Way back when... I started a playlist called "Driving Songs" but never finished it. It was inspired by a show on VH1 called "Top Ten Driving Songs" that had the usual dribble. I'm going on a "Subaru Fun Drive" Saturday with like 12 WRXs and 20+ tricked out Mazdas on a 120 mile route through twisty roads and thought it'd be a good time to put this list together.. Here is what I have so far:

VH1's Top Ten Driving Songs

1. STEPPENWOLF - "Born To Be Wild"
2. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - "Born to Run"
3. AC/DC - "Highway To Hell"
4. SAMMY HAGAR - "I Can’t Drive 55"
5. JOHN MELLENCAMP - "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A."
6. VAN HALEN - "Panama"
7. PRINCE - "Little Red Corvette"
8. LENNY KRAVITZ - "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
9. ZZ TOP - "Legs"
10. SHERYL CROW - "Every Day is a Winding Road"

Some others I came up with in a chat room like 2 years ago:
1. GARY NUMAN - Cars
2. FOGHAT - Eight Days On The Road
3. WRECKX-N-EFFECT - Rump Shaker
4. MOTORHEAD - Built For Speed
5. DEPECHE MODE - Route 66
6. KANSAS - Wings Of Steel
7. BLACKFOOT - Highway Song
8. SIR MIX A LOT - Check Out My Monsta Mack
9. BTO - Roll On Down the Highway

Possible Add-ons:
Cake - The Distance
Audioslave - That I'm the Highway Song

I might edit a lot of these out.. I'm looking for songs that are cliche driving songs that would be nice to drive to during a spirited drive.. not obscure stuff....

Any ideas?

A much better Sheryl Crow driving song is "Steve McQueen" from the album "C'mon C'mon"...

Like Steve McQueen
All I need's a fast machine
I'm gonna make it all right
Like Steve McQueen
Underneath your radar screen
You'll never catch me tonight

I like "Magic Carpet Ride"

And that Audioslave song is actually one of my "night driving" songs I'm often driving for about 2.5 hours late at night, and have a very long "Quiet Mix" that I play. My other main playlist is a "Sunny Day Mix" that I play on nice, breezy days with all the windows down. I'll see what's on there sometime as well.

*edit*
I remembered one: "First it Giveth" by Queens of the Stone Age. Great driving riff.

Jethro Tull......Locomotive Breath

A friend was making fun of my empeg + parrot ck3000 demo at a car meet today and called my car the "knight rider" car.

Suddenly the theme song comes to mind...<ducking>

-brendan

PS ...comes to mind and then *won't leave* GRN.

Elastica - Car Song
Chuck Berry - No Particular Place To Go
Primus - Jerry Was A Race Car Driver
Limp Bizkit - Rollin' (urban assault vehicle)
Offspring - Bad Habit
Rollins Band - Ghostrider
Prodigy - Diesel Power

Hmm. Not sure whether it really qualifies as a 'cliched driving' song, but Whitesnake - Here I Go Again always makes me think of sports cars...well, one in particular. Couldn't tell you what car it was, my eyes never did make it past Tawny Kitaen who was sprawled out on top.

A friend was making fun of my empeg + parrot ck3000 demo at a car meet today and called my car the "knight rider" car.

I get that exact comment from one of my friends everytime she senses she's on the parrot... "So you mean my voice is coming out of the dashboard? That's so knightrider".

Matthew

Songs with a travelling connection
quickly of the top of my head:

Lenny Kravitz - Fly Away
Rammstein - Adios
The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
Deep Purple - Highway Star
Deep Purple - Speed King
Led Zeppelin - Communication Breakdown
Al Di Meola - Race With The Devil On The Spanish Highway
The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated

But most of my driving playlist is heavier stuff.

Ministry, Jesus Built My Hotrod? It's not that great a track, but the title is brilliant...

Peter

Judas Priest - Turbo Lover (Why hasn't this been mentioned yet?)
Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (Due to Vice City commercials.)
Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
Metallica - Fuel & Battery

Probably not quite what you are looking for but fun to drive to none the less:

Overseer - Supermoves
Apollo 440 - Stop the Rock
Powerman 5000 - Drop the Bombshell
Rammstein - Asche Zu Asche
Lunatic Calm - Leave you Far Behind
Celldweller - The Last Firstborn
Moby's "Bond Theme" Remix
and definatly Juno Reactor with Don Davis - Mona Lisa Overdrive (From The Matrix: Reloaded interstate scene)

Rush- "Driven"
Rush- "Dreamline"
Rush- "Red Barchetta"
Pearl Jam- "Rearview Mirror"

I'm sure there's more, but those are the first four I could think of off the top of my head (sorry about all the Rush!).

