Americans have had a love affair with their cars, among other things, for nearly a century now. It seems to transcend generation after generation and is generally passed on down the line from father to son. For some it’s a hobby, for others it’s an obsession. Could be classic sports cars, muscle cars, street racers, dune buggies other a vast array of original concept vehicles, limited only by there imagination. Whatever the type, there is a
euphoric feeling that is hard to explain once you get behind the wheel of that special car. The one you’ve been dreaming about since you were a young kid. So once you’re in that treasure on wheels, you just gotta have some tunes to go along with that road test or road trip, even if it is just around the block a few times to show it off. Wherever you go, you want some songs to go
along for the ride. With such a vast array of music that could be considered driving music, songs that get you pumped up for the open road, or songs with street vibes for cruising, I wanted to narrow down the subject matter here in this post. The feature here is mainly songs about cars or songs specifically about driving. Great songs for road trips I’ll leave for another post in the future. Again, I was trying to focus on songs with mention of a certain type or make of car such as a Trans-Am, Mustang, etc.
either in the title or referred to in the lyrics. There are probably a few exceptions to the rule included here, but none-the-less, you should find a nice selection here to choose from for your next mp3 playlist or compilation cd.
As always, this is a work in progress. Songs will be added from time to time based upon suggestions from viewers as well as others that I discovered that I had unintentionally omitted — ENJOY!
Songs About Cars & Driving
- ’41 Ford – Grand Prix
- ’54 Corvette – The Customs
- ’57 Chevrolet – Billie Jo Spears
- 92 Subaru – Fountains Of Wayne (2007)
- 409 – Beach Boys (1962)
- All I Wanted Was A Car – Brad Paisley
- American Pie – Don McLean (1971)
- The Automobile Song – Benny Bell
- Beep Beep (Little Nash Rambler) – The Playmates (1958)
- Behind The Wheel – Depeche Mode (1988)
- Bitchin’ Camero – Dead Milkmen (1985)
- Black Sunshine – White Zombie (1992)
- Cab Of My Truck – Dierks Bentley (2005)
- Cadillac Assembly Line – Albert King
- Cadillac Boogie – Jimmy Liggins (1947)
- Cadillac Ranch – Bruce Springsteen (1981)
- Cadillac Ranch – Chris LeDoux (1993)
- Cadillac Style – Sammy Kershaw (1991)
- Camaro – Kings Of Leon (2007)
- The Car – Jeff Carson
- Cars – Gary Numan (1980)
- Cars – Fear Factory (1999)
- Chevrolet – The Black Crowes
- Chevrolet – Foghat
- Chevrolet – ZZ Top
- Chevy Van – Sammy Johns (1975)
- Coupe DeVille – Neil Young (1988)
- Dead Man’s Curve – Jan & Dean (1964)
- The Distance – Cake (1996)
- Dodge Dart – Patty Larkin
- Drag City – Jan & Dean
- Drive – The Cars (1984)
- Drive – REM (1992)
- Drive (For Daddy Gene) – Alan Jackson (2002)
- Drive My Car – The Beatles (1966)
- El Camino – Ween (1990)
- Fast Car – Tracy Chapman (1988)
- Ford Econoline – Nanci Griffith
- Freeway Of Love – Aretha Franklin (1985)
- Fun Fun Fun – Beach Boys (1964)
- Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Nat King Cole (1946)
- Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Bing Crosby & The Andrew Sisters (1946)
- Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Perry Como (1959)
- Go Lil’ Camaro Go – The Ramones
- Greased Lightnin’ – John Travolta (1978) [Grease soundtrack]
- G.T.O. – Ronny & The Daytonas (1964)
- Helen Wheels – Paul McCartney & Wings (1973)
- Hey Little Cobra – The Rip Chords (1963)
- Highway Star – Deep Purple (1972)
- Hot Rod City – Ronny & The Daytonas
- Hot Rod Lincoln – Johnny Bond (1960)
- Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (1972)
- I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar (1984)
- I Get Around – Beach Boys (1964)
- I’m In Love With My Car – Queen (1975)
- Jaguar – The Who (1967)
- Jeepster – T-Rex (1971)
- Keep It Between The Lines – Ricky Van Shelton (1991)
- Little Deuce Coupe – Beach Boys (1963)
- Little Honda – The Hondells (1964)
- Little Old Lady From Pasadena – Jan & Dean (1964)
- Little Red Corvette – Prince (1983)
- Long May You Run – Neil Young (1976)
- Low Rider – War (1975)
