With CES a few days away, and my yearly pilgrimage to that great abomination in the desert (Las Vegas) imminent, I figured it was a good time to compile some excellent driving songs.
The key to a good driving song is not that the song has something to DO with driving, that's lazy and often highly inaccurate. Similar to my article on Pop Music in the Movies, the key is the feel. The key is a fast, *ahem* driving beat.
Of course everyone has their favorite driving songs, and of course there are the quintessential driving songs, like Born to be Wild and maybe Sprit in the Sky. If you’ve got favs, feel free to add them in the comments below. I guess there are a few songs that are about driving that are also good driving songs, but trite “driving” songs like I Can’t Drive 55 are horrible.
So here are my picks for the soundtrack to some, shall we say, exuberant driving.
Fun Fact: I drove around the country a few years ago, and went out of my way to go to La Grange just so I could photograph a shack outside of town. No, not that kind of shack. An actual shack. Here’s the photo:
Bonus Fun Fact: This is the first song I ever played in front of an audience on guitar (while singing). Rock'n’Roll!
Pink Floyd - “One of These Days”
Is there a better bass line in rock? No. And if you think so, you’re wrong. I’ve blown out speakers with this song. Gleefully.
David Bowie - “Dead Man Walking”
Fun Fact: I’m the only person on Earth who liked this album, and I love it.
Blue Man Group - “Rods and Cones”
The first time I heard this song I was driving at night through the twisty, canyon-y part of Highway 15 in northern Arizona. An epic night driving song.
Daft Punk, Remixed by Moby - “The Son of Flynn”
Daft Punk’s score for Tron: Legacy was brilliant, but it’s still a score. The R3CONF1GUR3D album lets a bunch of talented musicians turn the tracks into actual songs. Amazing things happen, so pretty much this whole album, really. This is almost cheating, as any Daft Punk album is good to drive to, especially Alive 2007.
Bonus:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood”
I can’t say for sure this is for everyone, but it’s one of my favorite albums of all time (Top 5, easy), and is always played on every road trip. Usually as I crest the final hill to descend into Vegas.
I would say Deep Purple - Highway Star and Golden Earring - Radar Love should both be way up there.
Riders on the storm by The Doors!
I definitely think you should listen to Led Zeppelin's "Ramble On" !
As a veteran of many cross-country caravans (a number of which were chronicled day-by-day and track-by-track in our late sister pubs Car Stereo Review and Mobile Entertainment), I could probably fill a book (or three) with my preferred driving songs, but since I'm currently in Vegas for CES and am in a Left Coast timezone frame of mind, I will offer three semi-obvious tunes for a drive back to and/or while in Los Angeles:
* Tom Petty: "Runnin' Down a Dream"
* The Wallflowers: "One Headlight"
* The Doors: "L.A. Woman"
More, semi-obscuro songs next time... The Tragically Hip's "Yawning or Snarling" and "At the Hundredth Meridian" immediately spring to mind...
--Mike Mettler, S+V EIC
The MC5: Ramblin' Rose
I actually did once get a speeding ticket with this song playing.
OK, work with me here - on the Wayback Machine.
Let's start with The J. Geils Band smokin' version of Smokey Robinson's First I Look At The Purse http://youtu.be/xgYPn2-aloo .
Then how about the Rascals' Good Lovin http://youtu.be/KY7AtiC5Seg
Finally, John Fred & His Playboy Band (That's right!) doing Judy In Disguise http://youtu.be/KY7AtiC5Seg (I blew out the speaker on my 1961 Rambler with this)
If you don't get a speeding ticket listening to these, you'd better wake up.
I agree with your electronic choices, however you forgot an earlier generation of electronic with Jean Michel Jarre "Oxygene". Better if you drive with beautiful scenery with a beautiful woman. The ticket becomes incidental.
A few of my latest choices: The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"; Old 97's, "Ride" (when that guitar solo comes in, crank it up, and nail the gas!); The Ramones, "I Wanna Be Sedated".
I would add Tom Petty's "Running Down A Dream".