks

September 25, 2019 at 6:29 pm

“It’s a Car!” by Sean Morin is a little-known but extremely fitting, perfect vibe, catchy little road trip song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3piktwUcP0

Mike Einhorn

May 28, 2020 at 5:24 am

Bruce Springfield?

September 18, 2021 at 7:27 am

Rolling Down the Highway – BTO Rockin’ Down the Highway – DOOBIE BROTHERS Highway Star – DEEP PURPLE

How’s these NOT make the list?

Belvin Sweatt

January 7, 2022 at 1:08 am

You left out the best one— Sniff and The Tears—Drivers Seat.

January 7, 2022 at 12:01 pm

Here is my Road Trip playlist: Windows are Rolled Down – Amos Lee Call Me The Breeze – Lynyrd Skynyrd Florabama – JJ Grey & Mofro Mustang Sally – Buddy Guy f. Jeff Beck Going to California – Led Zeppelin Hotel California – Eagles Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads Tangled Up in Blue – Bob Dylan Me and Bobby McGee – Janis Joplin Joy – Lucinda Williams Breakdown – Jack Johnson Comin’ Home – Lynyrd Skynyrd Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp Till the Sun Comes Up – Jack & Weatherman

June 3, 2023 at 5:42 am

The triffids – Wide Open Road

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The 50 Most Essential Songs for Your Perfect Road Trip Playlist

Ready to hit the open road? Load up your playlist with these songs first.

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Car-culture tunes cross musical genres as seamlessly as changing lanes, moving between classic country, heavy metal, folk, funk, and rap. Whether you're in the mood for Rihanna or the Ramones, we've put together an eclectic list of the 50 best road trip songs to keep you humming along your journey. (Pro-tip: Once your road trip playlist is all loaded up, don't forget to download some audiobooks and plan a few games too.)

"Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham

Even if you’re stuck driving a Family Truckster, this song will take you right back to carefree days. (Who else thought this was Kenny Loggins?)

RELATED:  The Quintessential Best Summer Songs From the Last 60 Years

"Radar Love" by Golden Earring

You may not be able to name another song the Dutch band Golden Earring recorded, but this classic 1973 hit combines "midnight love" with the drive-all-night ballad for a road trip win.

"Ramblin' Man" by The Allman Brothers Band

A seventies version of the age-old musical trope of people who call the road their home and can't be burdened with staying in one place (see also: "Brandy," "Take It Easy" and "Me and Bobby McGee").

RELATED:   40 Song Lyrics That We've Been Messing up This Whole Time

"Little Red Corvette" by Prince

Songs about cars are a favorite subset of the road trip song genre, and Prince sets the bar high with this song about a "car" (ahem) that goes too fast.

"Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

This rockabilly tribute to racing cars was first recorded in 1955 but has been covered by lots of fast-picking twangy guitarists since, most famously in 1971 by Commander Cody.

"Shut Up And Drive" by Rihanna

Everything about this song is engineered to pop perfection: Her purring vocals, bouncy melody, and double entendres. Every girlfriends' weekend playlist needs some RiRi — and one that starts with a road trip needs this song.

"No Sleep Till Brooklyn" by Beastie Boys

This Beastie Boys hit from their first album,  Licensed to Ill , hits two well-traveled road trip sub-genres: the musician-singing-about-being-on-the-road genre and the paean to a specific destination. It's guaranteed to add a little energy to the playlist and revive the driver.

"Rocket 88" by Ike Turner (Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats)

Recording as Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, Ike Turner was instrumental in turning the key and igniting rock and roll with this jumping twelve-bar blues composition. You can feel the purring power of the car, and the undeniable attraction of going too fast. (Rocket 88 was a nickname for the recently minted Oldsmobile 88.)

"Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads

You can feel good about getting lost with this tribute to a long aimless drive. Embrace the opportunity to yip, yodel, and scat along with lead singer David Byrne.

"Fun, Fun, Fun" by The Beach Boys

America's romance with the car had been jumpstarted by the end of WWII, but it really hit cruising speed in the 1960s with groups like The Beach Boys and Jan and Dean singing about being teenagers, driving fast cars, and having fun. 

"On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson wrote his first song at nine years old and hasn't stopped yet, even at 87. This heartfelt love song for a life of touring with musician friends was reportedly written on the back of an airplane airsickness bag.

"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC

Here we have the perfect soundtrack to every miserable traffic jam along your road trip. Bon Scott's guttural vocals make singing along particularly satisfying when frustrated by a standstill.

"I've Been Everywhere" by Johnny Cash

This fast-paced litany of geographic destinations is the more entertaining musical version of sitting through someone else's travel slideshow. Johnny Cash takes a 1959 Australian song (in which all the destinations are Down Under) and makes it his own.

"Drive My Car" by The Beatles

Not only does this song benefit from Paul McCartney's perfect formula for delicious pop confection, its final verse, "Beep beep'm beep beep yeah" is irresistible.

"Semi-Crazy" by Junior Brown

No road trip playlist is complete without a trucker song. Austin musician Junior Brown recorded arguably the perfect one, complete with twanging solos on his unique double-neck guitar: half electric, half pedal steel.

"State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen

Pretty much every song on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska  involves cars and driving, usually at night, but there's an urgency to "State Trooper" that is familiar to any driver who's flown past a speed trap and hoped not to get pulled over. 

"Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X

Not only does this 2019 blockbuster combine Lil Nas X's rap and trap music bona fides with some classic country elements (banjo! Billy Ray Cyrus!), it even samples a song by industrial rock group, Nine Inch Nails. Besides being catchy and fun, the song made history by simultaneously appearing on both country and hip-hop charts.

"Mercury Blues" by Alan Jackson

You may think that a love song to a brand of car was written by an advertising executive, but this song was first recorded in 1948 by a blues musician from Mississippi. Lots of bands have covered "Mercury Blues" but country boy Alan Jackson had a hit with it in 2010, the year that Mercurys were discontinued.

"Low Rider" by War

The revving engine, the insistent riff of the saxophone, singer Charles Miller's Mariana Trench – deep repetition of "Low. Ri. Der" — no wonder the Chicago Tribune called this song the "quintessential cruising song."

"Truckin'" by Grateful Dead

Every playlist meant for driving should probably include a song that repeats "what a long, strange trip it's been" a few times. This particular Dead song has been singled out for recognition not just by Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but in 1997, the Library of Congress declared it a national treasure.

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100+ Best Road Trip songs (to sing along with as you drive!)

Looking for good road trip songs? Honestly, the right driving songs in the right playlist can make or break a road trip! Here are 100+ best road trip songs to sing along with as you drive!

And don’t forget to download your FREE road trip planner below , to help you plan your road trip.

*We work hard to make this the best motorhome travel blog and road trip website possible, full of helpful content for you. The website is supported by our readers, so if you buy through links on this site we may earn a commission- at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain our own .

If you find this post useful, you can also treat us to a coffee – we promise to enjoy it while creating more useful content like this- we might even indulge in a biscuit (or two!)

JUMP AHEAD TO...

Best Road Trip Songs

Planning a road trip or long drive is tough. There are a million things to think about. And one of the things often overlooked is a road trip playlist!

Whether you’re travelling by car, RV, camper or bike, this list of the 100 best road trip driving songs is guaranteed to make the miles fly past!

We’ve got a mix of great driving songs to sing along too: songs for girly summer road trips, classic rock, all-American, a bit of country and some modern 2020 tunes- all designed to create the PERFECT playlist for your journey. And with over 100 road trip songs to choose from, you’re guaranteed to find something for everyone to sing along with on the road.

Make planning your next road trip EASY (& fun!)

When you’re planning a road trip, keeping track & organising all your ideas is often the hardest part. Fix that TODAY with our printable pdf road trip planner. Grab yours FREE now

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How to create a great road trip playlist with sing-along songs!

The window wound down, the stereo cranked up and some awesome tunes you can sing along to; perfection, right? But if you’re anything like us, your phone/iPod is a random mix of all sorts of music- including a Christmas album or 7.

That’s why a road trip playlist is so important- you don’t have to worry if the next tune will be great, you already know it will be! 

• Make sure the songs are downloaded onto your phone/ ipod. Otherwise, you’re going to use up a lot of data and/ or run the risk of being in an area with bad signal and no music!
• Like listening to things as you drive? Check out Audible – you can get podcasts, audiobooks and more- it’s a perfect way to pass the time on a long drive.

You might be able to get 3 MONTHS FREE music at Amazon. Click HERE to take advantage 

I’ll be honest- there was some…. let’s call it “discussion”… over the best travel songs to include on this list. My husband prefers classic rock for driving songs. I like songs you can sing along with in the car and songs to drive fast too (NEVER above the speed limit though… right?!)

We compromised on creating a road trip playlist with song choices from all of us, so we hope there’s something in here for you!

So, let’s get to the best road trip songs.

(Update: This post started off as 100 of the best road trip songs… it’s growing as we add more in, so no idea how many are here now!! )

20 Rock Classics- the BEST Road trip Rock songs

• Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins
• Nutbush City Limits – Ike & Tina Turner
• Dude Looks like a Lady – Aerosmith
• American Pie – Don Mclean
• Whole Lotta Rosie – AC/ DC
• Don’t Stop Believing – Journey
• Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses
• All Night Long – Rainbow
• Cats in the Cradle – Ugly Kid Joe
• Here I Go Again – Whitesnake
• Jump – Van Halen
• We Built This City – Starship
• Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
• Hell ain’t a Bad Place to Be – AC/DC
• The Boys are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
• Rio – Duran Duran
• Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting – Elton John
• Who are You – The Who
• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
• Love Walked In – Thunder

Best Driving Songs- All-American road trip songs

• Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
• Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Walk This Way – Aerosmith & Run DMC
• My Life – Billy Joel
• Living on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
• Footloose – Kenny Loggins
• One of these Nights – The Eagles
• Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf
• Nothing but a Good Time-  Poison

Planning a road trip? You might find these posts useful:

• How to plan a road trip
• The BEST printable road trip planner (FREE!)
• Most useful road trip apps
• 100 inspiring road trip quotes

25 Modern road trip songs to sing along with (2020 update)

Our favourite modern (ish!) driving songs, all of which are perfect to sing along to in the car and belt it out- especially in a traffic jam with people staring at you!! Add any (or all!) of these to your perfect summer road trip playlist.

• Physical- Dua Lipa
• Stupid Love – Lady Gaga
• Dance Monkey – Tones & I (you know you love it…)
• Take Me Back to London – Ed Sheeran
• All the Good Girls go to Hell – Billie Eilish
• What a Man Gotta Do – Jonas Brothers
• Castle on the Hill – Ed Sheeran
• Uptown Funk – Mark Robson & Bruno Mars
• Rockstar – Nickelback
• Looking for a Good Time – Lady Antebellum
• It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
• Take me to Church – Hozier
• Hold Back the River – James Bay
• Shut Up & Dance – Walk the Moon
• Happy – Pharell Williams
• The Pretender – Foo Fighters
• Hall of Fame – The Script
• Centuries – Fall Out Boy
• Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
• The Kill – 30 Seconds to Mars
• Mr Brightside – The Killers
• My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark – Fall Out Boy
• Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time – Panic at the Disco
• Knights of Cydonia – Muse
• If I had you – Adam Lambert
• All the Small Things – Blink 182

The ultimate girl’s road trip playlist- perfect songs to sing along with in the car!