- Making Love In A Subaru – Damaskas
- Maybellene – Chuck Berry (1955)
- Mercury Blues – Ry Cooder & David Lindley
- Mercury Blues – Steve Miller
- Mercury Blues – Alan Jackson (1993)
- Mercury Boogie – KC Douglas (1949)
- Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin (1971)
- Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett (1966)
- My Chevrolet – Phil Vassar
- My Hooptie – Sir Mix-A-Lot
- My Mighty GTO – Jan & Dean
- No Particular Place To Go – Chuck Berry (1964)
- Nothin’ But The Tailights – Clint Black (1997)
- Ol’ ’55 – Tom Waits
- Ol’ 55 – Eagles
- The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song) – George Jones (1985)
- One Piece At A Time – Johnny Cash (1976)
- Paradise By The Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf (1978)
- Pink Cadillac – Bruce Springsteen (1984)
- Pink Cadillac – Natalie Cole (1988)
- Pontiac Blues – Sonny Boy Williamson
- Racing In The Street – Bruce Springsteen (1978)
- Radar Love – Golden Earring (1974)
- Red Barchetta – Rush (1981)
- Riding With Private Malone – David Ball (2001)
- Rocket 88 – Ike Turner (1951)
- Rocket 88 – Bill Haley & The Saddlemen (1951)
- Rockin’ Down The Highway – Doobie Brothers (1972)
- Roll On Down The Highway – Bachman Turner Overdrive (1975)
- Route 66 – Depeche Mode (1988)
- Route 66 – John Mayer
- Rusty Chevrolet – Da Yoopers
- Sausalito Summer Night – Diesel
- Shut Down – Beach Boys
- Six Days On The Road – Dave Dudley (1963)
- Six Days On The Road – Sawyer Brown (1997)
- Speed – Montgomery Gentry
- SS 396 – Paul Revere & The Raiders
- Stick Shifts & Safety Belts – Cake
- Still Cruisin’ – Beach Boys
- Sweet Little ’66 – Steve Earle
- Three Window Coupe – Jan & Dean
- Trans Am (Highway Wonderland) – Sammy Hagar (1979)
Filed under: Cars & Driving, Nostalgia, road trips, Song Lists | Tagged: car songs, classic, cruising songs, driving songs, hot rods, muscle cars, songs, songs about, songs about cars, songs about driving, sports cars, sporty, vintage |
another for your list (perhaps at the top, imho!) transfusion by nervous norvus. i grew up in the late50s/early60s listing to that 45 over and over and over! dean
Thanks for the list. Here are a couple more.
’65 Mustang – Five for Fighting
Mud on the Tires – Brad Paisley
Oh, and Good Ole Boys by Waylon Jennings. It’s the theme from the Dukes of Hazzard. “Straightening the curves.Flatting the hills.”
Motor City – Neil Young 1981
“Somethin’ Else” – Eddie Cochran – 1959
Nice Collection of Car Songs!
Advanced Driver Improvement Course
a great list of fantastic songs!
another one to add:
455 Rocket
a funny little forgotten country song by Kathy Mattea (did i spell her last name right?)
“…I’m telling you and I ain’t ashamed
I cried when that wrecker came
As we skid I thought I heard angels sing
(Sounded like the Beach Boys)
We hit the curve and began to sail
Took out most the safety rail
Even the cop asked me,
‘Man what’d you have in that thing?’…”
Dana, yes you spelled her Kathy Mattea’s name correctly and you named a great song.
Thank you – I couldn’t remember the right title – I’ve been searching.
Love this list and appreciate that you took the time to point out that 455 Rocket should be included if the list were to expand..
Jerry Lee Lewis – Crown Victoria Custom ’51 is another good one
Does anybody know what this song is called or who sings it? I just caught half of it on the radio. It is an older country song about a 47 and a 56 chevy racing? Thanks!
Last Kiss most recently covered by Pearl Jam
Animals Nickelback
Got It Made Theory of a Deadman
Start the Car Travis Tritt
Take Me to the Backseat The Donnas
Fuel Metallica
Rental Car Beck
Jump in My Car Ted Mulry Gang
Kiss Me In The Car John Berry
I’ll probably think of others later. I don’t have my ipod with me I dock it at carshows I’m in my 50’s but too many oldies at carshows for me.
don’t forget:
brand new car :Rolling stones
Wheels: AC/DC
Elvis’ Rolls Royce – Was (Not Was) with Leonard Cohen
Album Are You OK?
iTunes store has it. A must for the car songs.
[…] Rusty Chevrolet – Da coolrain44.wordpress.com […]
You left out a great one. “Lord, Mr. Ford” by Jerry Reed, mid-seventies.
Barracuda by Heart
My My Racecar by Bosco Delrey
Another great song you missed is Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry.
