11 songs about the highway

We dedicated the May/June 2023 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine to the deep connections between music and cars, including several fun lists featuring your favorite car songs. Click the Music & Cars tag to catch up on all the stories, or jam with our custom Music & Cars playlist on Spotify, available here.

For our final installment of car songs, we’re looking to the open road for inspiration. Here are 11 tunes focused on that long black ribbon of freedom.

Nat King Cole
“ROUTE 66”

Now you go through St. Louis
Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
You’ll see Amarillo
Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona
Don’t forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Fun fact: Outside of this song, no one has ever accused Oklahoma City of being mighty pretty.

Deep Purple
“HIGHWAY STAR”

Nobody gonna take my head
I got speed inside my brain
Nobody gonna steal my head
Now that I’m on the road again

Meth—not even once.

Willie Nelson
“ON THE ROAD AGAIN”

On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

It’s literally impossible to come up with something snarky to say about this song. Try it.

The Doobie Brothers
“ROCKIN’ DOWN THE HIGHWAY”

Ford’s about to drop, she won’t do no more

And I smell my motor burnin’
Underneath the hood is smoke

Somewhere, a billion Chevy owners are nodding their heads and laughing.

Golden Earring
“RADAR LOVE”

When she is lonely and the longing gets too much
She sends a cable coming in from above
Don’t need no phone at all

Even in 1973, these guys knew that driving and cell phones didn’t pair well.

AC/DC
“HIGHWAY TO HELL”

I’m on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I’m on the highway to hell
Highway to hell

No one has ever captured a weekend trip to Ikea better than AC/DC did.

Lindsey Buckingham
“HOLIDAY ROAD”

I found out long ago
It’s a long way down the holiday road
Holiday road
Holiday road

A catchy jingle to be sure, but this song really comes alive when you’ve got your dead aunt Edna strapped to the roof.

Talking Heads
“ROAD TO NOWHERE’”

They can tell you what to do
But they’ll make a fool of you

Nice, subtle nod to parents everywhere.

Kraftwerk
“AUTOBAHN” (This was actually a Beach Boys homage)

Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn
Wir fahr’n, fahr’n, fahr’n, auf der Autobahn

They’re driving on the Autobahn, in case that’s not clear.

Canned Heat
“ON THE ROAD AGAIN”

You know the first time I traveled out in the rain and snow
In the rain and snow
You know the first time I traveled out in the rain and snow
In the rain and snow
I didn’t have no payroll, not even no place to go

Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.

Tom Cochrane
“LIFE IS A HIGHWAY”

This is the road and these are the hills
From Mozambique to those Memphis nights
The Khyber Pass to Vancouver’s lights

We’re not going to say this drive is impossible, but you really need to keep an eye on the tides.

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This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

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