The Best Songs to Play When Driving Alone for Hours
My 24-year old brother will be returning home to Houston after living in Portland for 3 months. The thing is, he will be driving alone for 34 hours and he needs to be entertained while on the road. For sure, music is the only solution but what type of music is he going to play?
By the way, if you ask how he got there, he was visiting our Mom and he flew 3 months ago. When he arrived, he bought a 2012 Toyota RAV4 through Zemotor and he wants to bring his car here to Houston.
Although I give him a list of more than 500 songs to play, I am going to share with you some of the songs that I think you may like playing in your own car.
When you go on a road trip, the choice of music is almost as important as choosing the vehicle to swallow the miles in the best way. But what are the most popular songs to carve the road?
And you, you’re more of a pop dynamic, ambient music, or fast-paced rock when you’re driving? All road-trip enthusiasts will tell you: when it comes to carving the road, especially if the journey is long, the choice of music is of crucial importance. And an investigation by an insurance company specializing in car rental seems to confirm this.
“At the heart of every unforgettable road trip is a great compilation,” Says Insurance4carhire on its website. To give customers a boost, the company looked at Spotify, the music streaming service, and reviewed hundreds of playlists dedicated to road trips to identify the songs that came back most often.
With this data, I created a top 25 most listened to songs and shared them with my brother. A chart that seems to highlight rock since it is led by the song Mr. Brightside of the band The Killers, followed by Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Don’t Stop Believin’ by The Journey. But there are also Ed Sheeran, Gorillaz, or Queen.
Since the survey was conducted in the United States, the ranking logically includes Anglo-Saxon songs. But if you want to be inspired by it, nothing prevents you from bringing your personal touch, even French-speaking whether you are in desireless’s travel, Michel Sardou’s The Lakes of Connemara or Gilbert Montagné’s Sunlights of the Tropics!
Moreover, Insurance4carhire has thought of all drivers by unveiling, in addition to its top 25, several rankings sorted according to the desired atmospheres. All you have to do is choose the destination and get behind the wheel!
The top 25 most popular songs on Spotify for a road trip:
- Mr. Brightside, The Killers
- Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Don’t Stop Believin’, Journey
- All-Star, Smash Mouth
- Bohemian Rhapsody , Queen
- Hotel California, Eagles
- Seven Nation Army, The White Stripes
- Highway To Hell, AC/DC
- Africa, Toto
- Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
- Sweet Child O’ Mine, Guns N’ Roses
- Closer, The Chainsmokers
- Summer Of ’69, Bryan Adams
- Midnight City, M83
- All The Small Things, Blink-182
- Shape of You, Ed Sheeran
- Back In Black, AC/DC
- Livin’ On A Prayer, Bon Jovi
- Feel Good Inc, Gorillaz
- Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Don’t Stop Me Now, Queen
- Riptide, Vance Joy
- Pumped Up Kicks, Foster The People
- Do I Wanna Know?, Arctic Monkeys
- Under The Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Of course, the above list is not enough when you are traveling hundreds of miles away. It’s annoying to listen to the same song over and over again right?
Some songs have the power to make us travel and accompany us in our adventures. Simulating, exhilarating, comforting, they lead us to distant lands… Driving a car, in the lobby of an international airport, on the plane, on the tracks of a provincial train, or on a bus, all times are good to listen to songs that inspire the desire to travel.
Here are another lists of travel songs to play when driving alone
Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen
Album: Born to run
Year: 1975
At the age of 24, Bruce Springsteen, who was not yet The Boss, threw this hymn to youth. It was a devastation, and nowadays young people are still lulled by these words of insolent energy, tinged however with melancholy. Born to run is a relentless call to the road and love. To listen without moderation.
California Dreamin, The Mamas and the Papas
Album: This precious time
Year: 1966
You are driving a car and driving to the ocean, a surfboard in tow. You arrive on the beach but the wind is not yet the right one, the perfect wave has not arrived yet. You then decide to put California Dreamin to the full, just to soak up the atmosphere … What a moment!
Should I stay or should I go? The Clash
Album: Combat Rock
Year: 1981
Should I stay or leave? A corneal dilemma takes you just before the start! Excitement gives way to doubts and uncertainties. The Clash is an excellent mentor and reminds you that “If I leave, I will have problems, but if I stay, I will have double!” Get out of here! Go away!
Clandestino, Manu Chao
Album: Clandestino
Year: 1998
This hymn to wandering speaks of travel, but of forced travel. Manu Chao portrays an emigrant who is forced to wander from one country to another. This sad condition still inspires the desire to leave and stroll through lands in search of adventures…
On the road again, Bernard Lavilliers
Album: If…
Year: 1988
A 1988 classic that will never be old-fashioned and that gives the wiggle, even to the laziest. Inspired by Victor Hugo’s Tuileries, this song made for adventurers is perfect for singing on a road trip!
Where the streets have no name, U2
Album: The Joshua Tree
Year: 1987
It is an ideal place, a place behind a cloud of dust, a place where the streets have no name. This is the place we hope to find when we go on a trip, far from our often locked daily newspapers.
The Passenger, Iggy Pop
Album: Lust for Life
Year: 1977
The song is immediately recognized by its distinctive riff, its obstinate choruses, which herald a journey through an unexplored urban landscape. It is said that Iggy Pop composed the song on board S-Bahn Berlin. The background choirs “La, la” were performed by his friend David Bowie. It’s certainly the most haunting song of the 70s… You can say it!
San Francisco, Scott McKenzie
Album: Monterey International Pop Music Festival
Year: 1967
Icon of Summer of Love in San Francisco and hippie culture, San Francisco is the standard of a bygone era. An era that dreamed of flower beds, altruistic humans, a golden California… The lyrics were written by John Phillips, founder of The Mamas – the Papas.
Three Little Birds, Bob Marley
Album: Exodus
Year: 1977
Birds blithely pee on a branch, the sun shines in the sky, a cool wind tickles your elbow, every meander of the road is a testament to your happiness. Everything smiles at you!