The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist — 50 Best Road Trip Songs

The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist — 50 Best Road Trip Songs

Fri, Mar 12, 2010

No road trip is complete without a playlist of songs that capture the spirit of traveling on the open road.  So we’ve compiled a list of the 50 best road trip songs.  In order to make this be-all end-all totally definitive list that all other lists look up to, the songs had to meet the following criteria:

a.) encompass the excitement and freedom of road tripping

b.) make the time pass faster

c.) keep you awake without the assistance of questionably legal pills named “No Doze”

d.) contain lyrics so singable that you’ll legitimately consider trying out for the next “American Idol”

e.) keep you distracted long enough to make you forget you need to pee (which subsequently means stopping at a heinous rest stop where the bathroom stalls are tagged with death threats and truckers hit on you)

f.) drown out the sound of your annoying friend who complains about a developing deep vein thrombosis from being crammed in the backseat (tough it up!)

Get ready for car-aoke ’cause here’s The Ultimate Road Trip Playlist…

50. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers (3:37)
49. Blitzkrieg Bop – The Ramones (2:14)
48. California – Phantom Planet (3:14)
47. Take It Easy – Eagles (3:30)
46. Cruisin’ – Smokey Robinson (4:27)
45. Hotel California – Eagles (6:30)
44. Around the World – Daft Punk (7:07)
43. Running On Empty – Jackson Browne (4:55)
42. The Waiting – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (3:58)
41. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd (4:45)
40. Life In the Fast Lane – Eagles (4:45)
39. Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (4:15)
38. Low Rider – War (3:11)
37. Ramblin’ Man – Allman Brothers (4:58)
36. Panama – Van Halen (3:31)
35. Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra (5:06)
34. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car – Billy Ocean (4:44)
33. Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves (4:00)
32. Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant (3:44)
31. Road Trippin’ – Red Hot Chili Peppers (3:24)
30. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 – Nat King Cole (3:00)
29. Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses (6:46)
28. No Particular Place to Go – Chuck Berry (2:41)
27. Beautiful Day – U2 (4:08)
26. Slow Ride – Foghat (8:14)
25. Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi (4:11)
24. Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (4:23)
23. Already Gone – Eagles (4:18)
22. Drive My Car – Drive My Car (2:25)
21. Free Ride – Edgar Winter Group (3:17)
20. Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf (4:27)
19. Here I Go Again – Whitesnake (4:36)
18. Holiday Road – Lindsey Buckingham (3:11)
17. Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles (1:57)
16. Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival (2:41)
15. Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones (3:33)
14. Everyday Is a Winding Road – Sheryl Crow (4:16)
13. I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar (4:12)
12. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen (4:29)
11. Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp (5:08)
10. Roam – The B-52′s (4:57)
9.  Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac (3:38)
8.  Baba O’Riley – The Who (5:08)
7.  Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd (9:09)
6.   Highway to Hell – AC/DC (3:28)
5.  I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash (3:19)
4.   On the Road Again – Willie Nelson (2:32)
3.   Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf (3:30)
2.  I Get Around – The Beach Boys (2:14)
1.   Life Is a Highway – Rascal Flatts (4:37)

By the time you’ve played every song on this list, you’ll be 3 hours, 30 minutes and 28 seconds closer to your destination.  Which means you’ll likely play this entire list four or five more times before you get to where you’re going.  But at least these songs aren’t one and done.