White Zombie - "Black Sunshine"

Sabbath: Crazy Train

I'm looking for songs that are cliche driving songs that would be nice to drive to during a spirited drive.

Unfortunately, this isn't cliched, but I had to take Jen to the airport early the other morning (like 4:30am early), so I put on some Prodigy to keep me awake. It's excellent to drive to, as long as you know there are going to be no speed cameras anywhere on your route .

Obviously, if we're after a driving theme, then "Speedway" is what you're looking for.

On a similar note, I'm not sure that listening to the Prodigy while snowboarding is such a great idea, either...

Snoop Doggy Dogg's Gin and Juice for when I'm cruisin' in da hood.

has anyone said "Radar Love"

> Ministry, Jesus Built My Hotrod? It's not that great a track,
> but the title is brilliant...

Now I've got Jello Biafra's/Mojo Nixo's "Convoy in the Sky" going through my head...

-brendan

Many great ones on the lists so far... The most glaring omission is Golden Earring's "Radar Love." Can't go wrong with The Ramones' "Blitzkrieg Bop," either.

Great list so far.

My additions would be:
Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult - Hit and Run Holiday

-Jeff

Golden Earring - Radar Love
Michael Jackson - Speed Demon

Edit: OK Radar Love was named while writing and searching for more, but i have just my mind here to search through...

Also to note these other driving related songs:
My favorite night driving song
Eric Johnson: "Manhattan"

My favorite "stuck in traffic" song
David Wilcox: "Blow ‘Em Away"

This came up in the Mustang forum under the heading of songs to get a speeding ticket with. Of course, it helps to be able to add your own muffler bass.

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
War - Low Rider
Life is a Highway- Tom Cochrane (sp)
Bad Motor Scooter-Montrose
Flirtin' With Disaster-Molly Hatchett (sp)
Stang's Swang-Stevie Ray Vaughan
Drive-Incubus
Bush-Machinehead
Drivin'n'Cryin-Rush Hour
Rob Zombie-Dragula(HotRod Herman Remix)
Bullet Boys-Hang on St. Christopher
Gravity Kills-Guilty
Monster Magnet-Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Days of the New-Enemy
Don Felder-Taking a Ride (Heavy Metal)
Social Distortion-Bad Luck
MDMFK-Witch Hunt
Death in Vegas-Dirt
Jim Carroll Band-People who Died
Ozzy-Crazy Train
Motorhead-Ace of Spades
Metallica-Fuel
Collective Soul-Heavy
Zodiac Mindwarp-Prime Mover
Judas Priest-You've got another thing coming
Offspring-Gotta Get Away
Big Sugar-Nicotina
Stone Roses-Love spreads
John Lee Hooker-Boom Boom
Hollies-Long Cool Woman
The Who - Goin Mobile
John Fogarty - Hot Rod Heart
Tom Petty - Love is a Long Road
Paul Simon - Graceland
Beatles - Drive My Car
Eagles - Already Gone
The Who - Sparks/Amazing Journey from Live at Leeds
ZZ Top - La Grange
Doors - Break on through
Edgar Winter - Frankenstein
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
the rolling stones - Sympathy for the devil
Tom Petty - Runnin' Down a Dream
Hot Rod Lincoln - (Don't remember the artist)

The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica
Not too sure why.

Greetings!

Most of the good ones are taken, but I would throw in (as somewhat exotic alternatives) -

Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin' For You
Dave Brubek - Take Five (live - Last Set At Newport - for the jazz folk out there)
Chris DeBurgh - Don't Pay The Ferryman
Iron Maiden - Aces High
Phish - Slave To The Traffic Light
Phish - Run Like An Antelope
They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse In Your Soul

Tom Waits- Hang on St. Christopher enuff said........

