The two of us have enjoyed many a road trip. Starting with the summer following our December 1969 wedding when we drove a woefully underpowered 1967 VW bus from Lakeland, Florida, to the Canadian Rockies, we have hit the highway whenever we could.

In perfect road trip fashion, we frequently departed home with no particular destination in mind, sometimes heading west toward California or the Pacific Northwest, and other times pointing our van north toward Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. The summer of 1981 was spent touring Newfoundland, a remote Canadian province even many Canadians don’t visit.

Regardless of where we headed, the trip was accompanied by music, first with a stack of cassettes, most of which we made at home, and, later, CDs. Now it’s satellite radio. No matter what the source, road trips are more enjoyable with music.

Because music makes a road trip better, we are offering what we consider the best songs to take along on your next trip. You may find some of your own favorites are missing, but keep in mind that music favorites are closely related to the age of the listener, and we may be farther up the aging ladder than you.

• “Rocket 88”: Considered by some music historians to be the first rock ‘n’ roll record, “Rocket 88” was written and sung by Jackie Benson with backing by Ike Turner and the Rhythm Kings. A tribute to the newly introduced model from Oldsmobile, the song was recorded in Memphis in 1951. A great sax solo along with lyrics that include “Everybody likes my Rocket 88. Babe we’ll ride in style movin’ all along” makes you want to hit the road even if you don’t own a Rocket 88 with a black convertible top.

• “Born to Be Wild”: A 1968 hard-rock tribute by Steppenwolf to the ‘60s counterculture, “Born to be Wild” may be the best road trip song ever recorded. Used in the opening movie scene of cult movie classic “Easy Rider,” it epitomizes driving in the fast lane from its beginning with “Get your motor runnin’” through “head out on the highway” to the song title ending. Written by Mars Bonfire, the song reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• “Hot Rod Lincoln”: The 1955 song, describing a race between a Cadillac and a Ford Model A with a Lincoln motor, was covered by a number of artists. Our favorite is a 1971 version by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen that reached No. 9 on the Billboard charts. Regardless of the recording artist, with lyrics that include “With a 4-barrel carb and a dual exhaust, with 4.11 gears you can really get lost,” this song is great listening for a trip down the super slab (that’s CB lingo).

• “On the Road Again”: This song was a major 1980 hit by Willie Nelson, who wrote it for the movie “Honeysuckle Rose,” in which he starred as a touring country singer. Listen to the lyrics, however, and you’ll find that the song is perfect company for a road trip. Willie sings he “can’t wait to get on the road again,” and see things he “may never see again.” This is what a road trip is all about.

• “Life is a Highway”: Written and recorded by Canadian Tom Cochrane for a 1991 release, the song was covered by Rascal Flatts in 2006 for the movie “Cars.” You know when Cochrane sing, “Come ride with me to the distant shore,” he’s speaking the language of those of us who love road trips. The Cochrane song’s video of a road trip in a red Chevrolet convertible makes you yearn to hit the road.

• “Take It Easy”: This 1972 hit by the Eagles is close to our hearts. One of our road trips on Route 66 took us through Winslow, Arizona, where we stood on the corner beside the bronze life-size statue of the guitar player commemorating the song. In any case, “running down the road, tryin’ to loosen [our] load” is one of the reasons we love road trips. The drives carry us away from the trials and tribulations of our daily lives. By the way, if you get to Winslow, think about a night at Mary Colter’s historic La Posada.

David and Kay Scott are authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). Visit them at www.valdosta.edu/~dlscott/Scott.

 

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