Clore Automotive has compiled a list of their top 10 songs about cars and driving. All opinions expressed are those of Clore Automotive.
10. Little Deuce Coupe by The Beach Boys
This song is a kid's love song to his car, according to Clore Automotive.
"Just a little deuce coupe with a flathead mill / But she’ll walk a Thunderbird like she’s standing still / She’s ported and relieved and she’s stroked and bored / She’ll do a hundred and forty with the top end floored.”
9. No Particular Place to Go by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry, as with the Beach Boys, wrote a good number of songs about driving, freedom, and youthfulness. With No Place to Go, according to Clore, is the best of his songs related to cars. It's about the joy of riding around with someone special.“Ridin’ along in my automobile / My baby beside me at the wheel / I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile / My curiosity runnin’ wild / Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio / With no particular place to go.”
8. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson
This one has more to do with driving than cars, but it makes the list because it embodies the love for one's ride that every song on this list does.
"In my opinion, there's nothing in this world / Beats a '52 Vincent and a red-headed girl / Now Nortons and Indians and Greeveses won't do / They don't have a soul like a Vincent '52."
7. The Passenger by Iggy Pop
Pop wrote this song while he himself didn't have a license or a car. He was literally a passenger, in this case in David Bowie's car. Released as a B-side, it gained a much higher profile than it's accompanying A-side track and currently has around three million Spotify plays.
"I am a passenger / And I ride and I ride / I ride through the city's backsides / I see the stars come out of the sky / Yeah, they're bright in a hollow sky / You know it looks so good tonight."
6. Route 66 by The Rolling Stones
This song, originally written and performed by Bobby Troup, has been covered by a number of different artists, including the Rolling Stones. The song is about the glories of an American Road, ironically enough.
"Well it goes from St. Louie down to Missouri / Oklahoma City looks oh so pretty / You'll see Amarillo and Gallup, New Mexico / Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona / Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino."
5. Low Rider by War
Low Rider is a classic song dedicated to a specific class of car and a specific car culture. Released in 1975, this song continues to be one of War's most popular tracks and has appeared in many car-related movies.
"All my friends know the low rider / The low rider is a little higher / The low rider drives a little slower / Low rider, is a real goer."
4. Magic Bus by The Who
Clore stretches their vehicle definitions with this song, but they stand by their ranking. Like many of the songs on this list, this one has been featured prominently in several films.
"Every day, I get in the queue / To get on the bus that takes me to you / I'm so nervous, I just sit and smile / Your house is only another mile."
3. Racing in the Streets by Bruce Springsteen
Like Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys, cars and driving have been common themes in Springsteen's music. This song stands out from all the rest, according to Clore.
"I got a sixty-nine Chevy with a three-ninety-six / Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor / She's waiting tonight down in the parking lot / Outside the Seven-Eleven store / Me and my partner Sonny built her straight out of scratch / And he rides with me from town to town / We only run for the money, got no strings attached / We shut 'em up and then we shut 'em down."
2. Ride on Josephine by Bo Diddley
When compiling this list, Clore knew they had to add something from Bo Diddley. The beat could be seen to represent a quickly moving vehicle and the tune is off the charts with its driving rhythm and its automotive references, says the folks over at Clore.
"Well, Josephine driving a hot rod Ford / Twin carburetor will eat up the road / Twin exhaust sticking out the rear / Something will really take away from here."
1. Roadrunner by The Modern Lovers
This song, according to Clore, is the one that best exemplifies the freedom, fun, and pure joy of loving your ride, loving to drive, and what that can mean to a person when they're out on the road. It's been covered by a wide range of artists, from Wire to The Sleaford Mods.
"Roadrunner, roadrunner / Going faster miles an hour / Gonna drive to the Stop 'n' Shop / With the radio on at night / And me in love with modern moonlight / Me in love with modern rock and roll."
Information repurposed from Clore Automotive.
