The Salt Lake City Tribune has a lists from prominent and not-so-prominent residents of their 10 favorite road songs. It’s a diverse bunch of music artists, including Chick Corea, Talking Heads, Drive-By Truckers, Waylon Jennings and Brahms — although I find the lists a bit short of country music.
Readers also shared their thoughts on their favorite driving tunes, including one woman who digs the “Cars” movie soundtrack.
So here is my top 10 from my dozens of favorite road tunes parked in my iTunes jukebox, in no particular order:
- “White Rose,” Slaid Cleaves (from a Fred Eaglesmith tribute)
- “Six Days on the Road,” Dave Dudley
- “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
- “Pink Motel,” Cisco
- “Up Around the Bend,” Creedence Clearwater Revival
- “This Old Road,” Kris Kristofferson
- “A Thousand Miles from Nowhere,” Dwight Yoakam
- “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs,” Wayne Hancock
- “Little Man,” Alan Jackson
- “Tucumcari Here I Come,” Dale Watson
So what is your top 10? Chime in with the comments link. Your comments won’t show up right away; it will be held in moderation in an effort to keep out spammers, which seem to pretty busy lately.
Born To Be Wild- Steppenwolf
I’ve Been Everywhere- Johnny Cash
Going Up the Country- Canned Heat
King of the Road- Roger Miller
Coming Home- G. Love and Special Sauce
Cattle Call- Eddy Arnold
Six More Miles- Hank Williams
Driving on 9- The Breeders
Radar Love- Golden Earring
Like a Rolling Stone- Bob Dylan
Best road song ever, “Jessica” by the Allman Brothers
Ron,
How can you have “Six Days on the Road” and not have “Truck Drivin’ Man” with it? 🙂 I’ve also got both Dave Dudley tunes on my Dell DJ. Since I just had an 1200+ mile midwest and southeast jaunt this weekend, this question is quite timely for me. The rest of my Top 10 (not necessarily road related songs, but songs that make the drive better):
1. “Highway Patrol”: Junior Brown (Puts on a GREAT live show)
2. “In the Mood”: Brian Setzer Orchestra
3. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”: Tears for Fears
4. “Warmth of the Sun”: Beach Boys
5. “Luck Be a Lady”: Brian Setzer Orchestra
6. “Mud on the Tires”: Brad Paisley
7. “Suddenly Last Summer”: The Motels
8. “Folsom Prison Blues”: Johnny Cash
There are plenty more I could name, but those are 10 of my “must haves”.
I don’t know about “favorite road songs”, but I did make a special CD for our trip. The tracks were:
01 Lindsay Buckingham – Holiday Road
02 Nat King Cole – Route 66
03 Anita Bryant – Route 66
04 Brian Setzer Orchestra – Route 66
05 Nat King Cole Trio – Route 66
06 Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters – Route 66
07 Nelson Riddle – Route 66 Theme
08 Disney – The Illinois Story
09 Nat King Cole – St Louis Blues
10 Sammy Kaye – Walkin’ To Missouri
11 Vernon Dalhart – Way Out West In Kansas
12 Oklahoma Original Cast – Oklahoma
13 Jack Guthrie – Oklahoma Hills
14 Jack Guthrie – Oakie Boogie
15 Gene Autry – Deep In The Heart Of Texas
16 Bob Wills – You’re From Texas
17 Jimmie Rodgers – Tucumcari
18 Tex Ritter – Ridin’ Down The Trail To Albuquerque
19 Mark Lindsay – Arizona
20 Patsy Montana – My Dear Old Arizona Home
21 Eagles, The – Take It Easy
22 Tex Ritter – (I Got Spurs) Jingle, Jangle, Jingle
23 Al Jolson – California Here I Come
24 Rivieras, The – California Sun
25 Albert Hammond – It Never Rains in Southern California
26 Randy Newman – I Love LA
I’d play a different version of “Route 66” as we hit the road each morning, and play other tracks as we crossed state lines or got near a city. (We got a lot of mileage out of “Tucumcari” )
— in no particular order…..
The Spell of Wheels – Peter Case
Steve’s Last Ramble – Steve Earle
Guitar Town – Steve Earle
Lee Highway Blues – Highwoods String Band
Key to the Highway – Little Walter
Mercury Blues – David Lindley & El Rayo Ex
Hejira – Joni Mitchell
I Took Three Bennies (And My Semi Truck Won’t Start) – Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen
Willy Rogers Highway – Kevin Welch
As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls – Pat Metheny/Lyle Mays
My top 10, subject to change at a moment’s notice:
1. Roger Miller, “King of the Road”
2. Natalie Cole, “Calling You” (theme song from Bagdad Cafe)
3. Emmylou Harris, “Two More Bottles of Wine”
4. Bill Kirchen, “Hot Rod Lincoln”
5. The Eagles, “Take It Easy”
6. Janis Joplin, “Me and Bobby McGee”
7. The Cult, “Born to Be Wild” (Yeah, yeah, I know it’s Steppenwolf’s song, but I like this cover better)
8. Dave Dudley, “Six Days on the Road”
9. Dale Watson, “Tucumcari Here I Come”
10. Wayne Hancock, “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs”
Here’s my contribution:
– “The Long and Winding Road” – the Beatles
– “Hotel California” – the Eagles