I know there have been a few threads in the past about road tunes, but I specifically need help in finding songs to keep me up! I have to drive about 11+ hours, and even though I’m a nervous driver I tend to nod out after about an hour of driving.
I already compiled a list, but I’m looking for more sing out loud, or “wake up before you hit the guardrail!” songs.
These are the songs I thought of already (and thanks in advance for more suggestions):
War - Low Rider
David Essex – Rock On
Tom Petty – Refugee
B-52’s – Private Idaho
Steppenwolf – Born to Be Wild
Korn – Word Up
Paul Simon – Me and Julio
Meatloaf – Bat Out of Hell
David Bowie - Suffragette City
Golden Earring – Radar Love
Proclaimers – 500 miles
Van Morrison – Moondance
Don McLean – American Pie
The Sweet – Ballroom Blitz
The Kinks – Lola
The Clash – Rock the Casbah
Devo – Whip It
Charlie Daniels Band – Devil Went Down to Georgia
Elton John – Crocodile Rock
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant song
Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London
The Who - “Mama’s Got a Squeezebox”
Creedence Clearwater - “Fortunate Son” “Hey! Tonight” “It Came Out of the Sky”
Led Zeppelin - “Rock and Roll”
Dr. Hook - “On the Cover of the Rolling Stone”
Santana - “Black magic Woman” “Smooth”
Four Non-Blondes - “What’s Up”
Paul Simon - “Kodachrome”
Sir Douglas Quintet - “Mendocino”
Doors - “Twentieth Century Fox”
Rolling Stones - Down the Road A Piece" “Brown Sugar” “Under My
Thumb” “Who’s Driving Your Plane”
Beatles - “Hey Jude”
The above songs would actually be likely to make me more tired! Not that they are bad songs (except David Essex - yuk!), but to me, those songs have a metronome sameness to the delivery.
Since you have The Clash and Korn on your list, what about:
Disturbed - Down With The Sickness
Misfits - well, anything really
Metallica - Master Of Puppets
I always find that on long drives, singing to music keeps me awake no matter what style the music is. Makes me feel like I’m getting more oxygen to my brain since my mouth is open and my lungs are pumpin’.
So maybe you should only choose upbeat songs that you can sing along to!
If you want to stay awake during a long drive, it’s best to pick songs that will keep you alert–preferably something loud and fast. With that in mind, I once a burned my own CD of such songs and dubbed it “Audio Espresso Shots.” They included:
“Jesus Built My Hot Rod” - Ministry
“Misirlou” - Dick Dale
“Battleflag” - Lo Fidelity All-Stars
“Head On” - Pixies (it’s faster and louder than the original version done by the Jesus and Mary Chain).
“I Wanna Be Sedated” - The Ramones *
“Miles and Miles” - The Who
“Bitch” - Rolling Stones
“Psychotic Reaction” - Count Five
“Fight the Power” - Public Enemy
“Hashpipe” - Weezer
“London Calling” - The Clash
In fact, you could probably put in anything by the Ramones (especially stuff from their first album).
Quite a few of my picks are already covered, but here are a few more:
Comfort Eagle (Building a Religion)–Cake
The Distance–Cake
The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny–Lemon Demon
Zoot Suit Riot–Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
Jukebox Hero–Foreigner
Radar Love–Golden Earring
I Love Rock N’ Roll–Joan Jett
Play That Funky Music–Wild Cherry
Tank!–Cowboy Bebop soundtrack (mostly instrumental)
Another Postcard–Barenaked Ladies
Like Zipper, I find that they key to staying awake is singing along with whatever’s playing. It keeps your mind active and forces you to breathe more deeply than you otherwise would. So, my general advice would be to pick a lot of songs you like to sing.
Other, less topical advice, from someone who once regularly made 15-19 hour drives:
Roll the windows down periodically to flush the cabin with fresh air.
When you stop, take the opportunity to wash your face, especially your eyes, with cool water.
Keep a damp cloth in a baggie to wipe your eyes.
Don’t eat sugary snacks. They’ll pep you up for a little while, but when they wear off, you’ll feel much more tired than before. Go for things that are high in complex carbohydrates–they’re slower to act, but will give you energy longer. A sandwich is better than a candy bar.
Heh…wouldn’t you know it, I already have a “stay awake” mix CD?
(Personal favorites in bold)
Ghost Riders in the Sky—Outlaws
Bird is the Word—Natalie Merchant Do the Evolution—Pearl Jam
Holiday in Cambodia—Dead Kennedys
The Fight Song—Marilyn Manson
Katuscha—Volga Boatmen
Through the Night—(Main Theme to “Outlaw Star”) Domination—Apocalyptica
Motherf*cker—Beck
Knife Chase—Tom Waits Molly’s Chambers—Kings of Leon
Helter Skelter—The Beatles Panzerlied—(Free version, probably from the soundtrack to “Battle of the Bulge”)
Deep in the Heart of Texas—Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops
Godzilla—Blue Oyster Cult
A Little Less Conversation—Elvis vs JXL
Cecilia—Simon & Garfunkel
God is a DJ—Pink
Ballroom Blitz—The Sweet "Squaw Dance Song"—Northern Cree (from "Voices of Forgotten Worlds)
I’m a Believer—Smash Mouth
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath—The Monkees Dream Island Obsessional Park—Main theme to "Paranoia Agent"
When I was a Young Girl—Rasputina
Sorry I couldn’t say Thank You earlier. You guys had great suggestions!
How could I forget the Ramones, Dead Kennedies, and some new favorites… and I hope you don’t mind, NDP, but I think I’ll title mine “Audio Espresso Shots”, too!
Thanks again!
(eta - just hope I don’t get pulled over for my bad singing!)
Mercury Blues by Alan Jackson
Tulsa Time by Don Williams
East Bound and Down (Smokey and the Bandit) by Jerry Reed
Route 66 by Asleep at the Wheel (heh!)
Highway 40 Blues by Ricky Skaggs
and the ultimate road song -
On the Road Again by Willie Nelson
