I’m moving and I’ve got a 4 day drive in front of me, so help me make a boxed set of road music. I’m an acoustic girl, but I like just about everything (except Christmas music, Joanna Newsom and the Rat Pack). So, town to town. Dusty old boots. Sleeping bag behind the couch. Drifters. Two lane highways. Moving on. Empty pockets. Restless me. I’d stay, baby, but I’m a travelin’ kind of guy/gal. I want it all.
So mix it up – so far I’ve got:
I’m Not From Here - James McMurtry Highway 61 - Bob Dylan Midnight Rider - The Allman Brothers I am a Town - Mary Chaoin Carpenter Can’t Help but Wonder Where I’m Bound - Tom Paxton Coyote and All I Want - Joni Mitchell Can’t Find My Way Home - Blind Faith Don’t Cry Blue - Jonathan Edwards Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead Transfusion - Nervous Norvis Brave Companion of the Road - Nanci Griffith On the Road Again and Don’t Fence Me In - Willie Nelson
I would strongly recommend some more Allman Brothers
Pick some from this list maybe:
“Statesboro Blues” – 4:08
“Whipping Post” – 5:17
**These are great driving songs: **
“Ramblin’ Man” – 4:47
“Midnight Rider” – 2:59
“Southbound” – 5:10
“Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” – 3:37
The Who
“Baba O’Riley”
“I can see for miles”
“Leaving here”
“Magic Bus”
“Motoring”
**CSN&Y **: “Marrakesh Express”, “Wasted on the Way” & “Almost Cut My Hair”
Led Zeppelin: “Ramble On”, “Bring It on Home” & “Going to California”
“Freebird” by **Lynyrd Skynyrd ** is perfect when you are getting tired.
“Yours Is No Disgrace”, “Long Distance Runaround” & "Roundabout " are good picks from Yes
“American Pie” by Don McLean
“House of the Rising Sun” by Eric Burden and the Animals
“Hush” by Deep Purple
“Roadhouse Blues” & “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors
Hopefully some sugestions you like in there, many have a driving or road theme.
Jim
Damn, and here I came in to say On the Road Again!
Well, you could add: Ramblin’ Fever and Movin’ On by Merle Haggard Six Days on the Road by, well, almost everybody by now I’m a Ramblin’ Man by Waylon Jennings Roll On by Alabama Heads Carolina, Tails California by Jo Dee Messina
“One two three four five six
Roadrunner roadrunner
Going faster miles an hour
Gonna ride by the Stop-n-Shop
With the radio on
I’m in love with the modern world
I’m in touch with a modern girl
New York City when it’s late at night
I got the radio on
I’m like a roadrunner yeah”
Bruce Springsteen, of course. He’s like the Boss of the Highway, or something.
Backstreets
Racing in the Street
Thunder Road
Cadillac Ranch
Indepence Day
Working on the Highway
Hungry Heart
Reason to Believe
Born to Run
And so on…
I’ve always thought it would be great to listen to his live version of Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land while driving through some scenic area. Maybe you could give it a try and let me know if it’s as cool I imagine it would be?
Willin—(I have the version by Little Feat, though the version by Linda Ronstadt was used in The Abyss) City of New Orleans—Willie Nelson Scar Tissue—Red Hot Chili Peppers
I’ll second Johnny Cash’s I’ve Been Everywhere Born to be Wild—Steppenwolf King of the Road—Various artists. (The Rat Pack’s always good) Kaneda—The Akira soundtrack Back in the Saddle Again—Gene Autry
Or, for more “thundering along in an overpowered battlewagon” themed-music (say, if you’re driving an SUV or a battered old van through incliment weather), as opposed to “crusin’ with the top down on Route 66” type-songs, I’d reccomend:
Panzerlied (Technically, not a Nazi song…) My Tank—The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
Danny Elfman’s Batman theme (C’mon, like you WOULDN’T be playing this if you owned your own Batmobile.)
And, of course, for the “pretending you’re in a Big Daddy Roth painting” mood: Jesus Built My Hotrod—Ministry
These are all separate from my special “Stay Awake” mix CD, I should add. (Somewhat incomplete, as it lacks Sousa…but still, it’s effective enough.)
Then there’s The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum from the late 50’s movie of the same name. I believe it was the inspiration for Springsteen’s, or at least I read that somewhere.
I won’t suggest specific songs for your playlist. I suggest you do no more than two mellow songs in a row (so you don’t get all laid back and sleepy). And try to steer clear of the long instrumentals. Singing along will keep you alert. Have fun! (I love a road trip!)