Driving Songs: Our Ultimate Road Trip Playlist

Summer is edging closer and for many that means one thing – road trip season. Whether you’re heading across country or just cruising down to the shops, top-tier driving songs are a summertime essential. Inspired by the stretch in the evenings and the promise of road trips to come, we’ve pulled together a list of killer car songs. So, sit back and delve in to this hand-picked road trip playlist of the ultimate drive songs – we think we’ve got a little something for everyone.

Iggy Pop – The Passenger

This classic wastes no time in announcing itself as the cream of driving songs. The effortless cool of it’s iconic opening riff is the perfect soundtrack for cruising through town. Taut, lean and precision engineered – this is summertime listening with a little edge. Click here to listen to this track.

Talking Heads – The Road to Nowhere

There are few driving songs as evocative of the opportunity and optimism of the open road as this propulsive oddity. Even now in the age of GPS guides and maps on our phones, we can all end up a little lost sometimes – The Talking Heads make not knowing where you’re going sound more appealing than we ever thought it could. Click here to listen to this track.

Willie Nelson – On the Road Again

Willie Nelson’s love letter to the vagabond lifestyle is one of the great jewels of outlaw country. As Willie waxes lyrical about the joys and simplicity of a life spent on the move –  it’s hard to argue with ‘em. If you like your car songs served with a little country twang – On the Road Again is absolute must for your next trip. Yeehaw! Click here to listen to this track.

Tracy Chapman – Fast Car

There is a peculiar alchemy to Tracy Chapman’s automotive themed mega-hit. Still as strangely fresh as it was in 1988 – Chapman’s chilled out opus is the ideal soundtrack for some of the quieter moments on the open road. Click here to listen to this track.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – Summertime

Let’s keep things chilled out for our next pick. Is it even summer yet if you haven’t played this stone cold classic out of a rolled-down window? As charmingly quaint as the wholesome rhymes might sound to modern ears – there’s no denying this stone-cold groove. Click here to listen to this track.

Sufjan Stevens – Chicago

This bombastic slab of widescreen symphonic pop is ideal for roadtrip listening. Shimmering, propulsive and completely infectious – the track featured prominently in the indie roadtrip gem Little Miss Sunshine. Click here to listen to this track.

Cake – The Distance

This goofy, 90s alt-rock nugget never fails to raise a few smiles on the road. This playful and quirky little earworm is the perfect fuel for a shameless motorway singalong…we won’t tell if you don’t… Click here to listen to this track.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Home

When it comes to great road trip music – a little whistling goes a long way. A recent addition to the pantheon of great car songs, his slice of hippie-dippy, sun-kissed folk is irresistable. Roll down the windows, press down on the accelerator and let this little ditty waft out into the summer evening. Click here to listen to this track.

Don Henley – The Boys of Summer

Hey, this might not be as “hip” as our last few picks, but how can it be wrong when it feels this right? Covered in slick guitar licks and with too many quotable lyrics to count, when the road is stretched out in front of you – this 80s hit never fails to satisfy. Click here to listen to this track.

The Beastie Boys – Sabotage

When it’s time to crank things up a notch – look no further than this raucous, rubber-burning riff that is the backbone of this classic driving song. Of course, we always advocate safe driving above all else. So, careful you don’t give yourself over to too extreme a fit of headbanging when you’re behind the wheel. Click here to listen to this track.

Van Morrison –  Caravan

One of our island’s greatest artists – Van the man delivers the cream of summer driving songs with this breezy beauty. Check out the performance at The Band’s famous Last Waltz to see just why Van Morrison is considered to have some of the best pipes in the biz. Click here to listen to this track.

Neu! – Hallogallo

The German Krautrock scene of the 1970s is responsible for some of the best road trip songs out there. Designed for the epic distances of the autobahn, these gargantuan, hypnotic tracks are the ideal soundscapes for getting in the zone and getting some serious miles under your belt. Click here to listen to this track.

Led Zeppelin – Immigrant Song

You know we couldn’t help but include the original gods of rock! With so many mammoth riffs to choose from, it’s hard to single out just one road trip essential from “The Zep”. This bruising and brilliant slab of hard rock always gets our motors running. Click here to listen to this track.

The Doors – L.A Woman

Another unimpeachable classic rock masterpiece – L.A Woman is a wild ride all of its own. Wild, unpredictable and made up of a string of distinct and captivating sections – this is a full throttle road trip epic that really takes you on a trip. Click here to listen to this track.

Driving Songs Playlist

And there you have it, folks –  Our ultimate road trip playlist!  As an added bonus we’ve put the playlist together for you to listen to here. Check back with the Autoglass® Blog soon, for more guides, tips and some fun lists just like this one.  Until next time; buckle up, crank the stereo and make the most of the summer!