Ah- I LOVE girly road trips, especially in the summer. There’s nothing better than some sunshine, good friends and some GREAT songs on the stereo. Here are some of our favourite road trip songs for girls (although we don’t mind if you boys listen to them too! 😉 )

20 Modern road trip sing-along songs for girls

• Rolling in the Deep – Adele
• Waking Up in Vegas – Katy Perry
• Trouble – Pink
• Everytime We Touch – Cascada
• According to You – Orianthi
• Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Menaj
• Black Magic – Little Mix
• Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
• Sax – Fleur East
• Can’t Be Tame d- Miley Cyrus
• Fight Song – Rachel Platten
• The Best Damn Thing – Avril Lavigne
• Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
• U and Ur Hand – Pink!
• Part of Me – Katy Perry
• Shake it Off – Taylor Swift
• This is Me – Greatest Showman Soundtrack
• Raise Your Glass – Pink
• Living la Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
• Baby one more time – Brittany Spears

20 Classic road trip songs for girls to sing along to in the car!

• Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & the Waves
• Bitch – Meredith Brooks
• Everything I do, I do it for you – Bryan Adams
• Holding Out for a Hero – Bonnie Tyler
• Wake Me up before you Go-Go – Wham
• It’s Raining Men – Weather Girls
• Love Shack – B52s
• I’m so Excited – Pointer Sisters
• Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
• 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
• Uptown Girl – Billy Joel
• Heaven is a Place on Earth – Belinda Carlisle
• Man! I Feel like a woman – Shania Twain
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper
• Poker Face – Lady Gaga
• Burning Love – Wynonna (I much prefer this version- sorry Elvis!!)
• Love My Life – Robbie Williams
• Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
• Proud Mary – Tina Turner
• Summer Nights- Grease

14 Driving Songs with ‘road in the title’- perfect for a road trip playlist!

• Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles
• Every Day is a Winding Road – Sheryl Crow
• Take me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
• The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles
• Bright Side of the Road – Van Morrison
• Long Road To Ruin – Foo Fighters
• Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Back on the Road Again – REO Speedwagon
• Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
• Road to Hell – Chris Rea
• Road to Nowhere – Talking Heads
• Old Town Road – Lil Nas X
• Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
• Road Less Traveled – Lauren Alaina

15 best songs about driving and cars

Some of the best songs about driving (and cars!) – all perfect for a road trip playlist!

• Mustang Sally – The Commitments
• Bat out of Hell – Meatloaf
• I Drove all night – Roy Orbison
• Rhythm Made Me Do It – Shania Twain
• Drive By – Train
• Greased Lightnin’ – Grease Soundtrack
• Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meatloaf
• Bad Habit – The Offspring
• Car Wash – Rose Royce
• 2,4,6,8 Motorway – Tom Robinson Band
• Little Red Corvette – Prince
• Pink Cadillac – Bruce Springsteen
• Route 66 – Chuck Berry
• Drive – The Cars
• Drive My Car – The Beatles

Planning a long drive? These post might help

• 15 Essential road trip tips you NEED to know
• Things to remember before you leave
• Healthy snacks for road trips

Best Driving songs to drive faster to (and sing along with!!)

Yes, we’ve already had some AMAZING road trip songs for the playlist, but here are some more to crank it up and sing along with (just watch that speed limit!!)

• Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
• Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters
• Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
• Beat It – Michael Jackson
• 50 Ways to say Goodbye – Train
• River Deep, Mountain High – Tina Turner
• Cherry Pie – Warrant
• I would do anything for love – Meatloaf
• Addicted to Love – Robert Palmer
• Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard (one of the best songs about sugar ever 😉 )
• Any Way you Want it – Journey (or the Rock of Ages version!)
• DOA – Foo Fighters
• Lowlife – Theory of a Deadman
• Making it Hard – Hinder
• Oblivion – Terrorvision
• Haven’t Had Enough – Marianas Trench
• Angel with a Shotgun – The Cab
• Silent Majority – Nickelback
• Run to You – Bryan Adams
• Thanks for the Mmrs – Fall Out Boy
• The Anthem – Good Charlotte
• Teenagers – My Chemical Romance
• High School Never Ends – Bowling for Soup
• Seven Nation Army – White Stripes
• Kung Fu Fighting – Carl Douglas
• Build Me up Buttercup – The Foundations
• Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry
• Come As You Are – Nirvana
• Teenage Dirtbag – Wheatus

20 Quieter Road trip songs- for when the kids are sleeping!

These songs are perfect when you want to turn it down a little bit. Admittedly, we tend to turn them up, but then we don’t have young kids anymore!

(Top tip for parents- these children’s car games won’t drive you crazy. Promise!)

• Livin’ Thing – Electric Light Orchestra
• All I Need is a Miracle – Mike and the Mechanics
• Everybody wants to Rule the World – Tears for Fears
• Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
• In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins  (just remember to air drum quietly!!)
• I don’t want a lover – Texas
• The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
• The Gambler – Kenny Rogers
• Stay with Me – Rod Stewart
• All Night Long- Lionel Richie
• No Son of Mine – Genesis
• Easy Lover – Phil Collins & Philip Bailey
• Every Little Thing She Does – The Police
• It’s a Beautiful Day – Michael Buble
• Jesus, He knows me – Genesis
• The Day We Caught the Train – Ocean Colour Scene
• All Right Now – Free
• Another Brick in the Wall – Pink Floyd
• Mama Told Me not to Come – Tom Jones
• Boys of Summer – Don Henley

Classic road trip driving songs for EVERY trip

These are some of our favourite driving tunes- but they didn’t really fit anywhere else (or they did, but my OCD with the numbers wouldn’t allow it!) Still, don’t forget to put these onto your ultimate driving playlist!!

• Africa – Toto
• Waterloo – Abba
• Like I Roll – Black Stone Cherry
• Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
• I Love Rock n Roll – Joan Jet
• Counting Stars – OneRepublic
• Song 2 – Blur
• Only The Good Die Young – Billy Joel
• Dreadlock Holiday – 10cc
• Englishman in New York – Sting
• Stacy’s Mom – Bowling for Soup or Fountains of Wayne
• The Power of Love – Huey Lewis and The News
• One of Us – Joan Osborne
• Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who
• When the Going gets tough – Billy Ocean
• I Can’t Dance – Genesis
• Losing My Religion – R.E.M
• We Are Family – Sister Sledge
• Video Killed the Radiostar – The Buggles
• Hit Me with your Best Shot – Pat Benatar
• I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
• Graceland – Paul Simon
• Since You Been Gone – Rainbow
• Total Eclipse of the Heart – Bonnie Tyler
• Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2

Spotify Link for this road trip playlist

If you’d like to download this playlist on Spotify, you can do so here.

And if you found it helpful and like our playlist, feel free to buy us a coffee 😉

Best Road Trip Songs- how did you like our Playlist?

Every single one of these songs makes us turn the volume up and sing along like crazy people- much to the amusement of anyone around us!

These are driving songs to embarrass yourselves to and enjoy every second.  I hope it’s given you some great ideas for your own road trip playlist- let me know what you include on yours!!

How else can I help you today?

• Record your trip in one of these beautiful road trip logbooks
• How to plan an epic RV trip for beginners
• The BEST gifts for road trippers
• Essential road trip kit
• Best Children’s car Games

Kat never planned to buy a motorhome. She also never planned to quit her job as an air traffic controller, go touring around Europe in said motorhome, start one of the UK’s largest motorhome travel websites… or get a cocker spaniel.

Find out how she went from stuck in the rat race to being a digital nomad and inspiring thousands of people to have their own epic adventures here.

If you’d like to connect with Kat, send her an email or follow her adventures on social media.

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15 comments.

Wow that is a great list. You have a few I had forgotten. Very complete list of all music genre. That is the only problem I have with things like Sirrus and XM you have to select only one type. I love Pandora but as you mentioned DATA, DATA, so Ipod it is for roadtrips.

Thank you! We had a lot of fun writing it and listening to old songs 🙂 Yeah, Data is definitely something worth considering- it can get expensive quickly otherwise!

You missed out poison alive Cooper got to be on

thanks for the information

You’re welcome!

What an awesome song list. Thanks for sharing this list. take care…

You are very welcome- glad you enjoyed it. Happy Road trip!

Great lists. I made playlists on Spotify that can be accessed by anybody. Makes it easy if you have Spotify.

How do I access the playlist that you made

Rockin’ down the highway by The Doobie Brothers

Is there a way to automatically click a link or something so my Apple Music will automatically take and start playing the 150 song list

Wow. Now I have something to do while waiting for lockdown to end. I’ve never heard of some of yours! You won’t have heard of some of mine! Each to his own. I will start with Stones, Clapton, John Mayalls Bluesbreakers, Sonny Boy Williams……….Can’t stop, I’ve got to get my iPod.?

This is a really lovely list. I would also recommend Dead American Presidents’ Peaches for trips through farm country.

I miss the golden Earring with Radar love.

Can’t believe you don’t have and Go-Go’s songs listed!! I can think of a few that are awesome road trip songs !!

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Route 66 Songs: The Ultimate Roadtrip Playlist ♪

These are the iconic, the sing-along, the sometimes heartstring-tugging songs about traveling and hitting the wide open road. Perfect for an American road trip.

• A Horse With No Name, America
• Alaska, Phish
• Bicycle Race, Queen
• Born to be Wild, Steppenwolf
• Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
• California Dreaming, The Mamas & the Papas
• Carolina in My Mind, James Taylor
• Carry on my Wayward Son, Kansas
• City of New Orleans, Arlo Guthrie
• Colder Weather, Zac Brown Band
• Come Away With Me, Norah Jones
• Come Sail Away, Styx
• End Of The Line, Traveling Wilburys
• Fly Away, Lenny Kravitz
• Fly Away From Here, Aerosmith
• Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman
• Here I Go Again, Whitesnake
• Highway To Hell, ACDC
• Home By The Sea, Genisis
• Hotel California, Eagles
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, U2
• I’m Gonna Be 3:37 The Proclaimers
• I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home), Grand Funk Railroad
• I’ve Been Everywhere, Jade Bird
• If It Feels Good, Leon Bridges
• Island In The Sun, Weezer
• Jack And Diane, John Cougar Mellencamp
• Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
• King of The Road, Roger Miller
• Kokomo, The Beach Boys
• Kyrie Eleison, Mr. Mister
• Learn To Fly, Foo Fighters
• Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane
• The Long And Winding Road, Beatles
• Magic Carpet Ride, Steppenwolf
• Me & Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
• New York State of Mind, Billy Joel
• No Roots, Alice Merton
• Nobody, Hozier
• On The Road Again, Willie Nelson
• Paradise City, Guns N’ Roses
• Pink Houses, John Mellencamp
• Proud Mary, Tina Turner
• Ramblin’ Man, Allman Brothers Band
• Renegade, Styx
• River of Dreams, Billy Joel
• Rocky Mountain High, John Denver
• Santeria, Sublime
• Save Me San Francisco, Train
• Send Me On My Way, Rusted Root
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Frank Sinatra
• Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Eric Clapton
• Space Oddity, David Bowie
• Sweet Annie, Zac Brown Band
• Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd
• Take It Easy, Eagles
• Take Me Home, Country Roads, John Denver
• Take the Money and Run, Steve Miller Band
• Wagon Wheel, Darius Rucker
• What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong
• When I’m Gone, Anna Kendrick
• Yoü And I, Lady Gaga

Route 66 Playlist on YouTube

Route 66 Playlist on Spotify

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The best road trip songs of all time

These road trip songs will make your next excursion a memorable one, whether you’re driving for few hours or a few days

Don’t get us wrong—we really love city life. But sometimes day-tripping to a nearby summer music festival doesn’t quite satiate our need for escape, and that’s where these classic road trip songs come in. When the urge strikes, it’s time to hit the highway/motorway/ whatever for a good, old-fashioned road trip. Of course, you can’t drive in complete silence—well, you can, but the very thought is giving us a flat tyre—so we’ve compiled our list of the best road trip songs to get your motors running and propel your journey into fifth gear. Crank up classics from the Boss, the Dead and Prince, and even some Whitesnake, as you cruise along the open road, forgetting every care in the world.

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Best road trip songs, ranked

1.  ‘Born to Run’ by Bruce Springsteen

Like Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.,’ ‘Born to Run’ is darker than it may seem. Embedded in the scuffed poetry of the lyrics is a potent combination of rebellion, sex, disgust and determination—brought to life by the throaty passion of Springsteen’s voice, the liberating wail of Clarence Clemons’s sax and the sheer propulsive force of the E Street Band’s backup. “Someday girl, I don’t know when/We’re gonna get to that place where we really wanna go,” Springsteen promises. ‘Born to Run’, for all its spikes, takes you there. It’s a love song, an urban-jungle cry and a perfect anthem of pedal-to-the-metal escape.

2.  ‘Little Red Corvette’ by Prince

It doesn’t take a B.A. in poetry to figure this ditty’s got nothing to do with cars. In the world of Prince, coupés are women, horsepower is a pack of Trojan condoms, and gas is stamina in the sheets. The beat takes its time, synthetic drums echoing into the distance, just as the Purple One implores his one-night stand to take it slow, to make it two, three or more nights. Dez Dickerson peels out in the guitar solo, but she’s the one driving here. Perfect choice of car model—elusive, American, curvy, risky. It wouldn’t work as a Ferrari or Rolls.

