The Road Goes On Forever and the Party Never Ends: 5 Songs for a Road Trip
This week's songs are from Lucius & Adam Granduciel, John Mellencamp, The Band, Jason Isbell, and Feist
Got a road trip planned for summer vacation? Oh yeah, me too!
I love a good road trip. Space out. Make your friends listen to something they’ve never heard before, or maybe something they dislike, just to get a conversation going. Before iPods and smartphones put everything at your fingertips, you were at the mercy of the radio dial, or a big binder of CDs you double checked to make sure you had a good selection before you left. I always had trouble sleeping in cars, so I would always get intensely bored.
Back when burning CDs was a thing (and even long after) I used to make a fresh mix CD before any long drive. One time, ahead of a Thanksgiving drive to St. Louis, I made a 5+ hour anthology covering the history of punk music, which my wife endured (and somehow I’m still married). Other times I’m focused on providing some fresh tunes, occasionally themed to the destination or the occasion.
Probably my favorite music memory on a road trip was listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland while driving through Wyoming during the most amazing and colorful sunset I’d ever laid eyes on. It probably took us 45 minutes to drive 3 miles because we kept pulling over to gaze out, awestruck at the landscape and the kaleidoscopic sky. The soundtrack absolutely expands the experience.
As a musician’s life is so often on the road, there are thousands of songs about it. And it’s a certain type of song that fits with the imagery and the feeling of movement interlocked with stillness.
Here are 5 songs for a road trip.
“I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.” - Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Lucius ft. Adam Granduciel - “Old Tape”
When you’re on the road, you need something to keep the energy up. Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig—the primary force of Lucius—deliver exactly that here, with help from Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs. The duo’s voice—which I refer to in the singular since they sing in such close unison it can’t really be called a harmony—is matched with their identical dress and hairstyles, to form something of a tight-knit singular unit. They’ve toured as back-up singers for Roger Waters and Brandi Carlile, and supported The War on Drugs’ “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” when they found themselves in adjoining studios.
“Old Tape” has a steady beat, that chugs along like a charging motor. It seemingly gets faster and faster as the melody (and voices) crescendo during the pre-chorus and into the actual chorus. Hooks on top of hooks. You have, like, three different choruses here, so choose your own adventure. Once it starts, it never lets up. Granduciel contributes some vocals, but it’s his wandering guitar, layered on top of that driving beat, that reflects the attention span drifting around while the vehicle charges forward. This is the type of song where you turn up the volume a little more with each chorus and before you know it, you’re driving 10 mph faster than you were when it started.
“I make the road. I draw the map. Nothing just happens to me...I'm the one happening.” - Denis Johnson, Already Dead
John Mellencamp - “Danger List”
If you’re going anywhere in the US, more likely than not you’re going to be driving along some corn fields to get there. You best be prepared with some Heartland Rock, and might as well go straight to the real thing with some John “Cougar” Mellencamp.
American Fool has both “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and Diane” on it, and I would argue that “Danger List” is better than both of them. Before you scoff, give “Danger List” a listen and tell me that guitar riff isn’t sharp enough to cut off a few limbs if you’re not careful—and watch out for the “Cougar” while you’re at it. Apparently the song was pieced together from a stream-of-conscious improvisation with guitarist Larry Crane, where Mellencamp whittled down a bunch of verses he made up as they went along into the song it is here. A malcontent ready to bust out of his situation and find something (anything) to do somewhere (anywhere) else.
“Take the drinks off of the table
Throw my guitar out the door
Set my sights on some new sunrise
Help my feet to the floor”
“Look on every exit being an entrance somewhere else” - Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
The Band - “Look Out Cleveland”
The Band. Allman Brothers. Grateful Dead. ZZ Top. Creedence. There’s a reason it makes for good driving music: it’s got Choogle. Any road trip playlist needs an abundance of Choogle. Forward momentum and a little bounce, just like a car going 75mph on the freeway. A lot of these songs also happen to name-check locations, as does the Band’s “Look Out Cleveland.” This is a real showcase for Rick Danko, as he’s got a lot to do: great bass playing, high harmonies in the chorus, and a rubbery but soulful performance in the verses. And of course Levon Helm holds down the fort, rattling and bouncing within the pocket.
“I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer Abroad
Jason Isbell - “Ride to Robert’s”
Some songs, you can just feel the scenery rushing by from a car window while you listen to them. “Ride to Robert’s” is one of those songs. It has a charge, it has momentum. It’s going someplace and there’s a sense anything could happen as long as it’s good. The song is an invitation to come on down and have a good time, the weather’s great. You’ll do some fun stuff, in good company. There’s no reason not to; don’t worry about a thing. Isbell is making it sound as appealing and idyllic as possible, because he wants his listener to take him up on the offer. The charge of the song comes from his anticipation and excitement about having a visitor; you get the sense he’s rushing it just a little bit. I’ll be there soon, just gotta pack up the car and fill up the tank real quick.
“I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me.” - Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road
Feist - “The Wind”
There’s a time in every long drive where a little bit of a trance sets in. Maybe at night, maybe not. A long lull in the conversation leads at least a few of your companions to fall asleep. You’ll opt for something a little more atmospheric. Something that takes you deeper into it. It doesn’t give you energy, you have to give yourself over to it. When this moment hits, it’s you, the blinking lights from the windmills no longer visible in the dark, and Leslie Feist, providing you with the assurance that you’ll get to where you’re going, and there’s no need to rush.
Keep on the horizon.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy listening.
Full playlists of songs featured in 5 Songs: