‘Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio
Ever since the days when rock ‘n roll pioneer Chuck Berry wrote and sang about how “Maybellene” rode off in her Cadillac Coupe De Ville and he chased her in his V8 Ford, cars and driving have been fertile topics for rock music lyrics.
In the Sixties, we listened on tinny AM radios, as many of The Beach Boys’ biggest hits involved cars — “Little Deuce Coupe,” “409,” “and she’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til her Daddy takes the T-Bird away…” “I’m gettin’ bored drivin’ up and down the same old strip…”
In the Seventies and Eighties, we had more choice with FM radio, and then 8-tracks and cassettes, and it seemed like every other song Bruce Springsteen released was about hitting the highway in search of new adventures — “Born to Run,” “Drive All Night,” “Pink Cadillac,” “Thunder Road,” “Racing in the Street“…
There are anthems for just about every mood that strikes when you’re behind the wheel, whether it’s a restless need to break away (Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild“), an urgent desire for lustful romance (Meat Loaf’s “Paradise By the Dashboard Light“) or a strong compulsion to chase your dreams (Cat Steven’s “On the Road to Find Out“).
Certainly, there are plenty of songs from 1990 to present that focus on being behind the wheel — Marc Cohn’s “Silver Thunderbird,” Wilco’s “Passenger Side,” Tom Cochrane’s and Rascal Flatts’ “Life is a Highway,” even The Offspring’s road-rage anthem, “Bad Habit” — but my blog has always focused on music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, so my search concentrates on those years.
With Spring Break approaching, I thought the time seemed right for me to compile a setlist of great songs about cars and driving for your road trip. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, to choose from, but I’ve whittled the list down to two dozen of my favorites, trying to strike a balance among the artists, genres and periods. No doubt I missed a few, but I hope you enjoy these tracks that, um, drive me wild.
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“G.T.O.,” Ronny and the Daytonas, 1964
“Listen to her tachin’ up now, listen to her whine, come on and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out…”
This song could’ve been a commercial for the high-powered “muscle car” introduced by Pontiac in 1964. The group, originally from Nashville, had relocated to California and introduced country elements into the surf music scene. The song peaked at #4 nationally.
“Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” Billy Ocean, 1988
“Lady driver, let me take your wheel, smooth operator, touch my bumper, hey let’s make a deal…”
Ocean had multiple Top Five hits between 1983 and 1990, none bigger than this #1 smash in 1988, inspired by a line from Ringo’s 1974 hit, “You’re Sixteen” (“You walked out of my dreams and into my car, now you’re my angel divine…”)
“Cruisin’,” Jefferson Starship, 1976
“Hey, pretty baby, let’s go for a ride, cruisin’ the freeway sittin’ side by side…”
Jefferson Airplane leader Marty Balin left the band in 1970 but ultimately rejoined once they became the more pop-sounding Jefferson Starship, and came up with several hits (“Miracles,” “With Your Love”), and this ode to hitting the road with the love of your life.
“Drive My Car,” The Beatles, 1965
“I got no car and it’s breaking my heart, but I found a driver and that’s a start…”
McCartney’s original lyric for this leadoff track from their 1965 LP “Rubber Soul” was “Baby you can wear my ring,” but Lennon nixed that, changing it to bring more sexual innuendo into the words.
“I’m in Love With My Car,” Queen, 1975
“When I’m holding your wheel, all I hear is your gear, when I’m cruisin’ in overdrive…”
It wasn’t Freddie Mercury but drummer Roger Taylor who wrote and sang this rocker from Queen’s 1975 LP “A Night at the Opera,” which is another great example of equating a passion for cars with a desire for sex.
“Dead Man’s Curve,” Jan & Dean, 1964
“We both popped the clutch when the light turned green, you shoulda heard the whine from my screamin’ machine…”
Sunset Boulevard, Vine Street, Crescent Heights and Doheny Drive are all real streets in West Hollywood mentioned in this tragic soap opera, which was a big #8 hit for this duo in 1964. Ironically, Jan Berry had a near-fatal car crash in that vicinity two years later.
“Low Rider,” War, 1975
“Low rider don’t use no gas now, low rider don’t drive too fast, take a little trip and see…”
All of War’s members got co-writing credit on this popular track about the Chicano culture practice of hydraulically hot-rodding classic cars. The #1 hit has appeared in 18 movies, including “Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke,” “21 Grams” and “Dazed and Confused.”