3.  ‘Here I Go Again’ by Whitesnake

Been dumped recently? You need to go for a drive (preferably in a Jaguar XJ). You’ve made up your mind. You ain’t wasting no more time. So tease your hair, don your pleather, and crank up the volume on this 1982 hit—just try not to get stuck in traffic. This power ballad works better on the open road (with no adjacent drivers to judge your Coverdale cover moves).

4.  ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ by U2

This anthemic opening track from U2’s landmark 1987 LP, The Joshua Tree, is an ideal kick-starter for any road trip (particularly if you're wandering about the California desert where the titular yucca plant is commonly found). From a whisper, the sound of an organ builds up like a spiritual beacon being unveiled. It’s well over a minute before the Edge’s churning guitar and Adam Clayton’s propulsive bassline kick in, and another 40 seconds before Bono’s vocals touch down. By then, you’re ready to hit top gear and wail along: ‘I want to run/I want to hide/I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside.’ Though this road trip song is about Bono’s vision of an Ireland free from class boundaries, it has inspired countless highway warriors to venture out to those places that maybe aren’t on the map.

5.  ‘Love Shack’ by the B-52s

‘Hop in my Chrysler! It’s as big as a whale, and it’s about to set sail!’ booms Fred Schneider on this all-time great party song . Admittedly, it’s hard to dance like no one’s watching when you’re behind the wheel of a Chrysler (or a Fiat Punto, for that matter), but ‘Love Shack’ will liven up any road trip. If your bum’s getting numb, just whack it on and have yourself a little front or backseat disco. 

6.  ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ by Lynyrd Skynyrd

American football possibly killed off Southern boogie rock. Hear us out. Because of college pigskin rivalries, this song could not be made today. College football is a matter of life and death down there, literally. Iconic trees and people have been murdered over games. Skynyrd was born deep in SEC country: The boogie-rock brothers were from Jacksonville, not Alabama, and cut the track in Georgia. Could you imagine a bunch of Gators fans cutting a tune that could in any way be construed as ‘Roll Tide’? Yankees and rivals love to mock and loathe the Crimson Tide, but when this ditty plays, every human in the room, no matter the allegiance, becomes a temporary, gen-u-wine Mobile redneck.

7.  ‘I Drove All Night’ by Cyndi Lauper

The irreverent thrift-shop spunk that defined Cyndi Lauper’s persona in the 1980s sometimes overshadowed her killer range and sensitivity as a vocalist, but ‘I Drove All Night’—from her third album, 1989’s ‘A Time to Remember’—finds her in a different mode. Driven by a feverish desire, she takes the wheel and makes her own way to her lover’s bed. (She may coyly ask, ‘Is that all right?’ but by that time she’s already done it.) And Lauper’s impressively sustained last note is a perfect expression of the song’s sense of undeterrable yearning.

8.  ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman’s beautifully direct 1988 hit, from her eponymous debut album, gives escapism an especially poignant twist. The speeding car and its romantic freedom (‘City lights stretched out before us/Your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder’) can’t be separated from what it’s speeding from: a life of urban poverty, trapped taking care of deadbeats—first a drunk father and then, at the end, the very driver that she had dreamed might carry her to rescue.

9.  ‘Keep the Car Running’ by Arcade Fire

If there’s one quality that characterizes Arcade Fire’s sound, it’s urgency—and nowhere is that more evident than on ‘Keep the Car Running’ from the band’s super noir, grandiose 2007 ‘Neon Bible’ album. Based on singer Win Butler’s childhood nightmares (‘Men are coming to take me away!’ he pines), ‘Keep the Car Running’ expands these fears into a sense of global anxiety, and the certainty that there must be something better down the road (‘Don’t know why, but I know I can’t stay’). On its release, the song was likened to prime-era Bruce Springsteen; imagine fans’ joy when Butler and Régine Chassagne made a surprise showing at the Boss’s stadium gig to bust out the song with him. Warning: You will need to be super-careful not to break the speed limit if you play this song while driving.

10.  ‘Truckin’’ by Grateful Dead

Let us pause, and acknowledge the fact that this road trip song has been recognised by the U.S. Library of Congress as a national treasure. Mmmm. Written and performed communally by Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir and lyricist Robert Hunter, the catchy, bluesy shuffle turns the band’s misfortunes on the road into a metaphor for getting through life’s constant changes. And really, what’s a good trip—or a good life—if you can’t exclaim at the end, ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been’?

11.  ‘Road to Nowhere’ by Talking Heads

The gospel-choir intro to this upbeat single, off 1985’s ‘Little Creatures’ LP , makes for a great start to any road-trip mix. The song celebrates the journey over the destination—as frontman David Byrne puts it, ‘I wanted to write a song that presented a resigned, even joyful look at doom.’ (Typical of him.) Not every end point is a good one, but we’ll be damned if this march doesn’t have us enjoying the ride.

12.  ‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon

Road trips are a time for contemplation, whether we expect it (or like it) or not. Paul Simon’s 1986 single is a perfect, toe-tapping example—we’re treated to what’s basically his stream of consciousness on a drive to Graceland with his son after the failure of his marriage to the late, great Carrie Fisher. At turns both nostalgic and hopeful, it runs the gamut of emotions we always seem to experience a little more profoundly on the road.

13.  ‘Take It Easy’ by the Eagles

The Eagles took flight in 1972 with their debut single: a quick but mellow paean to the romance of the road, where a world of troubles—romantic and otherwise—can be shucked at the mere sight of a girl (my lord!) in a flatbed Ford. Cowritten by frontman Glenn Frey and his friend Jackson Browne, the song’s rejection of worry and release into insouciant adventure are perfect for relieving tension on a drive. As the lyrics gently urge: ‘Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.’

14.  ‘America’ by Simon and Garfunkel

Add this one to your bucket list: Everyone should be required (at least once) to listen to their restless side, hitchhike, board a bus and go to another city/state/country to find something better—as described in Simon and Garfunkel’s 1968 classic, which follows two young lovers on a Greyhound in search for America. Take your sweetie along for the ride, smoke cigarettes on the side of the road, chat with the weirdos you meet on your journey, and by all means, indulge in a few slices of all-American pie.

15.  ‘Route 66’ by Chuck Berry

This R&B standard, written in 1946 by Bobby Troup, has been covered by everyone from the Rolling Stones to John Mayer and Depeche Mode. We’re partial to Chuck Berry’s 1961 rendition, which matches the 2,400-mile pilgrimage on the L.A.–Chicago-connecting titular highway to a T. Who better than the father of rock & roll to accompany a trip past greasy-spoon diners, tiny towns frozen in time and striking Americana landscapes?

16.  ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

First and foremost a love song, the L.A. troupe’s jingly-jangly 2010 smash single is also, obviously, about coming home – making it the perfect road trip song. Naturally, the feel-good tune should be played at the end of your voyage, when you’re speeding a bit because you just can’t wait to get home to your significant other/parents/puppy/comfy bed.

17.  ‘Going Up the Country’ by Canned Heat

Released in 1968 and adapted from a 1920s blues song, Canned Heat’s highest-charting single was the unofficial anthem of Woodstock—and even after all this time, it’s the perfect track to kick off a road trip, a steering-wheel-tapping, grin-inducing song that makes you immediately pine for sun-drenched fields: “I’m going where the water tastes like wine, we can jump in the water, stay drunk all the time.” Those dudes had their priorities straight…just so long as they had a designated driver.

18.  ‘I’ve Been Everywhere’ by Johnny Cash

Music has always had the power to educate. Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ taught us more 20th-century American history than a year’s worth of school hisoty lessons. For a CliffsNotes anatomy lesson, we turned to Professor Sir Mix-a-Lot. And when it comes to geography, there is no better musical resource than this name-dropping country ditty, first released with North American locales in 1962 by Canadian crooner Hank Snow. In four verses, 91 places are rattled off in rapid-fire succession—destinations both big (Chicago and Nashville) and small (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Haverstraw, New York). This road trip song has been covered many times and adapted for different regions of the globe, but we’re partial to the Man in Black’s 1996 rendition, simply because his weathered, gravelly bass-baritone suggests a man who has indeed been everywhere.

19.  ‘Hit the Road Jack’ by Ray Charles

Fiendishly simple with its descending piano chords, ‘Hit the Road Jack’ is sung from the perspective of a philanderer being ejected by his lady. By all rights this 1961 R&B classic should win a prize for being impossible not to sing along to: ‘What you say?!’ screams soul hero Charles to his velvet-voiced Raelettes. Later he complains, ‘You can’t mean that,’ about as convincingly as a cat picking bird feathers from between its teeth. The track's most memorable use in a road trip appears in the 1989 comedy movie The Dream Team .

20.  ‘Holiday Road’ by Lindsey Buckingham

Hard to hear this seemingly happy little sock hop without thinking of the Griswold family station wagon zooming to Walley World. As its dark video helps to underline, the lyrics speak more of feeling trapped than free. The Fleetwood Mac man was an ace at hiding his boyish ache behind melodic smiles. Which is why this road trip song is such simple genius: It works the same whether you’re chained to a desk and longing for a vacation or finally on the highway, shooting to God knows where with no deadlines.

21.  ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ by Electric Light Orchestra

The sweet spot is 176 beats per minute. That’s a giddy run, the pace of your footsteps hitting the pavement as you jog home after a first kiss. Though we haven’t tested this, we theorise it is the precise cadence of fence posts whipping past your window as you motor down a highway just above the speed limit. ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is 176 beats per minute, which is why, whenever it plays, you have the urge to run like a big dumb puppy dog to a boyfriend/girlfriend, or let the wind blow through your hair at 76mph, as you croon along to the vocoder like a robot. Warning: When ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ is used without such outlets, it can cause deep wanderlust.

22.  ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by the Proclaimers

If there’s one road trip song that can unite everyone in the car in the simple act of thumping whatever surface is near them in time with a ludicrously catchy tune, it’s this one—a hit in 1988 for Scottish twins the Proclaimers. Fun fact: The ‘havering’ referred to in the first verse (‘And if I haver, I know I’m gonna be the man who’s havering to you’) is Scots slang for babbling foolishly. So now you know.

23.  ‘Ride Like the Wind‘ by Christopher Cross

Take your EGOT and stuff it. Chris Cross has the transportation trifecta—mega-hits for the sea (‘Sailing’), sky (‘Arthur’s Theme’) and road (‘Ride Like the Wind’). People condescendingly pigeonhole the guy as yacht rock (the pink flamingo on his smash album doesn’t help), but he’s truly yacht-jet-and-rental-car rock. Despite its lily-white reputation, ‘Ride‘ is cool and dangerous. It’s possibly—no, probably—about drug smuggling. Racing away to Mexico with Michael McDonald as the devil on your shoulder. Hearing those percolating bongos, wind effects, electric piano and oily guitar licks, it could fit right on Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’ album . It remains DJ gold. Call it ‘Get Unlucky’.

24.  ‘Ramblin’ Man’ by the Allman Brothers Band

We may not have been born in the backseat of a Greyhound bus (thanks, mum!), but for whatever reason, the idea of being a ramblin’ man (or woman) is endlessly appealing. And when we play this 1973 hit—based on Hank Williams’s 1951 song of the same name—on the open road, that’s exactly who we are. At least until Monday.

25.  ‘On the Road Again’ by Willie Nelson

Nothing beats hitting the open road, where you can escape the stress of work, family, bills, city life and just be free, man. Just ask tireless road dog Willie Nelson. The Red Headed Stranger penned this 1980 country hit—the ultimate get-the-hell-out-of-town anthem—not in the back of a tour bus but rather, of all places, on a barf bag midflight.

26.  ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream’ by Tom Petty

Some would argue that we could have built this entire list solely out of Petty tunes—but we had to make a choice, and we picked this 1989 single from the song man’s first solo record, ‘Full Moon Fever’. Not only does it take place in a car, but the tune’s reference to Del Shannon’s ‘Runaway’ and killer guitar solo make it a perfect fit for blasting out of your speakers while cruising down the interstate in pursuit of the American dream, your future destination or simply that next roadside burger.

27.  ‘Let Me Ride’ by Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’ album arrived on the heels of the 1992 South Central riots. Folks in Compton were looking to escape and could not—and not just because of the traffic on the 110 and 405. This was a cry for cruising with the bucket seats dropped back, slow rolling on a resting-heart-rate rhythm and those G-funk dog-whistle keyboards. ‘Swing down, sweet chariot, stop, let me ride,’ goes the chorus lifted from Parliament’s ‘Mothership Connection,’ itself based on a slave spiritual. But just because the song hides a deeper political meaning the way lowriders hide a subwoofer in the trunk, there’s no reason Dre can’t roll in style. Specifically, in a 1964 Chevy Impala shoed with Dayton rims (a.k.a. ‘Ds,’ as in ‘Throw some Ds on that bitch’).

28.  ‘Born to Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf

The riff, like the rev of a motorcycle throttle, has become so terribly commonplace, it’s hard to imagine what it must have been like to hear its ‘heavy-metal thunder’ with virgin ears during the opening credits of Easy Rider . Today, Steppenwolf’s monster hit is a movie-trailer cliché on par with ‘Bad to the Bone’ and ‘I Got You (I Feel Good).’ What was once-tough biker rock is now Viagra-ad fodder. Still, if you can wash out the soundtrack memories of Problem Child, Dr. Dolittle 2, Rugrats Go Wild, et al., the dirty little number still rips, along with a deep huff of exhaust fumes and jazz cigarettes.

29.  ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ by Journey

A thousand terrible karaoke performances have somewhat dulled the lustre of this once-gleaming classic ’80s song , but once it comes on in the car, you’ll be in love with it all over again within seconds. Just don’t use it as a road map—there is no such place as South Detroit. Okay, there is, but it’s in Ontario, Canada, so you might need your passport. 

30.  ‘Interstate Love Song’ by Stone Temple Pilots

The underrated STP (hey, that’s a fuel additive) was never truly a grunge band. The ‘Core’ album was a trend-surfing foot in the door, the American equivalent to Blur’s baggy-riding ‘Leisure’. Really, the bands have more melodic ambitions. Scott Weiland, as his solo albums and pink fur coat proved, had far more Bowie in him than his peers. ‘Interstate Love Song’  was the lifting of the veil, when the Pilots announced, Hey, we actually listen to the Beatles , not the Melvins. It chugs along with drop-top bliss, even if the chorus is oddly about trains, not driving.

31.  ‘Radar Love’ by Golden Earring

Appropriately for a song about driving, this 1973 cut from Dutch rockers Golden Earring is one of the best road trip songs ever written. ‘The road has got me hypnotised, I’m speeding into a new sunrise!’ wails singer Barry Hay, as that bassline gets your head nodding and your foot instinctively pressing down on the gas. ‘Radar Love’ also has the best breakdown of any rock song ever. This is an indisputable scientific fact.

32.  ‘Life Is a Highway’ by Tom Cochrane

Okay. We know how heavy-handed these metaphors are. And how forced the rhymes are. We never said every song on this list was a masterpiece. But we dare you not to sing along with the chorus of this 1991 cheesefest— especially on a highway. Maybe no one ever listens to the song in its entirety (sorry Tom), but one or two ‘life is a highway’s are pretty much mandatory. Give in.

33.  ‘The Way’ by Fastball

Alt-rock band Fastball had a breakout 1998 hit with this fast-driving tale of a married pair that ditches its conventional home and family, in favour of a dream life on the highway with no destination. The feel-good, sing-along optimism of the chorus—‘They’ll never get hungry, they’ll never get old and grey’—has a dark undercurrent: Weeks after their disappearance, the bodies of the real-life Texas couple who inspired the song were discovered in an Arkansas ravine. But all of life’s roads hit a dead-end eventually: Better, maybe, at least to leave the driveway.

34.  ‘California’ by Phantom Planet

Contrary to popular belief, the hair-metal power ballad did not die by grunge’s bullet. The hair just got shorter and the trousers got looser. Case in point: this 2002 theme from The O.C. It is emo made only from the emotion of uncut nostalgia. It is basically Motley Crüe’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ for mollycoddled millennials, right down to the video compiled from sentimental tour footage. And it is oddly reminiscent of Al Jolson’s ‘California, Here I Come.’ That’s some feat, finding the common ground between Jolson and the Crüe. Man, remember when Ryan became a cage fighter after Marissa died?

35.  ‘Shut Up and Drive’ by Rihanna

This electro bop from 2007 isn’t a top-tier Rihanna tune, but it still kinda rips. Driven – pun definitely intended – by a crafty sample from New Order’s club classic ‘Blue Monday’, it’s an unashamedly fluffy new wave pastiche that’s as much about sex as hitting the open highway. Don’t even pretend you can resist it – especially when the chance of RiRi releasing new music any time soon seems to get slimmer with each passing year. 

36.  ‘Running on Empty’ by Jackson Browne

There’s a reason this song soundtracks the Forrest Gump  protagonist’s famous transcontinental jog: Few pop tunes capture the rush of earthbound travel—by foot, by car or, in Jackson Browne’s case, by tour bus—better than this autobiographical FM-radio staple. But what makes it a classic is the ambiguity in Browne’s message. ‘I don’t know where I’m running now; I’m just running on,’ he sings, perfectly summing up how the desire for escape can be its own kind of trap.

37.  ‘Two of Us’ by the Beatles

The Fab Four’s back catalogue is replete with songs about travelling around: ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Day Tripper,’ ‘Ticket to Ride,’ ‘Yellow Submarine’—the list goes on and on like a long and winding road. No Beatles track, though, captures the feeling of setting off into uncharted territory with someone special better than ‘Two of Us,’ penned by Paul McCartney in 1969. There is debate as to whether McCartney’s partner in crime in this song is future wife Linda Eastman, as he claims, or John Lennon, which some of the nostalgia-infused lyrics would suggest. No matter—an impromptu road trip is a good time whether your passenger-seat companion is your new flame or your counterpart in the greatest songwriting tandem of all time.

38.  ‘Chicago’ by Sufjan Stevens

Some songs make your heart beat faster from the get-go, and 2005 road-trip song ‘Chicago’ is just such a gem, announcing its entrance in a whirlwind of strings and a rush of percussion. The backing cuts suddenly to Stevens’s voice, whispering that most universal human sentiment: ‘I fell in love again—all things go, all things go,’ and then later, another familiar feeling: ‘I made a lot of mistakes, I made a lot of mistakes.’ It’s this acknowledgement of our frailty, coupled with our irrepressible capacity for hope and excitement that gives  ‘Chicago’ its electrifying, driving charge. That and the fact it features in the ridiculously touching road movie Little Miss Sunshine .

39.  ‘Fade Into You’ by Mazzy Star

Night driving found a shimmering musical complement in this ethereal 1994 track from dream popsters Mazzy Star. In a rare bit of sonic magic, it seems that no matter how fast you’re driving, the low beats per minute on ‘Fade Into You’ always manage to sync up perfectly with the passing dividing lines visible from your car’s two headlights. And a night drive, preferably undertaken as you’re pining for an unrequited love, wouldn’t be complete without Hope Sandoval’s dusk, haunting vocals echoing throughout your ride. Two-lane highway bliss, by moonlight.

40.  ‘The Golden Age’ by Beck

This 2002 road trip song, off Beck’s desolate, heartbreaking ‘Sea Change’ , is one of the most perfect and profound illustrations of driving as a means of escape. It’s best played at night, in the desert if you’ve got one handy, when you feel like crap but have pretty much come to terms with it. And when, as Beck says, ‘You've gotta drive all night just to feel like you’re okay.’ Go forth, drive and wallow. Maybe you’ll feel better in the morning.

41.  ‘Scar Tissue’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers

The L.A.-bred Peppers clearly know a thing or two about hitting the highways, as evidenced by a song catalogue riddled with Cali-inspired, crank-up-the-dial tunes. For a journey out on the open road, we like this lead track off the band’s 1999 album, ‘Californication’, due to its lilting desert-by-twilight vibe. The song’s main attraction is John Frusciante’s wailing guitar solos, which achingly embody Anthony Kiedis’s lyrics about isolation and the twisted, drug-fuelled paths he’s traversed (‘With the birds I’ll share this lonely view’). Enter tumbleweed, stage right.

42.  ‘Every Day Is a Winding Road’ by Sheryl Crow

The little sister to Tom Cochrane’s ‘Life Is a Highway,’ Sheryl Crow’s 1996 hit unabashedly co-opts the use of automotive byways as metaphors for life’s ups and downs. (Billy ‘the world is a vampire’ Corgan apparently misread the memo.) The ‘wacky’ characters in Crow’s songs are often a bit too precious for our liking—in this case, a vending-machine repairman with a daughter he calls ‘Easter’ (what?)—but the chorus always gets us fired up for some hairpin turns, even when we’re cruising down a seemingly endless straightaway. This road trip song works perfectly when your destination is San Francisco’s iconic Lombard Street, whose residents probably have this tune swirling in their heads 24/7.

43.  ‘Jack & Diane’ by John Cougar Mellencamp

Inevitably, your road trip is going to hit some lulls: You’re fighting off the yawns, your passengers have passed out, and it's 57 miles to the next pit stop. When this happens, there’s one sure-fire way to get your journey back on course: Unleash the Cougar. Indiana’s favourite son specialiaes in songs about the heartland, and his crowning jewel is this 1982 chart topper about two high-school sweethearts and the twists and turns of their American Dream. Despite the jaunty beat and an epic drum breakdown rivaling the one in Phil Collins’s ‘In the Air Tonight,’ the tale is cautionary, urging us to savour those thrilling, carefree teenage years. Oh, to be young, in love and suckin’ on chilli dogs outside the Tastee Freez.…

44.  ‘King of the Road’ by Roger Miller

Did our dads play this 1964 ditty on long car rides when we were little? You betcha. Do we think they contemplated the potential consequences of making penniless vagabonds sound super cool? Doubtful. Regardless, it’s a timeless everyman’s anthem, and darn if it isn’t catchy. We really like listening to it in our van down by the river.

45.  ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T. & the M.G.’s

This R&B instrumental, recorded in 1962, is the perfect soundtrack for an unhurried drive, when you’re sick of singing along and ready to just cruise. It’s repetitive, much like the open road, but with a steady beat and some soulful Hammond organ to keep things interesting. Widely considered to be one of the greatest songs of all time, it’s received accolades from Rolling Stone , Acclaimed Music, the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress. If AAA had a greatest songs list, we’re sure ‘Green Onions’ would be on that, too.

46.  ‘Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett

You can probably blame censorship for our automobile sex fetishes. Early rock & rollers couldn’t sing about sex, so they sang about their cars…with not-so-subtle undertones. ‘Mustang Sally,’ the grandmother of ‘Little Red Corvette’ only wants to ‘ride around,’ and Pickett howls with his thumb out, looking to hitch. Don’t let this song’s karaoke staple status let you forget what it’s really about. 

47.  ‘Going Back to Cali’ by LL Cool J

From Al Jolson to Led Zeppelin and Phantom Planet, dozens of artists have tapped into the westward dream of the Golden State. Heck, the tradition stretches back to Gold Rush ditties of the mid 19th century, Smithsonian Folkways fodder like ‘Life in California.’ But only one man made the trip wrapped in precious metals, not seeking them. Cool J cruises to the coast, as he proclaims in verse, in a Corvette with a Laurents chrome chain steering wheel, Dayton wire rims and a gold-leaf convertible top. Rick Rubin’s stark 808 beats thunder under the extremely relaxed rhymes of Mr. Ladies Love. ‘I’m going back to Cali,’ he nearly whispers before shrugging it off. ‘Hmm, I don't think so’ He might go, he might not. With his riches, he is a walking California. That’s cool. Cool enough to pull off one of the few sax solos in hip-hop history.

48.  ‘The Distance’ by Cake

With the band’s signature horns and a self-serious melody that practically requires head-bobbing and Speed Racer–esque intensity (you may even want to invest in racing gloves), this single off of 1996’s ‘Fashion Nugget’ album is irresistible. The album is filled with more on-the-nose driving songs than this one (‘Race Car Ya-Yas,’ ‘Stickshifts and Safetybelts’), but this is the money single—and got the album platinum status. Throw it on repeat and hit the open road. Just take an occasional break for track No. 7, the band’s excellent cover of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive.’

49.  ‘Roadrunner’ by the Modern Lovers

Talk about a brilliant juxtaposition: Jonathan Richman’s 1972 cut, written when he was 19, beautifully contrasts the Velvet Underground’s bare-bones, dirty-as-hell chugalug sound with a subject matter so suburban that Richman’s heroes Lou Reed & Co. wouldn’t dare touch it: The thrill of being young, driving in a car and blasting the radio. The song’s repetitive two-chord propulsion is a perfect late-night road-trip pick-me-up. And there’s a bangin’ cover by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts to check out, too.