The Cars - Drive
The Cars - My Best Friend's Girl
The Cars - You Might Think
Boston - Cool the Engines
Boston - Smokin'
Boston - More Than a Feeling
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
Aerosmith - F.I.N.E.
Beach Boys - I Get Around (and numerous other songs)
Guns 'N Roses - Paradise City
Metallica - Turn the Page
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody (Wayne's World homage)
REO Speedwagon - Back On The Road Again
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer (tradition to play at the halfway point)

Prefab Sprout - Cars and Girls
Cyndi Lauper - I Drove all Night

Henrietta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters - Drive By Shooting

If you go for the "maximum offense" school of thought.

-brendan

Here are some not mentioned yet.

101 North- Tomahawk
Drive- Joe Satriani
Caution should be used while driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery- Sausage
Squad Car- 00Soul

My favorite night driving song
Eric Johnson: "Manhattan"

GOD, I love that piece. It's in my "Road Trip" playlist already. He asked for songs that would be good during a spirited drive, though, so I think he's looking for high energy stuff.

Propellerheads: "Spybreak (Short One)" from The Matrix soundtrack.

Yet to mentioned;

By Demons Be Driven - Pantera
Drivel - Union Underground, The
Built For Speed - The Stray Cats
Ram It Down - Judas Priest

Wow, you guys are amazing! I've a list I'm tossing together based on your suggestions... sweeeet! This is going to be a blast!

emplode feature request.. being able to right click on a playlist and export its contents like you can for a whole player.

Rammstein - Asche Zu Asche

Translation for those of you not getting the title.

Rammstein - Ass to Ass

:-)

Cheers

Kaare

Drive- Joe Satriani

??
Hadn't heard of that one.

Translation for those of you not getting the title.

I definatly, definatly could have lived the rest of my life happily without knowing that. I have sometimes thought that it was probably a good thing I didn't have a clue what they were saying.

Oh well. Still fun to drive to.

OK, maybe not that well known, but...
Megadeth - Mechanix
Megadeth - Moto-Psycho
Manowar - Wheels Of Fire
Anything by the Black Label Society

Hey, how about the theme from Hardcastle and McCormick?

The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica
Not too sure why.

You're not from the UK? For a very long while that's been the theme tune to Top Gear a BBC motoring show. They kept a slightly different version even when they retooled the show last year.

edit: I forgot to mention the Madness song I like Driving in My Car - possibly beats all those mentioned hands-down.

Gareth

I guess you have never seen them live then?

Image NSFW

It's also very close to "asche zur asche", the translation of "ashes to ashes", continuing their vulgar puns on liturgy.

I definitely, definitely could have lived the rest of my life happily without seeing that.

Tony:

Definatly.

Bitt:

Now that you mention that I remember that that is what the translation is supposed to be. Perhapse it is spelled wrong?

Shouldn't that be branded NSFW?

EDIT:
Or maybe just NS?

I definatly, definatly could have lived the rest of my life happily without knowing that. I have sometimes thought that it was probably a good thing I didn't have a clue what they were saying.

Their videos could have given you a clue :-) - But i agree good driving music.

My favorite driving music:

U2 - All!
Astral projection - All!

Cheers

Kaare

Shouldn't that be branded NSFW?

Post edited

I guess you have never seen them live then?

Haha! My point exactly!

Cheers

Kaare

Oops,
I meant "Ride"
He is referring to his Bike but all the same.

Yeah, I figures that it was either "Ride" or "Driving at Night". BTW, the G3 CD and DVD was released recently and Joe has a new studio album "Is there love in Space?" being released April 13th.

Back on topic - I have a _great_ driving track suggestion;

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

Sweet thanks!
I just added it to my Netflix rental queue.
And I'll look out for the studio album.

Hehe, Rammstein's shows are so over the top it is hard to take them seriously. Just good crazy fun.

A couple more:
Chuck Berry - Maybeline
REM - Drive
NWA - Boyz in the Hood
CW McCall - Convoy
Grateful Dead - Truckin'
Kraftwerk - Autobahn

OK, I admit I am pushing it now. If I need to do some hard driving, something like Crystal Method or Rammstein or Rage Against The Machine is in order. I was listening to White Zombie's Thunder Kiss '65 this morning on the way to work and totally rocking out.

Now that you mention that I remember that that is what the translation is supposed to be.