“Moonlight Drive,” The Doors, 1967
“Come on baby, gonna take a little ride, down, down by the ocean side…”
When keyboardist Ray Manzarek read Jim Morrison’s poetry about moonlight drives and swimming to the moon, he readily agreed to form The Doors, who earned legendary status as one of LA’s finest groups. The song appeared on their second LP, “Strange Days.”
“Drivin’,” Pearl Harbour & the Explosions, 1979
“I’m drivin’, I’m only drivin’, I know I got no place to go…”
This San Francisco-based punk/New Wave band had a loyal following in the Bay Area and flirted with national stardom in 1979 with this great single that barely climbed into the Top 40, with its perky beat and strong vocals by Pearl E. Gates.
“Fire,” Bruce Springsteen, 1978
“I’m drivin’ in my car, I turn on the radio, I’m pulling you close, you just say no…”
The Boss felt this smoldering classic just didn’t fit with the rest of the songs on his “Darkness on the Edge of Town” LP that year, so he left it off, but often played it in concert. The Pointer Sisters took their version to #2 in early 1979.
“Freeway of Love,” Aretha Franklin, 1984
“We got some places to see, I brought all the maps with me, so jump in, it ain’t no sin, take a ride in my machine…”
One of 1985’s biggest songs was this #3 hit from Aretha’s comeback LP,”Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” It won a Grammy and featured a Clarence Clemons sax solo, and its popular music video showed cars being manufactured and driven all over The Motor City.
“Radar Love,” Golden Earring, 1974
“I’ve been drivin’ all night, my hand’s wet on the wheel…and it’s half past four and I’m shiftin’ gear…”
The Dutch band Golden Earring had a lengthy career in Holland and elsewhere in Europe, but their US success was limited to a couple hits, most notably the classic rock staple “Radar Love,” which focused on the driver’s need to drive fast to reach his girl.
“Roll On Down the Highway,” Bachman-Turner Overdrive, 1975
“Cop’s on the corner, look, he’s starting to write, well, I don’t need no ticket so I screamed out of sight…”
Fred Turner had been commissioned to write music for Ford Motor commercials, but they never used any of it. Robbie (not Randy) Bachman took one piece, made a few tweaks and added lyrics, and BTO had their fourth Top 20 single in 1975.
“No Particular Place to Go,” Chuck Berry, 1964
“Ridin’ along in my automobile, my baby beside me at the wheel, I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile…”
Berry had the cojones to steal his own song when he lifted the music from his 1957 hit “School Days,” wrote new lyrics about driving with his lady, and enjoyed a #10 hit in 1964 in the midst of the Beatles’ British Invasion. Seat belts were never so prominently mentioned as in this tune.
“Highway Star,” Deep Purple, 1972
“Nobody gonna beat my car, it’s gonna break the speed of sound…”
This rock warhorse was written on a tour bus in 1971 when guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Ian Gillan were asked by a reporter how their songwriting process worked. They eventually turned it into a highlight of their live shows.
“Running on Empty,” Jackson Browne, 1977
“Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels, I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels…”
For his fifth album, Browne decided to record his new songs live on stage, in hotel rooms, even on a tour bus, describing what life is like for a touring musician in the 1970s. This title track was one of his biggest hits, peaking at #11.
“Baby Driver,” Simon and Garfunkel, 1969
“Once upon a pair of wheels, hit the road and I’m gone, what’s my number, I wonder how your engine feels…”
This slyly hilarious tune, first released as the B-side to “The Boxer,” was a real departure for this usually reserved duo. The sound of revving motors and a race track announcer punctuate this whimsical song, which is really about teen sex when the parents are away.
“Brand New Cadillac,” The Clash, 1979
“My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac, she said, ‘Hey come here, Daddy, I ain’t never comin’ back’…”
Written in 1959 by British rock and roller Vince Taylor, it was covered by several other European groups in subsequent years, culminating in its most well-known version, a terse, frenetic track on The Clash’s classic “London Calling” double LP.
“Let It Roll,” Little Feat, 1989
“Move on over, stand astride, my cruise control’s in overdrive, need to take my baby for a ride…”
Easily one of the most underrated bands of the 1970s, Little Feat regrouped in 1988 and came up with the delightful “Let It Roll” LP, featuring Paul Barrere’s and Bill Payne’s fantastic title track, which is pretty much the perfect road song.
“Take It Easy, The Eagles, 1972
“Well, I’m runnin’ down the road, tryin’ to loosen my load, got a world of trouble on my mind…”
Jackson Browne had written 90 percent of this song before Glenn Frey added the line about the girl in the flatbed Ford slowing down to have a look. Browne recorded it on his “For Everyman” LP, but The Eagles made it their successful debut single.
