Songs To Drive By

While driving back to the Wild West from Calgary, a trip that takes approximately seven and a half hours, I got to thinking about driving songs. As always, I had a collection of six or seven CDs and an MP3 player loaded with 2Gb of songs. It was a beautiful day, no top laid back but the sunshine shining, stereo up loud, open road before me. Perfect.

And so, in no particular order, here are my top ten driving songs:

1. "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" Rick Derringer
Great riff, great solo. Singability: 9

2. "Highway Star" Deep Purple
Chunky guitar rhythm keeps the pedal to the metal. Killer solos from Jon Lord and Richie Blackmore. Singability: 6

3. "Roll On Down the Highway" Bachman Turner Overdrive
A song about driving, great final solo. Singability: 9

4. "Rockin' Down the Highway" Doobie Brothers
Another song about driving. Singability: 9

5. "Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams" Green Day
Great melodies. It's fun to scream out the bridge in "Holiday," while pumping one's fist through the open sun roof. Cool guitar loop opens "BOBD"
Singability: 7

6. "Rockshow/Venus and Mars" Wings
Paul McCartney's "other" band. Ergo, awesome.
Singability: 10

7. "Foreplay/Long Time" Boston
Killer guitar sounds. Great melodic solos.
Singability: 8

8. "Green Yellow Red" John Kilzer
Covered by Rosanne Cash, Kilzer's original version rocks with smokin' guitar.
Singability: 8

9. "Get Out of Denver" Bob Seger
Rapidfire lyrics. A crazy fun song.
Singability: 9

10. "Animal" Def Leppard
Great rhythm track. Head-bobber and air drum classic.
Singability: 7