50.  ‘Have Love, Will Travel’ by the Sonics

At some stage in your life—at any point between getting your driver’s licence and getting married, really—you’ll drive from ‘Maine to Mexico’ for a piece of ass, as Gerry Roslie does in this proto-punk classic. The high-tension twang of the guitar sounds like the strings are about to snap, the perfect sonic emulation of sexual frustration. A recent ad for Mexican beer claims you need an ‘encyclopedic knowledge of garage rock’ to pull up this song, as if from some lost, dusty volume. Nah, this is Rock & Roll 101.

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Home > Tips > 275 Best Road Trip Songs For Your Road Trip Playlist

275 Best Road Trip Songs For Your Road Trip Playlist

By Dymphe / February 9, 2023

Road trip songs are amazing when you're on the road! If you're looking for the perfect road trip playlist, I'm sure you'll love this one.

Going on a vacation soon? Then music will make it a lot of fun. For example, when I'm going on a beach vacation, I love listening to my beach playlist .

I always love listening to songs when traveling. And especially when I'm on the road, music is also very important.

For that reason, I made this road trip playlist. Even though this playlist is perfect for traveling, I always love listening to it.

The playlist consists of 275 songs. The genres on the list are pop, rock, dance, indie, and hip-hop. Furthermore, I've included a category of other genres as well. All the songs are perfect for your next road trip.

Depending on what music you want to listen to, you can choose one of the genres. But I'd recommend listening to all and adding them to your Spotify account.

Here are the 275 best road trip songs!

Table of Contents

Pop: Amazing Road Trip Songs With Great Melodies

One of the best genres for your road trip is the popular music genre or pop for short.

The road trip songs that belong to this category are a lot of fun. And they will make your trip much better for sure.

You likely recognize a lot of songs on this list, which is great. It is always fun to sing along songs you know very well. These songs are great while you are driving the road for that reason.

Also, pop songs are great to listen to when you are going on a road trip with other people. The other people in the car will likely also know the songs on this list! This makes these songs even better for your road trip playlist.

What's great about pop music as well is that the songs have a lot of great melodies.

Furthermore, pop songs almost always have parts that repeat.

Also, many of the parts of the song are easy to sing. This makes them even better as a road trip song.

All these aspects make that you should definitely add pop songs to your road trip playlist.

Besides that, what's great is that pop music exists for a long time. Because of this, there were a lot of songs to choose from.

To make creating your playlist with pop road trip songs easier I divided these songs by when they came out.

For example, I have a category with songs from 2015 till 2019. Also, this list contains new songs from the year 2021 till the present. These songs will likely be more familiar to you when you often listen to the radio or look at the charts. Besides that, you find older songs on this list as well.

Music From 2021 Till Now

1. It'll Be Okay - Shawn Mendes

2. Oh My God - Adele

3. Sunshine - OneRepublic

4. Shivers - Ed Sheeran

5. Cold Heart - PNAU Remix - Elton John, Dua Lipa, PNAU

6. GHOST TOWN - Benson Boone

7. Easy On Me - Adele

8. Pepas - Farruko

9. Better Days (NEIKED x Mae Muller x Polo G) - NEIKED, Mae Muller, Polo G

10. THATS WHAT I WANT - Lil Nas X

11. abcdefu - GAYLE

12. INDUSTRY BABY (feat. Jack Harlow) - Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow

13. STAY (with Justin Bieber) - The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber

14. Woman - Doja Cat

15. Need to Know - Doja Cat

16. Bad Habits - Ed Sheeran

17. Life Goes On - Oliver Tree

18. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

19. Heartbreak Anthem (with David Guetta & Little Mix) - Galantis, David Guetta, Little Mix

20. Freaks - Surf Curse

21. Build a Bitch - Bella Poarch

22. Run - OneRepublic

23. Save Your Tears (with Ariana Grande) (Remix) - The Weeknd, Ariana Grande

24. Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) - Doja Cat, SZA

25. MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) - Lil Nas X

26. Mood (feat. iann dior) - 24kGoldn, iann dior

27. Peaches (feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon) - Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, Giveon

28. Rasputin - Majestic, Boney M.

29. Cover Me In Sunshine - P!nk, Willow Sage Hart

Songs in 2020

30. Good Days - SZA

31. WITHOUT YOU - The Kid LAROI

32. positions - Ariana Grande

33. Lonely (with benny blanco) - Justin Bieber, benny blanco

34. Sweet but Psycho - Ava Max

35. Heat Waves - Glass Animals

36. Take You Dancing - Jason Derulo

37. Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) - Jawsh 685, Jason Derulo

38. Put Your Records On - Ritt Momney

39. Levitating (feat. DaBaby) - Dua Lipa, DaBaby

40. Don't Start Now - Dua Lipa

41. Break My Heart - Dua Lipa

42. In Your Eyes - The Weeknd

43. Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

44. Control - Zoe Wees

45. Boss Bitch - Doja Cat

Music from 2015 Till 2019

46. Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles

47. If the World Was Ending (feat. Julia Michaels) - JP Saxe, Julia Michaels

48. I Don't Care (with Justin Bieber) - Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber

49. 7 rings - Ariana Grande

50. Don't Call Me Up - Mabel

51. No Lie - Sean Paul, Dua Lipa

52. Attention - Charlie Puth

53. One Kiss (with Dua Lipa) - Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa

54. The Middle - Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey

55. New Rules - Dua Lipa

56. Perfect - Ed Sheeran

57. Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

58. Happier - Ed Sheeran

59. Castle on the Hill - Ed Sheeran

60. Hold On - Chord Overstreet

61. Starboy - The Weeknd, Daft Punk

62. Cake By The Ocean - DNCE

63. Say You Won't Let Go - James Arthur

64. 7 Years - Lukas Graham

65. We Don't Talk Anymore (feat. Selena Gomez) - Charlie Puth, Selena Gomez

66. Love On The Brain - Rihanna

67. Love Yourself - Justin Bieber

68. Sorry - Justin Bieber

69. Stitches - Shawn Mendes

70. Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars) - Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars

Songs From 2010 till 2014

71. Time of Our Lives - Pitbull, Ne-Yo

72. Summer - Calvin Harris

73. Maps - Maroon 5

74. Sugar - Maroon 5

75. Animals - Maroon 5

76. Rude - MAGIC!

77. Thinking out Loud - Ed Sheeran

78. Photograph - Ed Sheeran

79. Like I Can - Sam Smith

80. Story of My Life - One Direction

81. Royals - Lorde

82. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

83. Counting Stars - OneRepublic

84. Heart Attack - Demi Lovato

85. When I Was Your Man - Bruno Mars

86. Die Young - Kesha

87. Just Give Me a Reason (feat. Nate Ruess) - P!nk, Nate Ruess

88. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction

89. Payphone - Maroon 5, Wiz Khalifa

90. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen

91. Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez & The Scene

92. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye, Kimbra

93. On The Floor - Jennifer Lopez, Pitbull

94. Hey, Soul Sister - Train

95. Grenade - Bruno Mars

96. Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars

97. DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love (feat. Pitbull) - Usher, Pitbull

98. TiK ToK - Kesha

99. Dynamite - Taio Cruz

100. Baby - Justin Bieber, Ludacris

Music before 2010: Perfect Road Trip Songs If You Like Older Pop Songs

101. See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth) - Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth

102. Classic - MKTO

103. Hey Ya! - Outkast

104. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga

105. I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

106. Party In The U.S.A. - Miley Cyrus

107. Umbrella - Rihanna, JAY-Z

108. Viva La Vida - Coldplay

109. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

110. Gimme More - Britney Spears

111. SexyBack (feat. Timbaland) - Justin Timberlake, Timbaland

112. Hips Don't Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) - Shakira, Wyclef Jean

113. Toxic - Britney Spears

114. I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys

115. Careless Whisper - George Michael

116. Wannabe - Spice Girls

117. Take on Me - a-ha

118. Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

119. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!

120. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Remastered - Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart

121. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson

122. Beat It - Michael Jackson

123. Africa - TOTO

124. Let's Groove - Earth\, Wind & Fire

125. Let It Be - Remastered 2009 - The Beatles

126. Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell

127. Dancing Queen - ABBA

Songs of the dance music genre are also great to add to your road trip playlist.

These road trip songs are great for dancing, but also great while you are driving.

This genre has a lot of rhythm and great beats that I'm sure you'll enjoy and will make your trip better!

128. Where Are You Now - Lost Frequencies, Calum Scott

129. Panga (Ft. Idd Aziz) - LevyM

130. Love Tonight - David Guetta Remix Edit - Shouse, David Guetta

131. Sweet Dreams - Alan Walker, Imanbek

132. Never Going Home - Kungs

133. BED - Joel Corry, RAYE, David Guetta

134. Friday (feat. Mufasa & Hypeman) - Dopamine Re-Edit - Riton, Nightcrawlers, Mufasa, Hypeman, Dopamine

135. The Business - Tiësto

136. uNcuthu Ft. Sekiwe - LevyM

137. ily (i love you baby) (feat. Emilee) - Surf Mesa, Emilee

138. Lose Control - MEDUZA, Becky Hill, Goodboys

139. Ride It - Regard

140. Love Tonight - Edit - Shouse

141. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers, Coldplay

142. Closer - The Chainsmokers, Halsey

143. This Is What You Came For (feat. Rihanna) - Calvin Harris, Rihanna

144. Don't Let Me Down - The Chainsmokers, Daya

145. Waiting For Love - Avicii

146. The Nights - Avicii

147. Get Lucky (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - Radio Edit - Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers

148. Wake Me Up - Avicii

149. Titanium (feat. Sia) - David Guetta, Sia

150. Feel So Close - Radio Edit - Calvin Harris

151. Give Me Everything (feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer) - Pitbull, Ne-Yo, Afrojack, Nayer

152. Fireflies - Owl City

153. Timber (feat. Ke$ha) - Pitbull, Kesha

154. Remember - Becky Hill, David Guetta

155. Head & Heart (feat. MNEK) - Joel Corry, MNEK

156. Someone To You - BANNERS

Rock: Nice Road Trip Songs With Great Beats

Here's yet another genre that is great to add to your playlist.

Rock music often features acoustic or electric guitars. These instruments add a great sound to the song.

Furthermore, there is a lot of difference in the songs that belong to this genre.

For example, there are road trip songs of this genre that are very fast, while there are also very slow ones.

Furthermore, there are songs with heavy vocals, while there are also ones with soft vocals.

These differences exist because there are a lot of subgenres of rock.

Depending on what type of song you like most, you can choose certain songs from this road trip playlist.

Also, what's great is that rock songs often feature great stories. Taking in these stories while listening to these songs will make your road trip much more fun for sure!

For example, many songs are about love, but some are also about political or social themes.

These stories make the songs much more interesting!

Like pop music, there are a lot of different songs to choose from. That's because the genre exists for more than 75 years. This makes this genre amazing if you're looking for road trip songs.

To make choosing a song for your road trip playlist easier, I divided this list of songs too.

For this list, I chose to use the year 2000 as the dividing year.

Moreover, this list contains some new songs, such as Circles by Post Malone from 2019. But this list also has older songs. For example, it also includes Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses, which is a more classic rock song that I'm sure you know!