“Chevy Van,” Sammy Johns, 1975
“Better keep your eyes on the road, son, better slow this vehicle down…”
Country singer-songwriter Johns wrote this sex-in-the-car classic in 1973 and recorded it in LA with members of The Wrecking Crew, and the result was a #5 charting and a million records sold. Many other country artists have covered the song in the years since.
“Vehicle,” The Ides of March, 1970
“Hey, well, I’m a friendly stranger in a black sedan, won’t you hop inside my car…”
In high school, Ron Peterik of Chicago-based Ides of March had a crush on a girl he often gave rides to, and he was frustrated when nothing ever came of it. “All I am is her vehicle,” he sighed, then realized it was great inspiration for a song, which hit #2 in 1970.
“Ragtop Day,” Jimmy Buffett, 1984
“I put on my weekend clothes, turn on the rock and roll, throw all our cares away, it’s a ragtop day…”
Ragtops are, of course, convertibles, which are crucial components of the automobile culture in Florida, Southern California and other warm-weather locales. Buffett knows all about that, and wrote this catchy tune for his “Riddles in the Sand” LP in 1984.
“Rockin’ Down the Highway, The Doobie Brothers, 1972
“Got those highway blues, can’t you hear my motor runnin’, flying down the road with my foot on the floor…”
Doobies chief songwriter Tom Johnston lived in San Jose and spent a lot of time driving back and forth through the mountains to Santa Cruz, and he came up with this carefree song about that experience. One of the band’s most popular in-concert tunes.
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Honorable Mention:
“Cars,” Gary Numan, 1980; “Drive,” The Cars, 1984; “Hot Rod Lincoln,” Commander Cody, 1972; “Life in the Fast Lane,” The Eagles, 1977; “Black Limousine,” The Rolling Stones, 1981; “Mercedes Benz,” Janis Joplin; “Drag City,” Jan and Dean, 1963; “I Can’t Drive 55,” Sammy Hagar, 1984; “Fast Car,” Tracy Chapman 1988; “A Gallon of Gas,” The Kinks, 1979; “Little Red Corvette,” Prince, 1983; “Truckin’,” The Grateful Dead, 1970; “On the Road Again,” Canned Heat, 1969; “Ramblin’ Man,” The Allman Brothers Band.
“And the sun comes up on Santa Monica Boulevard” from Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do.”
“Highway 61 Revisited,” Bob Dylan (1965). Regarded by many fans as one of Dylan’s three finest albums, “Highway 61 Revisited” features the titantic “Like a Rolling Stone” and such serious works as “Ballad of a Thin Man,” “Queen Jane Aproximately” and “Desolation Row.” One of the lighter moments is the breezy bluesy title tune, inspired by U.S. Highway 61, which runs from Louisiana through the Mississippi River valley to Dylan’s home state of Minnesota. It’s the route followed by many African-Americans as they left the South for jobs and opportunities in the North.
“Toulouse Street,” Doobie Brothers (1972). One of the better known streets in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter, Toulouse Street is a magical brew of fabulous restaurants, sketchy strip bars, outrageous souvenir shops and mysterious voodoo characters. It inspired this gorgeous acoustic track by the Doobies’ Patrick Simmons on the album of the same name, with lyrics about Creole girls and rooms where “the blood’s a-flowing fast, and spells have been cast.”
“(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” Nat King Cole Trio (1946). A fellow named Bobby Troup wrote this during and after a cross-country trip he made with his wife after World War II, much of it on U.S. Route 66, which runs from Chicago to L.A. It mentions ten cities encountered along the iconic highway (can you name them?). This R&B standard has been recorded by more than 75 artists over the years, including Chuck Berry, Glenn Frey, The Manhattan Transfer, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Bing Crosby, The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Brad Paisley, Natalie Cole, Depeche Mode and Perry Como.
“Lake Shore Drive,” Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah (1971). Those outside the Greater Chicago area may not be familiar with this one, but Windy City music fans have long hailed the irresistible beauty of this catchy, piano-driven ode to the famed roadway that runs along Lake Michigan from the North Shore past the Gold Coast to downtown. The lyric “Just slipping on by on LSD, Friday night, trouble bound” was thought by some to be an abbreviation not only for the road but the hallucinogenic drug, but composer Skip Haynes insists that drugs have nothing to do with it.
“Bleecker Street,” Simon and Garfunkel (1964). One of Simon’s first handful of compositions was this quiet song that pays tribute to the reflective moods and quaint coffeehouses found on this New York City artery that slices through the bohemian Greenwich Village area, where folk artists cut their teeth in those days. It appears on S&G’s largely ignored debut album, “Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.”
