Apple pie, the 4th of July, baseball, all of these things are quintessentially American. Something equally American that you may not have thought of before is the road trip. Seriously, think about it; where else in the world is the road trip a common way of traveling?
In Europe trains are the way to go, Asia is renowned for their public transport (Japanese bullet trains, anyone?). But in the United States, it’s the road trip.
We love our cars, and our landscape reflects it. Interstates carve broad swathes through our great cities, commuters leave the burbs in the morning and return in the evening. All built with the car in mind.
Still not convinced? Consider the epitome of an American vacation to the rest of the world: the Great American Roadtrip.
The Great American Road Trip
Now at Top Down Lifestyle, we are strong believers that everyone, Americans especially, should embark on the Great American Road Trip. There really is no better way to see the country, and feel the soul of the nation.
Whether watching gas stations and McDonalds fly by on the interstate or meandering through quaint downtowns in the heartland, travel by car is the classic method of seeing America.
Route 66, drive in movies, muscle cars, drag racing, or even motorcycles (we at Top Down Lifestyle maintain cars are a better method of travel than motorcycles, but we respect our biker brethren), all definitively American.
And if you’re embarking on the Great American Roadtrip, you have to have an accompanying playlist that fits the moment.
In this article, I am going to lay out the absolute best road trip songs that you need to have on your playlist when you go roadtripping. I love throwing it back, so most of what you will find on this list is classic rock, but hey, a classic American pastime deserves classic music to accompany it, and to be honest, when you’re barreling across the west, it just feels right.
Read on to see Top Down Lifestyle’s definitive list of best road trip songs for the Great American Road Trip.
Click here to open the Greatest Road Trip Songs Playlist on Spotify!
**Note**
I don’t care about the theme of the lyrics! Having the word car in the song doesn’t cut it. It’s about feel, tempo, and all around sound, not lyrical themes.
If you’re planning a national parks trip, consider purchasing an America the Beautiful Pass.
60: Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple
Is it the most famous guitar riff ever? Maybe. Definitely the one most played by novice guitar players though.
59: Truckin: Grateful Dead
What a long strange trip it’s been. Classic line, classic song.
58: I’ll Wait: Van Halen
The first of a few Van Halen songs on the list. This actually might be my favorite, but it’s not as good of a driving song.
57: My Sharona: The Knack
God it’s catchy. Is it your favorite song? Doubt it. Will you yell “My Sharona” during the chorus? Definitely.
56: Running on Empty: Jackson Browne
Some songs make you feel like you’re on a road trip even when you aren’t. This is one of those.
55: Fight the Good Fight: Triumph
Is there anything more American than 80’s hair metal? Doubt it.
54: Oye Como Va: Santana
Sometimes when you’re driving, you just need a groove, and this might be the grooviest song of all time.
53: Modern Love: David Bowie
I don’t think anyone really knows the lyrics, but you’ll find something to sing along to. Features an excellent air guitar opportunity to start and some nice saxophone. Need I say more?
52: Teenagers: My Chemical Romance
When you want a great chorus to yell along to. Sometimes, that angry energy is good on a long drive.
51: California Love: 2Pac featuring Dr Dre
Fun fact: I can rap this whole song. Bonus points if you play it while driving in California. Extra bonus points if you play while crossing the border into California.
50: It’s Tricky: Run DMC
A rap classic that you can yell along to, what else do you need in a high energy road trip banger?
49: You Really Got Me: Van Halen/The Kinks
Go with the Kinks version if you want to sing along. Go with the Van Halen version if you want epic leather pants energy.
48: Mr Brightside: The Killers
Anyone who has been drunk in a college bar when this has come on gets it.
47: Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen
What’s more fitting to listen to on the Great American Roadtrip than a protest song against the American Government? It has epic arena rock energy though.
46: Paradise City: Guns N’Roses
The 80’s was a hell of a decade. Leather pants, guitar players in top hats, hair spray. Great air guitar opportunities throughout.
45: Drive My Car: The Beatles
Ok I said I don’t care about the theme of the lyrics, but c’mon. Not to mention this one has a great vibe.
44: Hey Ya: Outkast
Is this the most catchy song ever written? Probably not to be honest. Is this the most catchy song of the 2000’s? It might be.
Planning a road trip? Check out our in depth road trip planning guide.
43: Boys Are Back In Town: Thin Lizzie
This is for the guys who won’t sing in the car when anyone is with them, but will totally belt this out while driving alone.
42: Hot For Teacher: Van Halen
Raise your hand if you have ever used your steering wheel as a drum set. Raise your hand you liar. Possibly the GOAT of steering wheel drum set songs.
41: I Wanna Dance With Somebody: Whitney Houston
None of us can actually sing it, but everyone imagines they can sing it.
