Road Songs

The road. We’ve all been on it. By bus, by car, by RV or semi. We have all travelled the highways and byways in one form or another. There’s nothing like a road trip to bond a group of friends, and there’s nothing like a long drive to clear your head.

In the world of music, the road is indispensable, and a great many musicians have shown their appreciation with a road song. Some are anthems, some are tender treatises. But they all rock. Here is a small list of our favorites, in no particular order. Enjoy.

On the Road Again

This song, written and recorded many times, was most famously recorded by Willie Nelson in his 1980 album Honeysuckle Rose. It was his ninth No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country albums and hit No. 20 on the Billboard 100. He won a Grammy for Best Song the year after.

I’ve Been Everywhere

Most notably recorded by country star Hank Snow, whose version of this song in 1962 was a No. 1 Country hit with a #68 spot on thew Billboard Hot 100, this song may be more known to current generations through Johnny Cash’s rendering of the song for U.S. Postal Service commercials.

Thunder Road

Written by Bruce Springsteen in 1975, this song was the opening track on the album Born to Run. The song, regarded as one of his most popular, got to the No. 111 sopt on the Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. And among a collection of critics’ lists ranked 103^rd.

Turn the Page

This road anthem was written by Bob Seger in 1971 as a single, to be later incorporated into the 1976 Live Bullet album as a live version. This song, a mainstay of classic rock stations, went platinum, with certified sales of one million copies. The song was covered by many, including Waylon Jennings.

Shut Up and Drive

This song was released by Rihanna in 2007 on her album Good Girl Gone Bad. It hit No. 15 on the Billboard Top 100 charts, and No. 1 on the U.S. Dance Club charts. According to Bill Lamb from About.com, “Shut Up and Drive” captured “the spirit of summer just as well as Rihanna’s first hit ‘Pon de Replay‘”

The Long and Winding Road

This song was written by the Beatles in 1970 for the album Let It Be. The song, and the album itself, didn’t receive the critical acclaim that other Beatles songs and albums got, getting placed by Rolling Stone at No. 90 on their list of “The 100 Greatest Beatles Songs.” This is a song that Phil Spector produced.

Take Me Home, Country Roads

This song was written by an Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was one of Denver’s most popular songs. It was certified gold in ’71 and platinum in 2017. This song is considered emblematic of West Virginia, and is one of the state’s four official songs.

Fast Car

The song ‘Fast Car’ was released by Tracy Chapman in 1988, the lead single of her self-titled album. In August of 1988, her song hit No. 6 on the Billboard 100. A mishap with Stevie Wonder’s keyboard at a Nelson Mandela event put Chapman on stage needing to fill time, which she did with Fast Car, which is how it got so big.

Born to Be Wild

This song, recorded by Steppenwolf for their debut album, reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 100. It hiot No. 29 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and it ranked 40th in the 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll by VH1 in 2009. A a single, it was admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Highway to Hell

Highway to Hell was released by AC/DC in July of 1979 for their sixth studio album of the same name. It broke the top 100 of Billboard’s Top 200 chart, the band’s first song to do so. It ended up at No. 17. Allmusic called Highway to Hell “one of hard rock’s all-time albums.”