Heading for the Freeway: The 25 Best Road Trip Songs (2023)

Any good road trip calls for a good song. Whether you're traveling alone on the highway or vacationing with friends and family, you need tunes to keep you company. We've collected classic driving songs from every era and rounded up the best road trip songs to get you started.

Listen to some of the best road trip songs for your next vacationapple musicInspotify music.

25: Youngblood Hawke: Let's run

This indie pop track from LA-based pop rocker Youngblood Hawke will have you hurtling down the highway with a powerful beat and epic build. They immediately spell it out and invite listeners to "Open Doors, Tell Me What You're Waiting For."

24: blink-182: How old am I?

In less than two and a half minutes,wink 182The "what's my age" ispop punkPerfect. This song is so good, not a second is lost, it's exactly what you would want from the best road trip song.

23: Hitman: Mr. Blaside

The splendor, bombast, killer riffs and melodies are a way to set you free, even when you're stuck in traffic. "Mr. Bright Side" bymurdererdebut album,rush, is that rare road trip song that will lift you through the traffic blues and out of the "cage" of your daily grind.

22: Nirvana: Variety

like itdesire to destroy, Nirvana'sIt does not matterThere are endless road trip songs, but there is one standout track that sounds like burning rubber. With his explosive feedback and machine gun intensity, "Breed" will make anyone in the backseat bang his head.

21: Sammy Hagar: I can't drive 55

It's a classic holiday song. If Red Rocker can't get you over the speed limit (which we don't officially approve of), nothing else will. Sammy Hagar's breakthrough single has been playing in every car radio since 1984 and it just won't stop.

20: Katy Perry: Tienerdromen

When there's a long way to go sometimes you want psychedelic rock, turning on the cruise control and zone, but when you're on vacation with a couple, sing along with pop is the best road trip song.Katy PerryAn ode to the endless possibilities of puberty will have you sticking your head out of the skylight like a drunk teen on a prom night.

19: Warren G (with Nate Dogg): Moderation

Few songs sum up the era better than this 1994 G-funk classic. Between the storytelling of Warren G and the smooth vocals of Nate Dogg, this is a song you can shine whether you're in a convertible or a mid-size sedan.

18: John Mellencamp: The Pink House

The rocks in this interior are not what they seem. John Mellencamp may seem like a perfect picture of the American Dream, but if you keep listening, it's actually an indictment of a broken system. On the one hand, it's still onemisunderstood political songBut on the other hand, it's a great road trip track.

17: The Rolling Stones: (I couldn't say no) Satisfied

Taking advantage of that wanderlust feeling,rolling stonesTrying to satisfy themtheir first hitFrom Charlie Watts' drumming to Mick Jagger's scratchy vocals and Keith Richards' fuzz-box riffs, "Satisfaction" takes you to the street and the dance floor.

16: U2: Where the streets have no names

Like the first rays of the sun on a desert road in the morning,U2The anthem begins with a heavenly organ sound and quickly builds to a powerful rhythm led by The Edge's arpeggiated guitar line. Political origins aside, the song evokes images of the American West and the open road. It's hard not to feel nostalgic as you slide in and out of traffic.

15: Guns N' Roses:desire to destroy

Forget road trip songs, this is a road trip album. From the menacing "Welcome to the Jungle" to the flying closing "Rocket Queen"guns and roses'desire to destroy, you won't find an album of songs better suited to a road trip vacation than this.

14: dr. Dre: Let me drive

Every G-funk track is made to ride, but this one comes outchronicis the ultimate road trip song. Sampling choirs in parliament andDreThe evocative verse "Let Me Ride" is tailor-made for summer driving... even better if you're cruising around in a convertible.

13: Bob Seeger: Hollywood Nights

As Bob Seger sings about "Looking Down on the Lights of L.A." in this 1978 hit, people generally look forward to a night out on the town. Seger's frenzied vocals and epic storytelling, combined with fast-paced music, are the perfect way to accelerate your flight to the horizon.

12: Cyndi Lauper: I drive all night

Some escape the "tacky and unforgiving" city by seeking solace outside. Not Mrs. Lauper. Her vocal aerobics are just the motivation for a late-night drive to see her lover.

