Summertime is undoubtedly one of the best times of the year. The weather, the road trips and, of course, the music. Summer road trips call for a perfect blend of summery fun hits as well as road trippy tunes to keep you inspired throughout your journey. That’s why we have compiled a list of our favorite summer road trip songs to accompany you through your travels this summer.
Now check out the playlist below, roll the windows down and sing at the top of your lungs. Because it’s summertime, and you deserve it!
Magic Carpet Ride
Steppenwolf
This fun and bouncy song will have you forgetting the miles ahead of you while contemplating burning questions such as, “What kind of safety features are included on said magic carpet? Are there air bags? Is it a hybrid?”
I Can’t Drive 55
Sammy Hagar
An ode to the days when there was a thing called the National Maximum Speeding Law, it was set at 55 miles per hour and Sammy Hagar vehemently disapproved. Now that speed limits are set by individual states, we’d recommend Sammy’s road trip through Texas, where, on some freeways, the speed limit is 85 MPH.
Slow Ride
Foghat
Unlike Sammy Hagar, the fellas in Foghat aren’t in a rush to get where they’re going and they make a pretty convincing argument that you shouldn’t be either. At least not if you’re in the mood and the rhythm is right.
Walkin’ On Sunshine
Katrina and the Waves
This song always makes us excited for a beautiful summer day, but walking on sunshine sounds dangerous. And what’s the humidity like? Or is it a dry heat? These things are important to know before taking a walk on sunshine. Just sayin’.
Steal My Sunshine
Len
Rule of Thumb #1,965: If you can listen to this song without feeling the desire to be outside during a beautiful summer day, you’re probably the kind of person who goes around stealing other people’s sunshine, then locking it away in the attic.
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)
The Proclaimers
There are songs that get in your head and then there’s this song. While its protagonist is proclaiming (get it?) he’d walk five hundred miles to be the man to fall down at your door, what he should be saying is that once you listen to this song, you can walk 500 miles and it’ll still be in your head.
Roam
The B-52’s
Say what you want about The B-52’s but they are, at the very least, polite. While many bands tell you what to do, The B-52’s are all, “Roam if you want to. Don’t want to? Oh, no biggie. We can still be friends. Here are directions to the Love Shack”.
Summer in the City
The Lovin’ Spoonful
This ’60’s classic is actually about what happens when the sun goes down after a long summer day in the city. Considering the singer’s declaration that the back of his neck is getting dirty and gritty, we hope the first thing that happens is a shower.
Ramblin’ Man
The Allman Brothers Band
This is the perfect road trip song for those of us who like to fantasize that we’re going from town to town like borderline outlaws when in reality we’re just on the way to see the in-laws.
Summertime
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Back when Will Smith was The Fresh Prince, he took a great Kool & The Gang sample and turned it into this ode to summer that has aged quite well. At least until you get to the line about popping in a CD. What are those again?
Summer Girls
LFO
Contrary to urban myth, Summer Girls was NOT written by the CMO of Abercrombie and Fitch. That being said, you have to appreciate a tune that manages to be catchy while also employing the lyric “Chinese food makes me sick.” That’s talent!
Summer of ’69
Bryan Adams
While we love this nostalgic look back at summers past, we never want to think that those best years are behind us, Mr. Adams. Of course, “Those were the second best years of my life” doesn’t really sound as good.
In the Summertime
Mungo Jerry
The lyrics of this classic sums up what we feel when we hear it: “Dee dee dee-dee dee/Dah dah dah-dah dah/Yeah we’re hap-happy.
Can’t Stop the Feeling!
Justin Timberlake
The ultimate 2016 summer hit. JT has that “sunshine in his pocket” and it makes it us want to “dance, dance, dance!” We can’t stop the feeling, so we’ll just keep dancing.
Home
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
What better song to carry you home than this little tune by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros? But then again, if you are traveling with the right people, you can simply turn and sing along. “Home is wherever I’m with you.”
Be sure to follow this playlist on Spotify to always have it at your fingertips.
Full Playlist