40: Sweet Home Alabama: Lynyrd Skynyrd
For a song that claims “Watergate does not bother me,” people really vibe to it, though I wonder if they vibe with not being bothered by Watergate. Either way, regardless of your views on presidential history, its classic Americana.
39: Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen
Thunderbolts and lightning Galileo! Imagine yelling at Galileo and all you have to say is thunderbolts and lightning. Regardless, everyone rocks hard when the guitar solo breaks through in the second part of the song. And I guarantee you have sung “nothing really matters…. to meeeeeeee.”
38: Johnny B Goode: Chuck Berry
The original rock god, from the decade that invented rock and roll. Extra points if you listen while driving deep down in Louisiana.
37: Where The Streets Have No Name: U2
Que this up when you’re about to go around a corner and see something epic. It has a feeling of grandness, of scale.
36: Stayin Alive: Bee Gees
While disco is American musics rarely talked about stepchild, Stayin Alive is a classic. I feel like most people don’t even realize this is a disco song. Also, I love when hairy bearded men sing in falsetto.
35: I Want To Break Free: Queen
Is this the most optimistic song ever written? I don’t know but damn it makes me feel good.
34: Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting: Elton John
Generally I’m not an advocate of solving your problems with violence, but lets deffer to Elton on this one. Obvious bonus points if you play it on a Saturday night drive. Double points if you start a fight in a gas station.
33: Lowrider: War
Iconic? Yes. Car culture? Yes. Take a little trip with me? Definitely.
32: Back In The USSR: The Beatles
The keys to a fun upbeat driving song are a driving beat and air guitar and/or good singing lyrics. This song has all of that. Bonus points if your Great American Roadtrip is actually in the former USSR.
31: Summer of 69: Bryan Adams
A song about nostalgia? Instant bonus points. Arguably the classic song about growing up? Gotta be on the list.
30: You Only Live Once: The Strokes
There aren’t a lot of alternative rock songs on this list, but this one has elite levels of air guitar opportunities, and fun lyrics to sing along to if you know the song.
29: Mary Jane’s Last Dance: Tom Petty
Is it about a girl? Maybe. Is it about weed? Almost certainly. If there was a list of songs that make you look cool when you listen to them, this would be on it.
28: American Pie : Don McLean
I don’t really know why we love this song so much, but its a true classic. It’s mellow, but if you’ve never sang along to some American Pie, you’re missing out. A true American classic.
27: Fat Bottom Girls: Queen
In your face guitar riff, check. Loud obnoxious lyrics, check. Awesome air guitar opportunities, double check.
26: Jane: Jefferson Starship
70’s era classic with men singing in extremely high voices and epic air guitar opportunities. Doesn’t get much better.
25: Safety Dance: Men Without Hats
You can dance if you want to, and who doesn’t want to dance in their car? Side point, the music video to this song is bizarre.
24: Wind of Change: Scorpions
No roadtrip playlist would be complete without an 80’s power ballad, and this one is one of the best. Complete with a classic whistle solo.
23: Money For Nothing: Dire Straits
One of the all time great guitar songs, this is a classic from the early MTV days. One of the best air guitar songs ever.
22: Paint It Black: The Rolling Stones
Upbeat, fast tempo, sitar, everything you need. This is a great song for playing drums on your steering wheel.
21: Don’t Stop Me Now: Queen
A candidate for most upbeat, positive song ever written, this classic from Queen applies well to a road trip, even if you aren’t having a ball.
20: Sabotage: Beastie Boys
Starting off the top 20, Sabotage lies somewhere in the rock/hip hop middle ground. Starting with a classic hard rock riff, this one gets in your face. Perfect for when you’re looking for that burst of energy.
19: American Girl: Tom Petty
For the Great American Road Trip, this is the perfect classic American song, and I think all of us can picture an American Girl. Pro tip for the guys, sing along to this one when you’re taking a trip with your lady.
18: Run To You: Bryan Adams
First of all, don’t listen too closely to the lyrics. What sounds like a nice love song is actually a song about cheating, so yea. However, if you don’t listen that closely, it’s a great love song, and it’s a great driving song!
17: Immigrant Song: Led Zeppelin
If you’re a fan of the Marvel Universe and have seen Thor: Ragnarok, you’ve experienced Immigrant Song intensifying. But seriously, there aren’t many songs that are higher energy than this one. It’s a hot burn, and it only lasts for a bit over 2 minutes!
16: 29 Palms: Robert Plant
From the former lead singer of Led Zeppelin, this one is a deep track that not many have heard. About a desert town in Southern California, it has a great cruising vibe. Combine a cool vibe with nice guitar, and Robert Plant’s vocals gives you the number 16 roadtrip song of all time.