And… FYI little Honda by the Hondells is definitely about motorcycles not cars.
Heavens in the backseat of my cadillac – Hot Chocolate
My 98 Oldsmobile (You gonna get yours) – Public Enemy
Get out of my dreams, get into my car – Billy Ocean
You drive me crazy – Fine Young Cannibals
I drove all night – Cyndi Lauper
Autobahn – Kraftwerk
Truckin’ – Grateful Dead
Politician – Cream
Keep On Truckin’ – Eddie Kendricks (after leaving the Temptations)
Alphabet Street – Prince
Black Limousine, Petrol Blues and many more – Rolling Stones
… and while I’m thinking Stones, I had to re-check before noticing that one of the best “car” songs ever has been excluded…
Start Me Up – pure, down-and-dirty Jagger metaphor at it’s finest, and that’s what makes it such a good choice. Check out the lyrics if you don’t know them.
Just found:
Elizabeth Cook – El Camino (I don’t think it’s a cover)
[…] Reflections of Pop Culture | 100+ Songs About Cars & Driving […]
And here is one more….
————-
Nothin’ But A Driver by The Bottle Rockets
Am I happier than you are?
No way for me to know.
I know I love to drive your cars
And see how fast they go.
March’s Monthly Motoring Song cuts straight
to the chase – it ain’t about the money.
-Get Spotify
posted by: /thedrivingguy.wordpress.com/
Vehicle by the Ides of March!
455 Rocket by Kathy Mattea!
[…] considering this blog entry, I found a listing of over 100 songs about cars and driving. For fun, listen to poem Joan Joffee Hall reading her poem Driver’s License, one of many […]
I can’t see Roy Orbison – “I Drove All Night” 🙂
good list so far but i do not think i saw one of the best out there” lilywhite” by cat stevens hey if peeps are going to throw those other songs that just metion cars then here you go
Nice Collection of Songs!
Making Thunderbirds, Get Out of Denver, Highway Song by Bob Seger
Body and Fender Man By Johnny Adams
Gas Station Women by Phil Ochs
Keys to Her Ferrari by Thomas Dolby
8 miles Per Gallon, Freedom’s a Stranger by Scott Miller & the Commonwealth
Tennessee Plates, Drive South by John Hiatt
My Old Car by Lee Dorsey
Gallon of Gas by The Kinks
Hard Drivin’ Mama by Diane Shuur
Hard Drivin’ Man by J. Geils
Speed Trap Boogie by Greg Brown
High Gas Prices by Big Bill Morganfield
Cherokee Chief by Jerry Harrison
Drivin’ by Richie Havens
Limousine Mama,Just For Kicks by Savoy Brown
Dead Skunk by Loudon Wainwright III
Blues Theme by Davey Allan & the Arrows
Driving Towards the Daylight by Joe Bonnamassa
Fill Her Up by Sting
90 Miles Per Hour (Down a Deadend Road) by Bob Dylan
Leader of the Pack by the Shangri-Las
The Race by Yello
The Car Song by Woody Guthrie
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road by Lucinda Williams
Harley Davidson Blues by Canned Heat
plus I’ve got a few more
little feat – let it roll tonight – the live long (8+min) version
and thanks for mentioning lord mr ford by jerry reed – great!
Dirty Back Road & Devil in My Car by the B52s
Petrol by the Vibrators
great list!
here’s a few more:
Daddy’s Oldsmobile – Hal Ketchum
Rapid Roy (That Stock Car Boy) – Jim Croce
Texas Plates – Kellie Coffey
Lime Green Pacer – Lisa Brokop
The Day That She Left Tulsa (In a Chevy) – Wade Hayes
Sister Christian (Motorin)- Night Ranger
Thanks for super-perfect list!
[…] And because I love music, I want to share with you a website with a list of more than 100 “car songs” just for fun. I loved looking through the list and recongnizing some of my favorites. […]
How about “Brand New Cadillac” (pick your version…mine’s by The Clash”)
What about “No Money Down” by Chuck Berry or John Hammond Jnr has a great version too. And an Australian artist named Dan Sultan called “A Cadillac and a Mustang” rockets along.
Oh yeah, and a favourite line from the Eagles “Life in the Fast Lane”….. “My Maserati does 185, I lost my license, now I don’t drive.”
Actually that’s a classic line or 2 from Joe Walsh’s “Life’s Been Good”, before he joined The Eagles, but I still appreciate your input just the same……thanks!
love shack B~52’s
Great list, another to add
Detroit 442 ~ Blondie
Cherokee chief by jerry harrison
That’s already in my list
Los Twangers has a great Oldsmobile song called “Vista Cruiser 69”— the video is fun and surreal, too