Music From 2000 Till Now

157. Circles - Post Malone

158. Sucker - Jonas Brothers

159. Natural - Imagine Dragons

160. High Hopes - Panic! At The Disco

161. Beggin' - Måneskin

162. Believer - Imagine Dragons

163. Thunder - Imagine Dragons

164. High Enough - K.Flay

165. Heathens - Twenty One Pilots

166. Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots

167. Ride - Twenty One Pilots

168. Friends - Chase Atlantic

169. Centuries - Fall Out Boy

170. Locked out of Heaven - Bruno Mars

171. Hall of Fame (feat. will.i.am) - The Script, will.i.am

172. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees

173. Paradise - Coldplay

174. Animal - Neon Trees

175. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon

176. Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

177. How to Save a Life - The Fray

178. Fix You - Coldplay

179. The Scientist - Coldplay

180. Clocks - Coldplay

181. Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down

182. Yellow - Coldplay

Songs Before 2000

183. Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

184. Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve

185. Basket Case - Green Day

186. What's Up? - 4 Non Blondes

187. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers

188. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

189. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses

190. Paradise City - Guns N' Roses

191. You Give Love A Bad Name - Bon Jovi

192. Dancing In the Dark - Bruce Springsteen

193. Under Pressure - Remastered 2011 - Queen, David Bowie

194. Don't Stop Believin' - Journey

195. Back In Black - AC/DC

196. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC

197. Another One Bites The Dust - Remastered 2011 - Queen

198. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

199. Highway to Hell - AC/DC

200. Don't Stop Me Now - Remastered 2011 - Queen

201. Dreams - 2004 Remaster - Fleetwood Mac

202. Hotel California - 2013 Remaster - Eagles

203. Bohemian Rhapsody - Remastered 2011 - Queen

204. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

205. Dream On - Aerosmith

206. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time) - Elton John

207. Stairway to Heaven - Remaster - Led Zeppelin

208. Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival

209. Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival

210. Here Comes The Sun - Remastered 2009 - The Beatles

211. Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

Indie: Great Road Trip Songs If You Like Alternative Music

Ready for some alternative road trip songs during your trip?

If you like songs that are lesser-known, you should choose some of the songs on this list.

Also, the songs are great to add to your road trip playlist if you want to listen to more unusual instruments.

Indie music often combines a lot of different aspects of other genres. This makes the songs unique!

Also, what's great is that if you choose to add a lot of these songs to your playlist, you have a very diverse list of music! And that's great if you want to have a nice list of road trip songs. I'm sure you'll love these songs!

212. my ex's best friend (with blackbear) - Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear

213. Can I Call You Tonight? - Dayglow

214. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

215. Bruises - Lewis Capaldi

216. when the party's over - Billie Eilish

217. Are You Bored Yet? (feat. Clairo) - Wallows, Clairo

218. Into It - Chase Atlantic

219. Infinity - Jaymes Young

220. Ophelia - The Lumineers

221. Hymn for the Weekend - Coldplay

222. Electric Love - BØRNS

223. Wait a Minute! - WILLOW

224. Shut Up and Dance - WALK THE MOON

225. Riptide - Vance Joy

226. Take Me To Church - Hozier

227. Best Day Of My Life - American Authors

228. Still into You - Paramore

229. Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men

230. Stereo Hearts (feat. Adam Levine) - Gym Class Heroes, Adam Levine

231. Tongue Tied - Grouplove

232. Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

233. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz

234. Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's

235. Numb - Linkin Park

236. Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

237. In the End - Linkin Park

238. Safe And Sound - Capital Cities

239. Best Friend (feat. Doja Cat) - Saweetie, Doja Cat

Hip-Hop music is great music to listen to during your road trip. That's why I added also added perfect road trip songs of this genre to the list.

This is a music genre that often includes rap, but there are also songs without rap. Also, there are lots of songs of this genre with both rap and other types of vocals. This combination makes these songs great too!

Besides that, these songs often have very rhythmic melodies. Also, there is sometimes beatboxing that accompanies rap.

What's great is that there is a lot of variety in these songs.

For example, there are hip-hop songs that combine with pop. Also, there are songs that feature both rap and rock.

Besides that, what's great is that these songs differ in their tempo. There are very fast songs, but also very slow songs.

The rhythm of this music genre is what makes many of these songs proper road trip songs. It is great to ride on the road while listening to a rhythm at the same time.

Also, many of these hip-hop songs contain stories that you can listen to while driving on the road. This makes these songs even better for your trip.

To make this list of songs more comprehensible I divided this list as well. Below, you can find songs from 2015 till now, and songs from before 2015.

Songs From 2015 Till Now

240. Laugh Now Cry Later (feat. Lil Durk) - Drake, Lil Durk

241. WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) - Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion

242. What You Know Bout Love - Pop Smoke

243. ROCKSTAR (feat. Roddy Ricch) - DaBaby, Roddy Ricch

244. Godzilla (feat. Juice WRLD) - Eminem, Juice WRLD

245. Bandit (with YoungBoy Never Broke Again) - Juice WRLD, YoungBoy Never Broke Again

246. Robbery - Juice WRLD

247. SICKO MODE - Travis Scott

248. rockstar (feat. 21 Savage) - Post Malone, 21 Savage

249. Ric Flair Drip (with Metro Boomin) - Offset, Metro Boomin

250. Let You Down - NF

251. goosebumps - Travis Scott

Music Before 2015

252. No Role Modelz - J. Cole

253. Can't Hold Us - feat. Ray Dalton - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

254. Work Out - J. Cole

255. Love The Way You Lie - Eminem, Rihanna

256. Empire State Of Mind - JAY-Z, Alicia Keys

257. Low (feat. T-Pain) - Flo Rida, T-Pain

258. Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris) - Usher, Lil Jon, Ludacris

259. Ms. Jackson - Outkast

Other Genres: Additional Road Trip Songs That Are Perfect For Your Playlist

In the lists above I covered the genres pop, dance, rock, indie, and hip-hop.

Of course, there are more genres of road trip songs. That's why I included some songs that didn't fit the categories above in this section.

For example, there are songs of the R&B genre in this part of the list. Also, there are soul and country songs on this list.

Don't forget to add these songs to your road trip playlist, as they are great as well! Also, many of the songs are very popular songs, so you likely know them.

For example, if you want to add a great and slow song to your playlist, choose All of Me by John Legend!

Besides that, the songs of this section by Bruno Mars are great to listen to while driving as well!

260. I GUESS I'M IN LOVE - Clinton Kane

261. Leave The Door Open - Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic

262. DÁKITI - Bad Bunny, Jhay Cortez

263. You Got It - Vedo

264. 10,000 Hours (with Justin Bieber) - Dan + Shay, Justin Bieber

265. No Guidance (feat. Drake) - Chris Brown, Drake

266. Shallow - Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper

267. All The Stars (with SZA) - Kendrick Lamar, SZA

268. Redbone - Childish Gambino

269. That's What I Like - Bruno Mars

270. The Hills - The Weeknd

271. idfc - blackbear

272. Like I'm Gonna Lose You (feat. John Legend) - Meghan Trainor, John Legend

273. All of Me - John Legend

274. Sure Thing - Miguel

275. Temperature - Sean Paul

This was my playlist of amazing road trip songs. If you're going to travel soon, have a lot of fun! I'm sure you'll have a great time listening to these lovely songs.

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The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist According to Travelers, Editors, and Spotify

This year has been nothing short of a whirlwind. As we wrap up the year, international travel is still a no go, and flying in general seems like a bit of a risky proposition. As a result, the humble road trip has roared back on our collective radar as many of us have been taking to the road as a way to get out of the house and explore our surroundings near and far. 

When we began discussing road trips on zoom calls and in Slack channels, the one thing that everyone could agree on was that music was essential. A good soundtrack can mean the difference between the hours flying by as fast as the scenery out the window or turning around before you reach your destination.

So what makes a great road trip playlist? It starts with the songs, but with so many incredible choices out there, it’s hard to whittle down to something that stands up to the test of time. However, we had an idea.

To make the perfect road trip playlist, we used three components. First, we looked at Spotify data to identify the most popular songs for driving, according to the top 100 road trip playlists. Next, we surveyed our TripSavvy readers to get their take. After that, our editors weighed in on their favorite songs. In the end, we were left with 29 carefully curated high-vibe songs that create the ultimate travel music of 2020.

Here are the top road trip songs. For the best listening experience, try playing them in order. Enjoy!

"Wake Me Up" by Avicii

Released in 2013, “Wake Me Up” made history by becoming the first song on Spotify to accumulate 200 million streams. This song can instantly put you in a good mood and that's why it's up first on our list.

"Night Moves" by Bob Seger

"Night Moves" is an easy-listening, American Rock classic. "Rolling Stone" magazine named it Single of the Year in 1977. This song is sure to get you in the right headspace for hitting the highway.

"Fly Like an Eagle" by Steve Miller Band

As suggested by one of our readers, "Fly Like an Eagle" was a must-have for this playlist. Even though this psychedelic-rock tune was released in 1976, it still feels relevant today.

Feed the babies Who don't have enough to eat Shoe the children With no shoes on their feet House the people Livin' in the street Oh, oh, there's a solution

"I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk

As suggested by one of our readers, "I Feel It Coming" is a sensual disco-pop song by The Weeknd and Daft Punk. When you play it, this catchy song will make you instinctively bob along as you're on the road.

"Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line

A song that appears on the Spotify list and was submitted by a reader is "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line. This upbeat country song will make you wanna roll the windows down and cruise.

"Take It Easy" by the Eagles

After hours of driving, "Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy," might be the best advice you'll get. Released in 1972, "Take It Easy" by the Eagles is still being played by road trippers, appearing 20 times across the top 100 playlists.

"Riptide" by Vance Joy

"Riptide," the 2013 single by Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy, appears on 13 of the top 100 road trip Spotify playlists. This cheery folk song won the World Music Award for World’s Best Song.

"Old Town Road (Remix)" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

In 2019 Lil Nas X released "Old Town Road," a country rap remix with Billy Ray Cyrus. It won lots of awards, so it's no wonder that this was a top contender.

"Malibu" by Miley Cyrus

"This song reminds me of a road trip down the west coast from San Francisco to San Diego," says Megan Hartig, Content Marketing Manager. We booked our hotels on the fly with the app Hotel Tonight which was great for spontaneous travel."

"Life in the Fast Lane" by Eagles

You can't listen to "Life in the Fast Lane" without feeling like a badass. This song was on 13 of the top road trip playlists on Spotify. But don't lose your cool as this lyric points out: Life in the fast lane, Surely makes you lose your mind.

Listening to this song can give you a lead foot. Don't get a speeding ticket!

"Hey, Soul Sister" by Train

If you've never sung "Hey, Soul Sister" at the top of your lungs, have you ever been on a road trip? Not according to Spotify listeners. This song appeared 16 times according to Spotify data.

"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire

"I grew up listening to a lot of Earth, Wind & Fire with my parents during road trips," says associate editor Sherri Gardner. "'September' was one of my family’s favorites because it’s fun to sing along to, especially with the windows down."

"Burn The House Down" by AJR

Another great suggestion by one of our readers, "Burn The House Down" written by the pop trio consisting of three brothers, began as a 2018 song about U.S. political climate and became the theme song for the March for Our Lives campaign.

"Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas

If you're struggling to hang in during your long drive, turn up "Carry On Wayward Son" a little louder for some encouragement. This progressive rock song performed by Kansas in 1976 took the band to the next level.

"Dancing In The Moonlight" by Jubël featuring NEIMY

"Dancing In The Moonlight" was named nine times in the top 100 Spotify road trip playlists. This 2018 feel-good pop cover is sure to lift your spirits with its upbeat rhythm, especially if you are driving after the sun goes down.

"Road Trip (2020 Version)" by Convent Bonfires

This song was suggested by one of our readers, and given the title, we had to include it. This obscure, indie-rock track released this year gives us all the good vibes.

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

With almost one billion streams on Spotify, it's no surprise "Don't Stop Believin'" cracks the top 3, with 24 appearances on Spotify's top road trip playlists. So next time you're in your car, turn up the volume and sing on and on and on and on.

"Circles" by Post Malone

Another song listed on the Spotify charts and our reader survey is "Circles" by Post Malone. This 2019 pop single won Song of the Year at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards. It sat for a record 39 weeks in the Hot 100's top 10.

"Feel This Good" by Jackopierce

Another reader's choice, "Feel This Good" by musical duo Jackopierce is an easy listening song for the freeway.

Woke up this morning, rolled out of bed My favorite song's playing inside my head I go out on the freeway, windows down Don't know where I'm going, but it's good to move around and Days like this should never end

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Lennon & Maisy

Canadian sisters, Lennon and Maisy Stella, do a beautiful cover of the classic song "Big Yellow Taxi" originally sung by Joni Mitchell.

"Shotgun (The Wild Remix)" by George Ezra & The Wild

Whoever gets to ride shotgun is sure to enjoy this 2018 song by George Ezra featuring The Wild. "Shotgun" was listed on both the Spotify and readers' choice lists.

"Layla" by Eric Clapton

The acoustic rock song "Layla" was suggested by readers and found on six of the top Spotify road trip playlists. Hailed as one of the most iconic classic rock ballads of all time, there is no surprise it belongs here.