“Seven Bridges Road,” The Eagles (1980). Written in 1969 by Steve Young and named after a road leading out of Montgomery, AL, on which you must cross seven bridges before it ends as a dirt road in the woods. It had apparently been called that for a century but is now known as Woodley Road. Arranged in five part-harmony and recorded that way by Ian Matthews in 1973, The Eagles then started opening their concerts with an amazing a cappella version, and included it on their live 1980 LP.
“Penny Lane,” The Beatles (1967). To match John Lennon’s childhood remembrance song, “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Paul McCartney came up with this whimsical tune that captured the activities and characters (the banker, the nurse, the barber, the fireman, and others) found in a Liverpool retail area and transit turnaround he fondly recalled from his boyhood days (and still exists today). This song and its counterpart is generally regarded as the Beatles’ best double A-side single, and one of the best of all time.
“Main Street,” Bob Seger (1976). Just about every city in America has a Main Street, but this hit song by Seger actually refers to Ann Street, a smaller road just off Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan. An underaged Seger used to watch dancing girls in the windows, watch sketchy characters come and go, and listen to the R&B music wafting out from the edgy clubs there, all of which are referred to in the lyrics.
“Creeque Alley,” The Mamas and The Papas (1967). This autobiographical song by John Phillips tells the story of The Mamas and The Papas — how they met, how they got together, how they became famous, and what was going on with some of their musical contemporaries at the time. The title, which is never mentioned in the lyrics, refers to Crequi Alley, a tiny lane in the Virgin Islands where Phillips, his new wife Michelle and his first band, The New Journeymen, used to perform in a club there.
“52nd Street,” Billy Joel (1978). Following the enormous success of “The Stranger” album and its multiple hit singles, Joel took a turn toward jazzier themes (“Zanzibar,” “Stilletto,””Honesty”). The result was the aptly named “52nd Street,” the street that served as the hotbed of jazz clubs and music in New York City in the ’40s and ’50s, and perhaps not coincidentally, the location of the studio he used to record the album.
“Electric Avenue,” Eddy Grant (1983). Grant, a respected Guyanese British musician who had been a member of The Equals (“Baby, Come Back”) in the late ’60s and in the forefront of the reggae movement, scored an international #1 hit with this pop-synth dance favorite. It’s inspired by Electric Avenue, a market street in the Brixton area of London that has always specialized in African, Caribbean, South American and Asian products. It was the first street in London to be fully lit by electricity.
“Baker Street,” Gerry Rafferty (1978). Rafferty was a member of the early ’70s band Stealers Wheel (“Stuck in the Middle With You”), which dissolved in acrimony and lawsuits. A resident of Glasgow, Scotland, Rafferty needed temporary lodgings in London while legal matters were being resolved, and he found them at a good friend’s flat on Baker Street, a major avenue in London. The lyrics tell the story of being depressed about the situation, but culminate at song’s end when things are resolved, with lyrics about “the sun is shining, it’s a new morning.”
“On Broadway,” The Drifters (1963) and George Benson (1978). The iconic thoroughfare of Broadway, in the heart of Manhattan, one of the world’s top two centers of theater arts, has been the inspiration for numerous movies, plays and songs over the past century. Many of them focus on the hopes and dreams of aspiring actors and musicians who want nothing more than to become stars there. The Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil song “On Broadway” does a particularly fine job of this, and it has been recorded by many dozens of artists since its debut in 1963. The Drifters’ #9 hit and Geoirge Benson’s #7 version are the most notable.
“Telegraph Road,” Dire Straits (1982). Singer/guitarist/songwriter Mark Knopfler was on tour in the Midwest U.S. one day on a tour bus, reading a book about the degradation of urban centers. He noticed that he was on one road, Telegraph Road, for a very long time, and observed how the landscape and development changed dramatically as it headed north from the Ohio border past Detroit into the northern suburbs, and saw a parallel between what he was reading and what he was seeing. He soon composed a multi-part, 14-minute masterpiece that goes through as many changes as the road he had traveled.
“Shakedown Street,” Grateful Dead (1978). Not a real street at all, but a term coined by lyricist Robert Hunter in the title song of the album of the same name to describe sketchy urban boulevards where drugs and prostitution reigned and customers were often fleeced. In more recent years, it has evolved to connote the area in parking lots at Grateful Dead (and other jam band) concerts where vendors sell food, beverages and other wares.
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