Life Is A Highway

Life Is A Highway
Image by Stuart

Looking for inspiration for a great road trip soundtrack? Why not be more literal than most and create a mix tape of timeless (or some not so timeless, but we secretly love them) songs where artists have mused over their four wheeled friends. Nothing harks back to the classic road trip like Pontiac Blues or Pink Cadillac blaring out of the car stereo.

For a real nostalgia fix, there are several songs that instantly come to mind, including the aforementioned Sonny Boy Williamson and Bruce Springsteen tracks.

The ultimate ‘wind your window down and sing your heart out’ road trip song has to be Life Is A Highway by Rascal Flats, with Prince’s Little Red Corvette cruising not far behind.

The Beach Boys are regular car crooners, their catalogue full of auto inspired tunes such as little Deuce Coupe, Fun Fun Fun and 409.

With its name to 11 movie soundtracks, War’s 1975 track Low Rider is a must on the shortlist, as is the popular karaoke tune, Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett.

Various artists have covered Rocket 88, Route 66 and Mercury Blues, all songs inspired by gas-guzzlers and tarmac. Drive My Car by the Beatles is an easy listening accompaniment to a jaunt in the countryside while I Can’t Drive 55 by Sammy Hagar is all about not taking it easy.

Cars by Gary Numan, Old 55 by The Eagles, Red Hot Roadster by the Rip Cords and Long May You Run by Neil Young are also inspired by the artists love for their (dream) automobiles.

One Piece At A Time by Johnny Cash is a great car-lover story. Cash sings about a worker at a Cadillac factory who dreams of owning his very own Cadillac but has no hope of ever being able to afford it. Over the years, he steals enough pieces of the machine to build one himself. Now that’s a passionate car story if ever there was one!

For those who like speed, Black Sunshine by White Zombie and Iggy Pop about a white knuckled mustang ride is a far cry from Iggy’s recent car insurance commercials messages. Other speed demon tunes include Hell On Wheels by Fu Manchu and Highway Star by Deep Purple.

Is this all sounding a little too clichéd and corny for you? Try these picks; a little more on the alternative side to accompany your road travels.

I Love My Car by Belle and Sebastian, Depeche Mode’s version of Route 66, Go Lil’ Camaro Go by the Ramones, She Loves My Automobile by ZZ Top, Red Barchetta by Rush, Getaway Car by Grouplove, Brand New Cadillac by The Clash or Ol’ 55 by Tom Waits.

A great sound track goes hand in hand with a great road trip. Sure, your ordinary Honda with baby seat in the back or the clapped out Volvo you’ve borrowed from your Mum might not have the same timeless romanticism as cruising in a pink Cadillac along route 66 but with tunes such as Keep The Car Running by Arcade Fire blasting through the speakers at least you can pretend for a whole 3 minutes and 28 seconds.

Jennifer Adams the author of the “Life is a highway” is a part of the digital blogging team that write about subjects like lifestyle and finance such as car insurance, on behalf of a growing number of insurance companies, to keep up to date with the latest in industry news.