The Best Road-Trip Music, As Chosen by You

“My wife and I are both big Tom Petty fans. There are a few albums that are almost always part of our road trips. They aren’t necessarily our favorite Petty albums, then again I probably couldn’t choose a favorite if I had to. They are:

“Full Moon Fever

“Into The Great Wide Open

“Travelling Wilburys Volume 1

“Travelling Wilburys Volume 3

“Honorable mention: Highway Companion, a gem from later in his career that was seemingly designed for the road.”

A great start, what’s not to love about a few Tom Petty albums when you’re covering some serious miles? It helps that there are 13 Tom Petty albums to choose from, which should keep you going for a fair few hours.

Suggested by: panthercougar

“It used to be the radio. There was nothing better than driving through the ranges of all the old independent radio stations, hearing one fade out and another fizz and crackle in as you traveled. There was a lot of variety out there, and some of it was crap but there were some weird gems too.”

A good way yo uncover the popular music in whatever state you’re driving through. Or, just a nice way to pick up the difference in accents as you drive cross-country.

Suggested by: skeffles

“I have a lot of classic and alternative rock, 80's new wave, and a few other genres thrown in for texture.

“I guess must have songs would be:

“‘More Than a Feeling’ - Boston

“‘Everlong’ - Foo Fighters

“‘Stripped’ - Depeche Mode

“‘Kashmir - Led Zeppelin

“‘Dear Prudence’ - Beatles

“‘Wish You Were Here’ - Pink Floyd

“‘Not Enough’ - Our Lady Peace

“‘I Will Wait’ - Mumford & Sons

“‘Land of Confusion’ - Genesis

“‘Solsbury Hill’ - Erasure

“‘You Spin Me’ - Dead or Alive

“‘Tarzan Boy’ - Baltimora

“‘The Red’ - Chevelle

“‘The Joker & the Thief’ - Wolfmother

“‘Black Hole Sun’ - Soundgarden

“‘Enjoy the Silence’- Depeche Mode

“‘How Soon Is Now?’ - The Smiths

“And a few others. My playlists are usually 8-12 hours long and there is never a song repeated.”

This is a decent collection to get you under way. Stick a few more Led Zeppelin albums in there as well, and you might have enough tracks to cross a state!

Suggested by: Brian Reed (Facebook)

“We are old and still use CDs, currently my favorite is ‘The Gereg’ by The Hu because Mongols are great at long distance raiding. For some odd reason my wife is obsessed with Gordon Lightfoot so his Best Of album gets a play.

“My parents were more eccentric, my father’s favorite tapes circa 1985 were Philip Glass’s ‘The Photographer’ and Meredith Monk’s ‘Dolmen Music’.”

If you need some Mongolian folk rock to get you underway, then The Hu are a good place to start.

Suggested by: geoff-vader

“Red Barchetta by Rush should be on any driving playlist.

“Live: You Get What You Play For by REO Speedwagon is up there for full album.”

Did I chose to include this because it’s the name of a beautiful Fiat, or is it because it’s a great song taken from an excellent album. That’s for you to decide.

Suggested by: Bill Johnson (Facebook)

“You can’t go wrong with Superunknown by Soundgarden. It has fast tracks, slower tracks, metal and melody. I’ll listen to the whole album on longer drives. Just make sure you aren’t in the wrong place before giving in to that urge to mash the accelerator when Cornell screams midway through ‘Spoonman’.

“Highway to Hell is another one that I’ll listen to from start to finish. AC/DC had their signature sound perfected by that album, and Bon Scott’s voice never sounded better.”

You’re right, you can’t go wrong with Soundgarden. Or anything that features Chris Cornell for that matter.

Suggested by: nameiwillregret

“Trucker songs. Specifically the compilation “Road Music: 23 Truckin’ Hits”. Perfection, including the cover art. It’s on Spotify. I originally owned it on cassette. My wife had a CD copy before we met. Lookin’ at the world through a windshield? Absolutely.”

A well selected compilation album can make or break a road trip. This 2005 record has enough tracks to keep you entertained for at least an hour.

