The Best Tunes for Your Road Trip

Road trips are genuinely American. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, On the Road, Fear, and Loathing In Las Vegas. Vacation, Crossroads, Little Miss Sunshine. So grab the Thelma to your Louise, the Dumb to your Dumber, and pack up the car. You’re going to need a-rockin’ playlist though, so before you set out, let us help you.

When you’re looking for the road trip classics to get you started, we’ve got you covered. Add these tunes about cars, highways and leaving town to your playlist. 

Road Trip Classics

1. “Up Around the Bend” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. “The Weight” by The Band
3. “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton
4. “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen
5. “Midnight Rider” by the Allman Brothers
6. “Fast Car” by Tracey Chapman
7. “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne
8. “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
9. “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers
10. “Going Mobile” by The Who
11. “Drive My Car” by The Beatles
12. “Country Roads” by John Denver
13. “Truckin” by the Grateful Dead
14. “Low Rider” by War
15. “Every Day is a Winding Road” by Sheryl Crow
16. “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2
17. “Into the Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty
18. “Why Georgia” by John Mayer
19. “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant
20. “Life in the Fast Lane” by the Eagles
21. “Ventura Highway” by America
22. “Born in the U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen
23. “One Headlight” by the Wallflowers
24. “Slow Ride” by Foghat
25. “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell
26. “Life is A Highway” by Tom Cochrane
27. “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers
28. “Ticket to Ride” by The Beatles
29. “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
30. “Ignition” by R. Kelly

It’s natural to get drowsy on the open road. Whether you’ve been staring at brake lights or looking at the same desert landscape for miles, your eyes and mind are going to get sleepy. When you need a surge of energy, there’s nothing better than singing at the top of your lungs. Throw in a mix of oldies, classic rock, the eighties, and nineties like these songs, and you’ll be belting it out across America.

The Best Road Trip Sing-Along Songs

1. “Fat Bottomed Girl” by Queen
2. “September” by Earth Wind and Fire
3. “Jack and Diane” by John Mellencamp
4. “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi
5. “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
6. “American Pie” by Don Mclean
7. “ABC” by Jackson 5
8. “Beast of Burden” by the Rolling Stones
9. “Don’ Stop Believin’” by Journey
10. “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” by The Temptations
11. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith
12. “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
13. “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
14. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder
15. “(I’ve had) The Time of my Life” by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
16. “Respect” by Aretha Franklin
17. “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops
18. “Only the Good Die Young” by Billy Joel
19. “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall & Oates
20. “I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher
21. “American Girl” by Tom Petty
22. “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf
23. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rupert Holmes
24. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell
25. “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band

When you’ve got a girl (or a man with a heart of gold) in your passenger seat, sometimes you need to rock out with some Britney or Cher. These songs are sing-along classics too; we just warn you not to play too many if your car is filled with grumpy men.  

Girl Road Trip Songs

1. “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus
2. “Spice Up Your Life” by the Spice Girls
3. “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child
4. “Man! I Feel like a Woman!” by Shania Twain
5. “Believe” by Cher
6. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA
7. “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
8. “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys
9. “Oops… I Did it Again” by Britney Spears
10. “Sk8r Boi” by Avril Lavigne

If your car is filled with fellow millennials, then a road trip wouldn’t be complete without some nineties and early 2000s tunes. Sing, reminisce, and engage in a little *NSYNC versus Backstreet Boys debate.

Childhood Throwback Tunes

1. “Hey Ma” by Cam’ron
2. “The General” by Dispatch
3. “Hey Ya” by Outkast
4. “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind
5. “Drops of Jupiter” by Train
6. “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC
7. “Walking on Broken Glass” By Annie Lennox
8. “Run-Around” by Blues Traveler
9. “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy
10. “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys
11. “Send Me On My Way” by Rusted Root
12. “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65
13. “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
14. “Tubthumping” by Chumbawamba
15. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something
16. “Roll to Me” by Del Amitri
17. “Closing Time” by Semisonic
18. “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer
19. “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors
20. “Every Morning” by Sugar Ray

Country music isn’t for everybody, but if you want some songs with a little twang in it, then you should probably include these tunes in your playlist. Call it cliché, but country music has a lot of songs on the road.

Country (and Folk) Road Trip Songs

1. “Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks
2. “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” by Avett Brothers
3. “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show
4. “Passenger Seat” by SHeDAISY
5. “The Road and The Radio” by Kenny Chesney
6. “Days Go By” by Keith Urban
7. “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks & Dunn
8. “Drive” by Alan Jackson
9. “Ready to Run” by the Dixie Chicks
10. “I Keep Looking” by Sara Evans

Now that you’ve got a fire road trip playlist, you’re ready to find a destination. Gas is relatively cheap, friends are scattered, and America is wonderful, so hit the road. Why not? (Speaking of which, maybe a little Liz Phair “Why Not?” would be an excellent addition to your throwback tunes). If you are preparing for a road trip make sure you have a check up from your local mechanic, such as Whoops wheel fix it, they are one of the best! Whether you’re driving to Wally World, traveling from sea to shining sea, or just heading back home for the holidays, we hope you drive safely and enjoy the ride. Roll your windows down, connect your Bluetooth, set the cruise control and turn the volume up.