"Higher Love" by Kygo & Whitney Houston

This version of "Higher Love" produced by Norwegian DJ Kygo and the late Whitney Houston is a tropical, high-energy song that was number two on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

"Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

"I grew up listening to Tom Petty (he was my first concert), and he's still one of my all-time favorite musicians," says senior editor Jamie Hergenrader. "Free Fallin' is worthy of a road trip playlist because it embodies the vibe of the trip—you're out on the open road, free to explore, and the lyrics even mention or hint at several classic L.A. routes, such as Ventura Boulevard, Highway 101, and Mulholland Drive."

"More Than a Feeling" by Boston

Is there a song that reminds you of your secret crush? Apparently someone in the band Boston had one, and that inspired their hit song "More Than a Feeling." Spotify users can relate. The song shows up on 22 road trip playlists, making it the fourth most popular on our Spotify list.

"Hello Darlin'" by Conway Twitty

“In the car, there’s nothing better than classic country," says Astrid Taran, senior audience editor. "There’s something about driving in the middle of nowhere blasting old school country.”

"Fast Car" by Jonas Blue & Dakota

"Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman was listed 10 times on Spotify's list, but we included a remix by Jonas Blue & Dakota to keep things fresh and upbeat to keep things interesting along the ride.

"Sun Models" by ODESZA featuring Madelyn Grant

"This song feels like the perfect soundtrack for a road trip and makes everything feel a little more epic," says visual editor Taylor McIntyre.

"Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp

Last but certainly not least, here we have a classic rock ballad by John Mellencamp. "Jack & Diane" was released in the summer of 1982 and has been a go-to by road trippers ever sense, appearing 10 times in the Spotify road trip lists.

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Americana Highways

on the road collecting the stories of Americana music

Category: Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday Updated Nov ’21

Americana Highways’ playlist of Americana music, “Road Trip to Yesterday,” curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow on Spotify to listen to fresh updates. And find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before, mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic […]

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday updated Oct ’21

Americana Highways’ playlist of Americana music, “Road Trip to Yesterday,” curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow on Spotify to listen to fresh updates. And find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic […]

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday

Americana Highways’ playlist of Americana music, “Road Trip to Yesterday,” curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow on Spotify to listen to fresh updates. And find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic […]

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday, updated April 2021

Americana Highways’ playlist Road Trip to Yesterday, curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow to listen to fresh updates. And find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic old favorites!  

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday updated March 21

Americana Highways’ playlist Road Trip to Yesterday, curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow to listen to fresh updates, and find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic old favorites!    

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday updated Feb 21

Americana Highways’ playlist Road Trip to Yesterday, curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow to listen to fresh updates, and find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic old favorites!   FOLLOW! Enjoy! […]

Playlist: Road Trip to Yesterday updated Jan ’21

Playlist: road trip to yesterday updated dec 2020, playlist: road trip to yesterday: updated november 2020, playlist: roadtrip to yesterday on spotify, updated second time in october 2020.

Americana Highways’ playlist Road Trip to Yesterday, curated by Laura Sikes, is newly updated today!  Follow to listen to fresh updates, and find the top three winners from our monthly reader poll for favorite new album the month before mixed in with other new Americana and roots rock songs, PLUS classic old favorites!   FOLLOW! Enjoy!

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Good Songs For Road Trips

[ad_1] Road trips are a classic American pastime, offering the opportunity to explore new places, bond with friends and family, and create lasting memories. One essential element of any successful road trip is a great playlist. The right songs can set the tone for your journey, providing the perfect soundtrack to accompany you as you cruise down the open road. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best songs for road trips in 2024, along with interesting details about each track.

1. “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane (1991)

This iconic anthem is a must-have on any road trip playlist. With its upbeat tempo and catchy chorus, “Life is a Highway” captures the sense of adventure and freedom that comes with hitting the open road. Originally recorded by Tom Cochrane, the song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, but the original version remains a classic choice for road trip enthusiasts.

2. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen (1975)

Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” is another timeless road trip song that perfectly captures the spirit of the open road. The song’s driving beat and powerful lyrics evoke a sense of urgency and excitement, making it an ideal choice for those long stretches of highway. Whether you’re cruising through the desert or winding through the mountains, “Born to Run” is sure to get your adrenaline pumping.

3. “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver (1971)

For those who prefer a more laid-back vibe, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is the perfect choice. This classic folk song celebrates the beauty of the American countryside, making it an ideal soundtrack for a scenic road trip. Whether you’re heading to the mountains, the beach, or anywhere in between, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is sure to inspire a sense of nostalgia and nostalgia.

4. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson (1980)

No road trip playlist would be complete without Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” This country classic celebrates the joys of life on the highway, with Nelson’s distinctive voice and twangy guitar setting the perfect tone for your journey. Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, “On the Road Again” is sure to get you in the mood for adventure.

5. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers (1988)

The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” is a fun and upbeat song that’s perfect for singing along with your travel companions. The infectious chorus and catchy melody make it a great choice for keeping spirits high during long drives. Whether you’re on a cross-country road trip or just heading to the beach for the weekend, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” is sure to put a smile on your face.

6. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” is a Southern rock classic that’s perfect for road trips through the heart of Dixie. The song’s catchy guitar riffs and anthemic chorus evoke the spirit of the American South, making it a great choice for exploring the back roads of Alabama, Georgia, and beyond. Whether you’re a fan of classic rock or just looking for a song to sing along to, “Sweet Home Alabama” is sure to hit the spot.

7. “Route 66” by Chuck Berry (1961)

“Route 66” is a classic road trip song that pays homage to one of America’s most iconic highways. Originally recorded by Nat King Cole, the song has been covered by numerous artists over the years, but Chuck Berry’s version remains the definitive rendition. With its driving beat and catchy lyrics, “Route 66” is the perfect soundtrack for cruising down the Mother Road and exploring the sights along the way.

8. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman (1988)

Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” is a hauntingly beautiful song that tells the story of a young couple dreaming of a better life on the open road. The song’s sparse instrumentation and Chapman’s soulful vocals create a sense of intimacy and longing, making it a perfect choice for quiet moments of reflection during your road trip. Whether you’re driving through the countryside or the city, “Fast Car” is sure to resonate with anyone who’s ever dreamed of escape.

9. “California Dreamin'” by The Mamas & The Papas (1965)

“California Dreamin'” is a classic song that captures the allure of the Golden State and the promise of a new beginning. The Mamas & The Papas’ tight harmonies and lush instrumentation create a dreamy atmosphere that’s perfect for long drives along the Pacific Coast Highway. Whether you’re headed to California or just dreaming of sun-soaked beaches and palm trees, “California Dreamin'” is the ultimate road trip anthem.

In addition to these classic road trip songs, there are countless other tracks that can enhance your journey and make it even more memorable. Whether you prefer rock, country, folk, or pop, there’s a song out there that’s perfect for your road trip playlist. So crank up the volume, roll down the windows, and let the music take you where you want to go.

Common Questions About Good Songs For Road Trips:

1. What makes a song a good choice for a road trip playlist?

A good road trip song is typically upbeat, catchy, and evocative of the open road. It should inspire a sense of adventure and freedom, making it the perfect soundtrack for your journey.

2. How can I create a road trip playlist?

Creating a road trip playlist is easy with streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music. Simply search for your favorite road trip songs and add them to a custom playlist that you can listen to while you’re on the road.

3. Are there any specific genres of music that are best for road trips?

While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, many road trip enthusiasts enjoy classic rock, country, folk, and pop music. These genres often have songs that are well-suited to the open road and can enhance the overall experience of your journey.

4. Can I listen to podcasts or audiobooks on a road trip?

While music is a popular choice for road trip playlists, podcasts and audiobooks can also be great options for passing the time on long drives. Just make sure to stay alert and pay attention to the road while listening.

5. What are some other activities I can do on a road trip besides listening to music?

In addition to listening to music, road trips offer the perfect opportunity to bond with your travel companions, play car games, take in the scenery, and explore new destinations along the way.

6. How can I keep my road trip playlist fresh and exciting?

To keep your road trip playlist interesting, consider adding a mix of new and old songs, as well as different genres and artists. You can also ask your travel companions to contribute their favorite songs to the playlist for a more diverse listening experience.

7. Are there any songs that are particularly well-suited to specific regions or destinations?

Certain songs, like “Sweet Home Alabama” for the American South or “California Dreamin'” for the West Coast, can evoke the spirit of a particular region and enhance your road trip experience in that area.

8. How can I find new music to add to my road trip playlist?

Discovering new music for your road trip playlist is easy with music streaming services, radio stations, and recommendations from friends. You can also explore curated playlists and artist recommendations to find songs that resonate with you.

9. What are some tips for creating the ultimate road trip playlist?

When creating your road trip playlist, consider the length of your journey, the preferences of your travel companions, and the overall vibe you want to create. Mix up fast-paced songs with slower ballads, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different genres and artists.

10. Can I listen to music on my phone while driving?

While it’s generally safe to listen to music on your phone while driving, make sure to use hands-free technology or a car stereo system to avoid distractions. Always prioritize safety and keep your focus on the road at all times.

11. Are there any songs that are particularly well-suited to solo road trips?

Songs like “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman or “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson are great choices for solo road trips, as they capture the sense of independence and freedom that comes with traveling alone.

12. How can I create a road trip playlist that appeals to everyone in my group?

To create a road trip playlist that appeals to everyone in your group, ask each person to contribute their favorite songs to the playlist. You can also create a collaborative playlist on streaming services that allows everyone to add their own tracks.

13. What are some classic road trip songs that have stood the test of time?

Songs like “Life is a Highway,” “Born to Run,” and “Route 66” are classic road trip anthems that have resonated with generations of travelers and continue to be popular choices for road trip playlists.

14. Are there any songs that are particularly well-suited to nighttime driving?

Songs with a mellow or atmospheric vibe, like “Fast Car” or “California Dreamin’,” can be great choices for nighttime driving, as they create a sense of calm and relaxation that’s perfect for late-night journeys.

15. How can I use music to enhance the overall experience of my road trip?

Music can enhance the overall experience of your road trip by setting the mood, creating a sense of unity among your travel companions, and providing a soundtrack for your adventures on the road.

16. What are some songs that are perfect for sing-alongs during a road trip?

Songs like “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” are perfect for sing-alongs during a road trip, as they have catchy choruses and upbeat melodies that are easy to follow along with.

17. How can I use music to create lasting memories of my road trip?

By curating a road trip playlist that resonates with you and your travel companions, you can create lasting memories of your journey that you’ll look back on fondly for years to come.

In conclusion, choosing the right songs for your road trip playlist is essential for setting the tone of your journey and creating lasting memories along the way. Whether you prefer classic rock, country, folk, or pop music, there’s a song out there that’s perfect for your next adventure. So pack your bags, hit the road, and let the music guide you on your journey through the open highway of 2024. [ad_2]

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USA TODAY 10Best

10 songs about America you need to add to your road trip playlist

By Adam Tyner and Maggie Tuten Tyner July 4, 2018

In our series of road trip playlists so far, we've covered topics like cars , roads and driving . They're all fair topics that are only logical, but it's time we start focusing on the reason for the trip.

You're exploring, you're going somewhere, you're seeing new things and there's a destination you're trying to reach. And more than likely, you're road tripping across the United States.

With that in mind (and with a dash of patriotism because 'tis the season), we've compiled for you a list of songs about America.

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"America" - Simon & Garfunkel

"Kathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh / Michigan seems like a dream to me now / It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw / I've gone to look for America"

In 1964, Paul Simon was called back to the U.S. from London to finalize work on an album. He did return, but he traveled across America with his girlfriend, Kathy Chitty, for five days instead of going back to the studio. The songwriting triumph that is "America" is the result of that excursion. All these years later, it continues to fuel our wanderlust for exploring the country in any way we can.

"We're an American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad

The semi-autobiographical "We're an American Band" provides a glimpse into life on the road for a hard rock band during the 1970s. The days blur together as they tour the country, encountering all sorts of people, from music royalty to enthusiastic groupies. But at the end of the day, the goal and the message stay the same: "We're comin' to your town / We'll help you party it down / We're an American band."

"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." - John Mellencamp

An ode to 1960s rock and roll, you can't help but start moving when you hear this bouncy, upbeat Mellencamp tune. Giving credit where credit is due, "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." recalls how American musicians like Frankie Lymon, Martha Reeves, and The Young Rascals struggled and sacrificed to forever influence the music world.