Suggested by: Jon Stephenson (Facebook)

“Real answer: Audible and a good book with a good actor reading it.

“But I would nominate the following group for having great driving songs: The Cars.

“The thing is that you want songs that aren’t too fast to make you drive like an asshat. But not so boring you fall asleep.

“And the Cars nail this. Their songs are not aggressive generally, but the beat is WEIRD. And that weird beat keeps your mind awake trying to figure out what’s coming next. It’s like listening to someone try to skip with a cane.

“For example, this song doesn’t have a beat. It has TWO. There is a beat for some of the instruments and another beat for the singer and other instruments. (For inside pool, it has a 5/4 and 4/4 time signature at the same time and is called polymeter.) Not one of their biggest hits, but is typical of the sort of weird beats they played with while maintaining a more walking pace to their music that doesn’t encourage asshat driving.”

Good band, good reasoning behind the choice.

Suggested by: yeardley68

“Definitely from one of my favorite films which just happens to involve…cars! Great mix of rock, EDM and hip-hop with The Cult, DMX, Moby, BT, etc…”

There are some great tracks on the Gone in 60 Seconds soundtrack. You should go watch the film, then listen to the soundtrack afterwards. What a way to start the week.

Suggested by: @RustedMecha (Twitter)

“If you’re taking the freak show on the road (traveling with small kids): Disney movie soundtracks, if you are interested in preventing mutiny.

“If you want to annoy your adult passengers: Yanni (ask me how I know)

“If you want to engage the occupants in a sing-a-long that is sure to garner laughter and merriment: 80's pop

“If you are traveling alone: Whatever the hell I want, and to sing it as loud as I can, because in a forest with no one around, etc. etc. etc.”

Three good suggestions for three different audiences.

Suggested by: regnis78

“The Dumb and Dumber Soundtrack was a truly solid collection of road trip songs.”

Another good film soundtrack that doubles as an excellent road trip soundtrack.

Suggested by: Brody Wayne (Facebook)

“Some people will assure you Eurobeat is only good for conquering the touges of Japan, but I know from experience it can also keep you awake when you already have driven the entire day. No one sleeps in Tokyo blaring out of the car stereo is the best thing to keep those sleepy eyes open and fixed on the road!”

Eurobeat brings a vibe to any road trip. I’m not saying it’s a good vibe, but it’s a vibe.

Suggested by: banpei

“I’m a book-on-tape guy for long trips.

“I like to pick something I’d never, ever pick up as a book. I like Salman Rushdie, or Norman Mailer, or even fun stuff like a book about the New York Times food critic who became so well know she had to wear disguises.

“I’m dating myself, but you used to be able to rent books on tape from Cracker Barrel.”

After a few albums, a pivot to an audiobook is always a good move.

Suggested by: hangovergrenade

“Interstate: Crystal Method - Vegas

“Back-roads New England: Grateful Dead - American Beauty

“NYC to Montauk: Ramones - Road to Ruin”

Can confirm that The Ramones makes a great soundtrack for any driving on Long Island.

Suggested by: Mark Frusciante (Facebook)

“Whatever engine note the car is making [naturally].

“Personally, for me, nothing sounds better than an engine revving BEHIND your ears. Long live the mid-engine & and rear engine sound.

“After that, normally I found odd mix of Daft Punk and Steely Dan albums in rotation.”

Engine sounds or Daft Punk. That’s a pretty good combination of sounds!

Suggested by: futuredoc

“I love immediately settling into a podcast and I’ll listen to a few by different people to change up the vibe.

“But for the last half hour, Kanye usually comes out. I’ve also been rediscovering 2000s Crunk rap.”

Podcasts or Kanye West, another good set of choices to keep you entertained on a long drive.

Suggested by: @IAmGaroott (Twitter)

“Angels and Airwaves - The Adventure. Excellent road trip album that you can just play and listen to the whole thing. Great riffs, occasional Tom Delonge vocals only partially about aliens.”

Tom DeLonge’s other band released its debut album in 2005 and it’s filled with some great tracks. Standouts, for sure, include ‘The Adventure’ and opener ‘Valkyrie Missile’.

Suggested by: ZoomZoom06