Asche zu Asche definitely means Ashes to Ashes. (Ass = Arsch) The lyrics support this semantic: Das Feuer wäscht die Seele rein Und übrig bleibt ein Mundvoll Asche. ~ The fire cleans(clears?) the soul and what remains is a mouthfull of ash.
AFAIK Asche zur Asche is rarely used. Maybe because Asche zu Asche has an all-embracing ring to it since it avoids using "zur = zu der = to the", thus eliminating a specific context.

I really like "Drive that Fast" by Kitchens of Distinction... but to me that seems more like something more suited to when your're driving alone in the middle of the night or something, rather than caravaning with a bunch of people.

That was as it was listed in the most recent Book of Common Prayer I could find in German. It could have easily been changed since then, though. Just pointing out that I didn't make the "zur" usage up.

I didn't mean to imply that you made it up, Bitt. Sorry if it sounded like that. I agree that "zu" and "zur" are both grammatically correct.

Book of Common Prayer

That may explain it. I googled for "Asche zu Asche" and "Asche zur Asche" before my previous post to check that my claim wasn't subjective. "Asche zu Asche" won 12100:62. But for some strange reason the vast majority of links for "Asche zur Asche" were of a religious nature. The line "Erde zur Erde, Asche zur Asche, Staub zum Staube.", spoken before graveyards, was the most frequent to cross my path.
Now that you mentioned prayers and since there's another strange, dusty word in that line (Staube instead of the more common Staub) I'd say that it's old German which reminds me of thee and ye.... which in turn remind me of Pulp Fiction every time I hear them.

I notice most of these titles are about cars and driving, but road trips also involve overnights, so I offer up "Hotel California".

I like instrumentals, e.g. 'Cats Away' by Lene Lovich - ideal for fast night drive on autobahn, preferably in snow or rain...

I notice most of these titles are about cars and driving

Yeah, the majority seem to be like that. I much prefer songs that either simply get you all worked up, or songs that sort of float you along the road. That's why I have very specific mood playlists, like "Sunny Day Light Driving" and "Quiet Night Driving."

Ace records in the UK have just issued a 22 track CD: "Crazy 'bout an automobile", which is wall to wall what you're looking for, from Jan & Dean on. When I'm restricted to CD's in my wife's car, it's on all the time, don't know if it's out in the US though.

"Radar Love"!!!

..driving all night my hands wet on the wheel....

excellent choice (Jessica) no reason needed!!!

My $.02 worth:

Brian Setzer Orch - Brand New Caddilac (also done by The Clash, but Setzers is better)
Brian Setzer Orch - Route 66
Brian Setzer's '68 Comeback Special - Hot Rod Girl
Brian Setzer's '68 Comeback Special - Who would love this car but me
Beach Boys - 409
Beach Boys - Shut Down
Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coupe
Buzzcocks - What Do I Get
Chuck Berry - Ridin' Along in My Automobile
David Bowie - Suffragette City
Ronnie & The Daytonas - Little GTO
Stray Cats - Rev It Up And Go
Van Halen - Hot For Teacher
ZZ Top - Cheap Sunglasses
White Zombie - Thunderkiss 65
Judas Priest - Headin' Out To the Highway
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues

My $0.01 worth , Though I admit they're obscure to most people...(and not necc. cliche)

For Driving Fast.....

Dark Soho - Uing Saracoma (Live MPEG Video Mix)
Skinny Puppy - Spasmolytic
Juno Reactor - Swamp Thing
Front 242 - Moldavia
Razed In Black - Starfuckers Inc. (NIN Cover)
Kevorkian Death Cycle - Spring Heel Jack
Front Line Assembly - Provision
Etc..


For Driving EXTREMELY fast (properly attained only on 2 wheels )

Gridlock - Chrometaphor
Moby - Thousand
Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Shomyoh
Godflesh - Mothra
Slipknot - Sic
Etc.

BTW, the G3 CD and DVD was released recently

Thanks again genixia,
I just finished watching it last night.
It was F*$%'n Amazing!!!

Can't wait now to see the DVD extras when i get home.
First stop, Fretcam.
Even thought I don't play guitar, I am going to learn Midnight.

Even thought I don't play guitar, I am going to learn Midnight

Heh - that's the one Satch track that I _can_ play.

Gotta love the intro on that one - dang a lang lang my dang a lang ling long. What's that all about!?

Anything by the Cars. After all, it's all in the name.