"Kids in America" - The Muffs

"New York to east California / There's a new wave coming, I warn ya"

Kim Wilde's smash hit debut single has been re-recorded and covered so many times that there was quite a debate about which version to showcase here. "...but it's on the Clueless soundtrack!" is a surprisingly quick way to end most arguments, so it follows that we have indeed sided with The Muffs' punk-spiked cover.

Listening yet again to this song about youth and the dawn of a new age, we'll try to ignore the fact that this cover is more than twenty years old and that we're an awfully long way from being kids ourselves.

"America" - The Vapors

We'll always seize upon any opportunity to remind readers that there's more to The Vapors than "Turning Japanese." Today, we're aiming the spotlight towards "America," one of many highlights from the band's spectacular debut album.

Its lyrics weave a conflicted story about someone who can't stomach the thought of staying in a tumultuous relationship but can't quite tear himself away either. Where better to start anew than in America? And there's nothing in the rulebook saying that the two of them can't eke out a fresh start together.

"Surfin' U.S.A." - The Beach Boys

The United States is among just a handful of countries to border multiple oceans, offering two coasts' worth of beaches just ripe for surfing. (More, even, since surfing the Arctic Ocean from Alaska is a thing.)

As many thousands upon thousands of miles of shoreline as there are, most of the nation is still quite a drive from being able to hit the waves. On their second album, The Beach Boys wondered what it'd be like if the U.S. were one endless beach. Spoiler: everybody's gone surfin'.

"Back in the U.S.A." - Chuck Berry

They say there's no place like home. And it's that exact sentiment Chuck Berry shared as he penned "Back in the U.S.A.," a mere 10 days after returning from a tour in Australia.

He sings "Oh well, oh well, I feel so good today / We touched ground on an international runway / Jet propelled back home, from over the seas to the U.S.A.," and you can't help but feel the joy in his revelatory return in both the lyrics and high-spirited music.

"(You Can Still) Rock in America" - Night Ranger

It's been 35 years, so we put our team of fact checkers to work, ensuring that the lead track to Night Ranger's Midnight Madness is properly up to date. As it turns out, they stand in agreement with songwriters Jack Blades and Brad Gillis: you can, in fact, still rock in America. But it's probably not easy as it was back then to sneak out to late night rock shows, like the siblings chronicled in this song did.

"America" - Prince and The Revolution

Don't worry! This is the album version of "America," as heard on Prince and The Revolution's Around in the World in a Day . (The twenty minute-plus jam from the 12" would be a bit much for this particular playlist.) Rooted in Cold War-era fears about Communism and looming nuclear war, "America" was once described by Prince as being "straightforwardly patriotic."

His definition of "straightforward" may vary from yours, but if you don't feel up to interpreting the song's lyrics right now, just escape into the infectious groove and shout along with Prince as he sings "America, America / God shed his grace on thee."

"America the Beautiful" - Ray Charles

This America-themed playlist wouldn't be complete without Ray Charles' superb soulful version of "America the Beautiful." The song conjures images of breathtaking landscapes, American icons like apple pie and baseball, and our country's diverse population uniting for the good; everything that truly makes America beautiful. And it's the message we'd like to leave with you as this playlist comes to a bittersweet end.

Let us know what you think, or if you have any playlist suggestions in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Traveling Cheesehead

The Adventures of a Wisconsinite and Her Family

Best Road Trip Songs: Top 20 Tracks to Keep You Cruising

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post. This helps support what we do and in no way costs you a thing.

Road trips are an exciting way to explore new places, bond with friends or family, and create unforgettable memories. But what’s a road trip without some good music to sing along to? The right playlist can make all the difference in turning a long drive into a fun adventure. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the best road trip songs to keep you entertained on your next journey.

Understanding road trip songs is important to creating the perfect playlist. These songs are not just about the lyrics or the melody, but also the feeling they evoke. Road trip songs should be upbeat, energetic, and have a sense of adventure. They should make you want to roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and sing at the top of your lungs.

Whether you prefer classic rock, country, or pop, there’s a road trip song for everyone. From the historical context of road trip songs to the top classic and modern road trip songs, we’ve got you covered. So buckle up, hit the road, and let the music take you on a journey you’ll never forget.

Key Takeaways

• Road trip songs should be upbeat and evoke a sense of adventure.
• There are road trip songs for every music genre preference.
• A well-curated road trip playlist can make all the difference in creating a fun and memorable journey.

Understanding the Best Road Trip Songs

Road trips are an American classic. There’s something about hitting the open road with friends or family that just screams adventure. And what’s a road trip without some great music to accompany you on the journey? That’s where road trip songs come in.

A good road trip song can set the mood for your entire journey. It can make you feel nostalgic, excited, or even a little bit melancholy. But what makes a song a “road trip song”?

Generally, road trip songs have a few key characteristics. They’re upbeat, catchy, and often have lyrics that relate to travel, freedom, or adventure. They’re the kind of songs that you can sing along to at the top of your lungs, with the windows down and the wind in your hair.

Some popular road trip song genres include classic rock, country, and pop. But really, any genre can have great road trip songs. It’s all about finding the right songs that fit your personal taste and the mood of your trip.

When putting together a road trip playlist, it’s important to consider the length of your journey. You don’t want to run out of songs halfway through your trip! A good rule of thumb is to have at least 10 hours of music for a one-day road trip, and at least 20 hours for a multi-day trip.

Another thing to keep in mind is the mood you want to set. Are you looking for high-energy songs to keep you awake on a long drive? Or more mellow tunes for a relaxing weekend getaway ? Consider creating different playlists for different parts of your trip, or for different times of day.

Overall, road trip songs are an essential part of any great road trip. They can make the journey more enjoyable, help pass the time, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Historical Context of Road Trip Songs

Road trips have been a popular form of travel for decades, with songs about them dating back to the early 20th century. Many of the earliest road trip songs were inspired by the rise of the automobile industry, which made it easier for people to travel long distances.

In the 1930s and 1940s, during the Great Depression and World War II, road trip songs often had a patriotic or nostalgic theme. Songs like “Route 66” and “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” celebrated the freedom and adventure of the open road, while also paying tribute to the many small towns and cities that dotted the landscape.

During the 1950s and 1960s, road trip songs became more upbeat and energetic, reflecting the post-war boom in car ownership and the rise of rock and roll music. Songs like “Little Deuce Coupe” by The Beach Boys and “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson captured the excitement and sense of possibility that came with hitting the highway.

In the 1970s and 1980s, road trip songs took on a more introspective and reflective tone, with artists like Jackson Browne and Tom Petty exploring themes of loneliness, disillusionment, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. At the same time, songs like “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen and “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane continued to celebrate the thrill of the open road and the sense of freedom that came with it.

Today, road trip songs continue to be a popular form of music, with artists from a wide range of genres and backgrounds contributing to the genre. Whether you’re cruising down the highway in a classic car or exploring the back roads in an RV, there’s a road trip song out there that’s sure to get you in the mood for adventure.

Top Classic Road Trip Songs

When it comes to road trips, having the perfect playlist is essential. Whether you’re driving through the countryside or cruising down the highway, the right songs can set the tone for your journey and make your trip more enjoyable. Here are some of the top classic road trip songs that are sure to get you in the mood for adventure.

Rock music has always been associated with the open road, and for good reason. The following classic rock songs are perfect for a road trip:

• “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
• “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
• “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane
• “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey
• “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty

Country Genre

Country music is another genre that is perfect for road trips. The following classic country songs are sure to put you in a good mood:

• “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver
• “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers
• “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks
• “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton

If you’re looking for something a little more upbeat, pop music is a great choice. Here are some classic pop songs that are perfect for a road trip:

• “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers
• “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves
• “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
• “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond
• “Dancing Queen” by ABBA

No matter what genre of music you prefer, these classic road trip songs are sure to make your journey more enjoyable. So, crank up the volume and hit the open road!

Modern Road Trip Songs

When it comes to modern road trip songs, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are some top picks for different genres:

Indie Genre

Indie music has become a staple in road trip playlists. The genre’s upbeat and catchy melodies make it perfect for long drives. Here are some popular indie songs to add to your playlist:

Hip Hop Genre

Hip hop music has also become a popular choice for road trip playlists. With its high energy and catchy beats, it’s hard not to get hyped up while driving. Here are some popular hip hop songs to add to your playlist:

Electronic Genre

Electronic music has been around for decades, but it’s only recently become a popular choice for road trip playlists. With its upbeat and energetic sound, it’s perfect for long drives. Here are some popular electronic songs to add to your playlist:

Whether you’re into indie, hip hop, or electronic music, there are plenty of modern road trip songs to choose from. Add some of these popular songs to your playlist to make your next road trip even more enjoyable.

How to Create the Perfect Road Trip Playlist

Creating the perfect road trip playlist can be a daunting task, but it’s worth the effort. A good playlist can make a long drive more enjoyable, and it can help set the mood for your trip. Here are some tips for creating the perfect road trip playlist:

1. Start with the Classics

Start your playlist with classic road trip songs. These are the songs that everyone knows and loves. They’re the songs that will get you in the mood for a road trip. Some classic road trip songs include “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane.

2. Mix it Up

Don’t limit yourself to just one genre of music. Mix it up with some rock, pop, country, and even some hip-hop. This will keep your playlist interesting and prevent you from getting bored. You can also include songs from different eras to add variety.

3. Include Your Favorites

Make sure to include some of your favorite songs on your playlist. These are the songs that will make you happy and keep you entertained. Don’t be afraid to add some guilty pleasure songs too. After all, it’s your playlist, and you should enjoy it.

4. Consider Your Destination

Consider the destination of your road trip when creating your playlist. If you’re headed to the beach, include some beachy songs. If you’re headed to the mountains, include some songs about nature. This will help set the mood for your trip and make it more enjoyable.

5. Don’t Forget the Sing-Alongs

Include some sing-along songs on your playlist. These are the songs that everyone knows the words to and can sing along to. They’re great for bonding with your travel companions and making memories.

In conclusion, creating the perfect road trip playlist takes a little bit of effort, but it’s worth it. Follow these tips, and you’ll have a playlist that will make your road trip more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts about the Best Road Trip Songs

In conclusion, creating the perfect road trip playlist is a fun and exciting task that can make your journey more enjoyable. With so many great songs out there, it can be difficult to narrow down the choices. However, by using the suggestions from our research and your own personal taste, you can create a playlist that will keep you entertained for hours on end.

Some of the most popular road trip songs include classics like “Route 66” by Chuck Berry and “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane. Other great options include “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

When creating your playlist, it’s important to consider the mood and energy level of each song. You’ll want to choose a mix of upbeat songs to keep you energized and slower songs to help you relax and enjoy the scenery.

In addition to the songs themselves, it’s also important to consider the sound quality and volume of your music. Make sure to test your playlist in advance to ensure that everything sounds great and that you can hear it over the noise of the road.

Overall, creating the perfect road trip playlist is a fun and rewarding experience that can enhance your travel experience. So, get out there and start creating your own ultimate road trip playlist today!

Frequently Asked Questions about the Best Road Trip Songs

What are good songs to listen to in the car.

Good songs to listen to in the car are those that are upbeat, catchy, and have a sing-along quality to them. Some popular choices include “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, and “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi.

What type of music is best for driving?

The type of music that is best for driving is subjective and varies from person to person. However, studies have shown that music with a tempo of around 120 beats per minute can help to reduce stress and increase alertness while driving. Some examples of music with this tempo include pop, rock, and electronic dance music.

What songs are good for travel videos?

Good songs for travel videos are those that evoke a sense of adventure and wanderlust. Some popular choices include “I Lived” by OneRepublic, “On Top of the World” by Imagine Dragons, and “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

What is the #1 roadtrip song?

The #1 roadtrip song is subjective and varies depending on personal preferences. However, some popular choices include “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen, “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane, and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Top 10 best driving songs

• “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey
• “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles
• “Take on Me” by A-ha
• “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
• “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard
• “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
• “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
• “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen

Girl power road trip songs

• “Roar” by Katy Perry
• “Independent Women Part I” by Destiny’s Child
• “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain
• “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
• “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten
• “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
• “Run the World (Girls)” by Beyoncé
• “Bad Girls” by M.I.A.
• “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” by Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin
• “Confident” by Demi Lovato

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