A road trip playlist about… being on the road

Gearing up for a long drive? No matter what your musical tastes – from ’80s rock to mellow country – here’s a road-trip playlist that celebrates the freedom of being on the road, the joy of driving, and the beauty of cars in general.

A 1980 country classic from Willie Nelson that’s an ode to a musician’s life on the road: Goin’ places that I've never been/Seein’ things that I may never see again/And I can’t wait to get on the road again. It was one of Nelson’s biggest hits, and earned him a Grammy for Best Country Song in 1981.

This funky 1983 hit by the late great Prince was, at the time, his highest-charting song and the first to reach the Billboard Top 10. Like most of the Minneapolis legend’s music, love is at the heart of the lyrics: I guess I should've known/By the way you parked your car sideways/That it wouldn't last. Guaranteed to make everyone in the car feel the groove.

What’s a road-trip playlist without The Beatles? And what better Fab Four song to include than this 1965 hit from their Rubber Soul album. It’s the story of a woman with ambitions to be a movie star who’s looking for someone to be her driver: Baby, you can drive my car/Yes, I'm gonna be a star/Baby, you can drive my car/And maybe I'll love you. And who’s not going to join in with the many “beep-beep, yeahs”?

Need to prove to your kids that you’re still with it? Then include this track by Rihanna, which was a huge hit globally in 2007. In it, she references everything from a Ferrari and a Maybach to a 1957 Cadillac as she goes from 0 to 60 in 3.5/Baby, you got the keys/Now shut up and drive, drive, drive.

One of the great rock songs about driving, Radar Love was a huge hit for the Dutch band and has been named in myriad top 10 road-trip playlists. In it, a trucker describes the deep connection he shares with his girlfriend – their “radar love”.

Nobody does mellow rock quite like The Eagles, and this 1972 track (the band’s first single) is the kind of laidback tune every driving playlist needs. Famed singer-songwriter Jackson Browne had written much of the song in 1971, planning to use it on his debut album, but was stuck for lyrics for the second verse. Glenn Frey, The Eagles’ lead singer, who lived in the same apartment block as Browne, pitched in and the result was a track named in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Our first Australian entry is this legendary rock anthem by arguably one of our greatest rock bands. Highway to Hell, the single from the 1979 album of the same name, is about how arduous life on the road can be, and hearing Bon Scott belt out the chorus is about as good as road playlists get.

Chapman’s iconic 1988 song adds a little poignancy to the playlist: a classic folk-pop track about a woman’s attempts to escape her life of poverty by driving away in a fast car: Won't have to drive too far/Just 'cross the border and into the city/You and I can both get jobs/And finally see what it means to be living.

Here’s a road-trip song about a road-trip – the famed singer-songwriter making a pilgrimage to Elvis Presley’s Memphis home after the dissolution of his marriage to actor Carrie Fisher. It’s a beautiful, meaningful song with an African-influenced beat, and won Simon the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1988.

Finally, a little slice of new wave goodness from English muso Gary Numan. This track was a huge hit for Numan when it was released in 1979, and was inspired by an incident of road rage in London: Here in my car/I feel safest of all/I can lock all my doors/It’s the only way to live in cars.

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^{Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.}