Before satellite radio or being able to play whatever we wanted on-demand from the internet, we had to bring cassettes or 8-tracks. During family trips, we had a few classic rock songs on repeat, and those songs became a part of our own personal histories. Here are a few classic songs from our road trips that will continue to be a big part of our road trip memories.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. “Life is a Highway” – Tom Cochrane (1991)
- 2 2. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
- 3 3. “Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen (1975)
- 4 4. “Take It Easy” – Eagles (1972)
- 5 5. “On the Road Again” – Willie Nelson (1980)
- 6 6. “I Get Around” – The Beach Boys (1964)
- 7 7. “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC (1979)
- 8 8. “American Woman” – The Guess Who (1970)
- 9 9. “Radar Love” – Golden Earring (1973)
- 10 10. “Route 66” – Various Artists
- 11 11. “I Can’t Drive 55” – Sammy Hagar (1984)
- 12 12. “Ramblin’ Man” – The Allman Brothers Band (1973)
- 13 13. “Running on Empty” – Jackson Browne (1977)
- 14 14. “Little Red Corvette” – Prince (1983)
- 15 15. “I’ve Been Everywhere” – Johnny Cash (1996)
1. “Life is a Highway” – Tom Cochrane (1991)
The song’s driving rhythm and enthusiastic singing perfectly embodied the care-free attitude of a nice drive. When it was released in 1991, the track instantly became popular, and it’s vocals are nearly impossible to not belt out during a drive. The song’s message demonstrated that the journey is just as important as the destination which is always nice to hear on long trips.
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2. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
The unmistakable guitar riff gives any drive the feeling like you’re in a convertible speeding down a Southern road. It’s a great song to stop and play on an Alabama trip because of the road trip vibes. The performance of the song encourages everyone to join in.
3. “Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen (1975)
The Boss gives us the ultimate road trip song about getting out of town and getting lost. You can feel the tension and excitement of hearing the rush of wind through the car windows as you speed along the highway. The song’s message is about freedom and escaping which is every road trip’s goal.
4. “Take It Easy” – Eagles (1972)
Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona became a required picture spot thanks to this easy going road trip classic. The song’s chill vibe and mention of cities makes it ideal for a cross-country road trip. The phrase ‘take it easy’ and the overall message of the song is to enjoy the road trip, which became a philosophy for road trips.
5. “On the Road Again” – Willie Nelson (1980)
The life on the road song by Willie became a classic for travelling. The song has an easy to remember and simple chorus which adds to the excitement on starting a new journey. The overall message along with the country genre of the song allowed it to be loved in many different cultures.
6. “I Get Around” – The Beach Boys (1964)
The song was very enthusiastic about car culture and the journey of youth. It was very easy to groove to the song and it made any trip feel like it was going to sunny California. It even gave youth the spirit of freedom.
7. “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC (1979)
The song had the best power chords to crank the volume all the way up. It was an amazing song to wake the driver up and the energy was extremely fun. It had a dark song title but still had a lot of freedom.
8. “American Woman” – The Guess Who (1970)
That amazing guitar sound could turn any road into a rock concert. The beat of the song helped a lot of road trip passengers play air guitar during the instrumental breaks. That song was great for long stretches of driving.
9. “Radar Love” – Golden Earring (1973)
The song had the best rhythm for night driving and matched the flowing white lines. Every night driving road warrior would understand the lyrics. The song had a guaranteed drum solo and would wake any sleepy driver.
10. “Route 66” – Various Artists
This song was essential for any road trip, and whether you liked Nat King Cole’s original smooth version more or Chuck Berry’s upbeat rock cover, you had to have it on the playlist. The lyrics serve as a roadmap to almost every iconic spot on the longest highway in America. Every place they stop is a possible destination to go to.
11. “I Can’t Drive 55” – Sammy Hagar (1984)
Hagar’s protest song against the national speed limit isn’t just about angering the law; its rebellion spirit encourages every driver to embrace their inner lead foot. Responsible drivers just kept the song as a fantasy.
12. “Ramblin’ Man” – The Allman Brothers Band (1973)
The ultimate Southern rock road song celebrates the endless joy of moving. With its laid back groove and long freeform stretches of guitar probably extending out like the highway itself, it is tuned perfect for the long stretches of a road. And its lyrics celebrate the freedom of travel and movement.
13. “Running on Empty” – Jackson Browne (1977)
Browne captured the rhythm of life on the road with this classic. Road trippers know the song is about a brown wooden state of Wyoming to Colorado with the specific road signs. There is adventure in uncertainty and there is freedom on the open road.
14. “Little Red Corvette” – Prince (1983)
This unexpected road trip classic uses a car as a metaphor. Its upbeat energy makes it a catchy singalong and endless motivation for the open road. No corvette, no problem. Any car will be a supercar in the open road.
15. “I’ve Been Everywhere” – Johnny Cash (1996)
Cash’s version of the song was the original road trip checklist. No family could resist the urge to try and keep up with the speed of the rapidly listing road destinations in the lyrics.