15: Suzie Q: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Has there ever been a band more quintessentially American than CCR? From being a defining sound of the 60’s to The Dude’s favorite tape, CCR is an American classic. Combined with this song’s great guitar riff, long solos, and laid back vibe, this is an all time great driving song.
14: Take Me Home, Country Roads: John Denver
Perfect for when you’re feeling a bit homesick, or are putting in long days trying to make it home at the end of a trip, John Denver’s classic is a perfect companion. Not to mention, it’s a great one to sing along too, and one of my most famous karaoke performances.
13: It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll): ACDC
When you think of simple, in your face, classic rock, ACDC should be what immediately comes to mind. While they have more well known classics, It’s a Long Way to the Top has such a great driving rhythm that is infectious on a long drive, just try not to end up driving 100 while listening. Oh, and bagpipes.
12: Ballroom Blitz: Sweet
Frantic, frenetic, fevered, all words that describe this song. Absolutely great at 2 am when you’ve just had your 4th coffee and the caffeine is the only thing keeping you going. Great beats to drum along to on the steering wheel, and some great sing along opportunities.
11: Baba O’Riley: The Who
Crazy keyboard intro, check. Huge guitar parts to air guitar along with, check. The Who are going to have a couple of songs high on this list, see pay attention for more from them!
10: Rock And Roll: Led Zeppelin
Starting the top 10, this song from Led Zeppelin is an all time classic. When thinking about up tempo, fun, fast driving songs, this is one of the absolute best. Great opportunities for steering wheel drumming, and air guitar playing.
9: Born To Be Wild: Steppenwolf
The song that invented the term “heavy metal,” this classic from the 60’s is true Americana (even though they’re kind of Canadian). It’s a timeless classic, and it’s one of those songs that just make you feel cool. Plus, everyone loves yelling BORN TO BE WILD!
8: Running Down A Dream: Tom Petty
Another entry from Tom Petty on the list, this is his best road trip song. It’s a great song to sing along to, it has a great up-tempo rhythm, and it makes the miles feel like they’re flying by. Definitely a classic.
7: Sympathy For The Devil: The Rolling Stones
The combination of drums and bass in this song creates a fast, driving beat that is the core of one of history’s classics. The instrumentation combined with great lyrics and Mick Jagger’s instantly recognizable voice make this Stones song one of the best driving songs ever.
6: Eminence Front: The Who
Arguably the best intro to any song ever. The drums come in first, building into the synthesizer, and finally the guitar breaks in and tops it all off. One of The Who’s later songs, it often is overlooked as a classic, but as a driving song, its truly excellent. It fits perfectly as the song you put on late at night as you start seeing lightning into the distance as the rain starts to fall.
5: Jack And Diane: John Mellencamp
First of all, why would you ever change your name from John Cougar to John Mellencamp? I still don’t get it. Second of all, if this song doesn’t make you smile, you might be a sociopath. It’s an ode to the heartland, an ode to growing up, a perfect anthem for the Great American Road Trip.
4: Highway To Hell: ACDC
I mean, is anyone surprised this is in the top 5? The raw, wild energy of ACDC. The simple yet aggressive driving beat. The classic, in your face, guitar work by the Young brothers, and the soaring voice of Bon Scott (in the original at least). It’s ACDC, it’s about driving, it makes you feel cool. Easy top 5 road trip song.
3: Fortunate Son: Creedence Clearwater Revival
Yes it’s actually a song protesting America, but is there any song ever that is more American than Fortunate Son? That intro guitar riff lives on as the sound of Vietnam and the protests that went with it, and has permeated our popular culture to be arguably the song of the 60’s, perhaps even more so than anything from The Beatles. Nothing is cooler than CCR which helps too.
2: Hotel California: The Eagles
First of all, listen to the live version, it’s much better than the original studio recording. Second of all, this is one of the most beautiful, greatest songs ever written. The intermingled, dueling guitars. The beautifully sung lyrics that truly tell a story. It might be a perfect song, and it might be the best song on this list. Bonus points if you listen to it on a dark desert highway, cool wind in your hair. Speaking from experience, it’s a pretty cool experience.
1: Radar Love: Golden Earring
Without question the best driving song ever written, Radar love has everything you would want in a road trip song. Epic steering wheel drum solos, soaring vocals you can match in your head, air guitar opportunities galore, and one of the greatest basslines of all time. Even the lyrics are about driving, specifically about driving late at night to go see your lady friend. Its the perfect driving song, and that makes it number one on my list of best road trip songs of all time.
Agree with the list? Disagree with the list? Did we miss a classic? We’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment here, or respond on our social media and tell us what you think!
17 Comments