11: Snoop Dogg: Gin en Sap

Another slice of G-funk heaven. You don't need hydraulics to roll with the melodic flow of "D-O-double-G." Released during the heyday of gangsta rap,sniffturns the wild antics of his hometown of Long Beach into an idyllic summer jam.

10: Jackson Browne: Deflates

Few artists embody the sound of late '70s Laurel Canyon quite like Jackson Browne. "Running On Empty" isn't a hard rock song, but Browne can turn the most mundane experience, like running out of gas, into a metaphor for missing the connection to life.

9: The Beatles: A Day Tour

the BeatlesFrom "Ticket To Ride" to "Drive My Car", there is an endless catalog of travel songs, but "Day Tripper" is the real road trip song. own one of themThe best guitar riffs of all time, "Day Tripper" isn't so much about a quick getaway as it is about trying out the hippie lifestyle for a day or two.

8: Stevie Wonder: Jammin'

This might rank among the best holiday road trip songs, much like an intro, but the whole song wobbles and (hopefully) doesn't make you spin from side to side.Stevie Wondertribute tobob marlyWatching Steve step out of his typical one-man show and invite the whole team to boogie.

7: Willie Nelson: On the road again

country music is filled with dirt road songs, but one of the true classics isWillie NelsonAn ode to nomad life, On the Road Again. Nelson was commissioned to compose an original song for his old rock persona in the filmhoneysuckle rose.Wiley delivered and was nominated for an Oscar in the process.

6: Tom Cochran: Life is a highway

Canadian Treasure Tom Cochrane is a household name in the North, but elsewhere in the world he's best known for this highway song that became the perfect inspiration hit on the tarmac words.

5: Prince: Little Red Crosser

prinsHe never seemed to suffer from writer's block or lack of sexual metaphors, as evidenced by his 1983 classic "The Little Red Cruiser." The story of the ill-fated one-night stand is said to have been inspired by his bandmate's Pink Edsel Lisa Coleman, but "Little Red Edsel" isn't quite the catchy chorus.

4: The Beach Boys: Fun, fun, fun, I move

these twobeach boysThe tune helped define 1960s driving culture, especially on the winding highways of Southern California. With tight harmonies and beautiful rhythms, these songs transport you to the windswept cliffs of the Pacific Coast Highway, driving from top to bottom.

3: Tom Petty: Chasing the Dream

"Free Fallin'" is a great single, but essential when it comes to ittom smallRoad trip melodies, "Runnin' Down A Dream" predominate. Thanks to street scenes and airy guitar riffs, this rousing song is best heard with the windows open and your foot on the gas.

2: Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run

No roundup of the best road trip songs would be complete without The Boss.bruce springsteenHis entire body of work presents the experience of living in a small town and what it's like to drive away.

1: Steppenwolf: born to be wild

You don't need motorcycle or racing leather to show this offSteppenwolfclassic. most famous character in the movieeasy riderThen came Jon Kay's invitation to "Hit the Highway," a song that became the American national anthem and a call to rebellion.

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Looking for more great road trip playlist songs for your next vacation? These tunes, with lyrics you can't help but sing along to, are perfect for lonely highways where all you want to do is scream out the open car windows.

John Denver - Take me home, country lane
Announcer - I'll Be (500 Miles)
Tracy Chapman - Expressly
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home, Alabama
Eagles - take it easy
Fleetwood Mac - go your own way
Sheryl Crow - Every day is a winding road
The Grateful Dead - Truckin'
Toto - Afrika
Arcade Fire - Run the car
Ray Charles - Jack on the road
Bon Jovi - Living through prayer
Ike and Tina Turner - The city limits of Nutbush
Don McLean - American pie
De Allman Brothers - Midnight Rider
Outkast - hey
Rascal Flatts - Life is a highway
Van Morrison - The bright side
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
Rihanna - shut up and drive
The Eagles - Hotel California
Allman Brothers - Ramblin' Man
Elton John - The Little Dancer
Simon and Garfunkel - United States
Pointer Sisters - I'm so excited
ABBA - Waterloo
Dolly Parton - 9 tot 5
Billy Joel - pianist
Paul Simon-Graceland

Looking for more options?Check out our list of the best songs about cars and driving.