Music To Take On The Road (Road Trip Mix CD Ideas)

In my CD reviews, I sometimes mention adding a song to my road trip mixes. And I thought it was about time to actually compile a list. Some choices are obvious, and have been on various mixes of mine for years. Others are more recent additions. But all have something to do with being out on the road or about heading home. I thought about various ways of presenting the list, and decided to simply arrange the songs in alphabetical order by the artists' names.

• Highway To Hell – AC/DC
• Key To The Highway – Dave Alvin And Phil Alvin
• I Get Around – The Beach Boys
• Two Of Us – The Beatles
• Massachusetts – Bee Gees
• No Particular Place To Go  – Chuck Berry
• Route 66  – Chuck Berry (a lot of folks have recorded this song)
• California Stars  – Billy Bragg and Wilco
• Fast Cars – The Buzzcocks (for a fun change of pace, with lines like “I don't wanna cause a fuss, but fast cars are so dangerous/Fast cars, fast cars/Fast cars, I hate fast cars”)
• Wasn't Born To Follow –  The Byrds
• Going Up The Country – Canned Heat
• On The Road Again – Canned Heat
• I’ve Been Everywhere  – Johnny Cash
• Fast Car – Tracy Chapman
• The Long Road Home – Dave Coffin
• Smooth Sailing – Dave Coffin
• Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen
• Up Around The Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver
• The Wanderer – Dion And The Belmonts
• Backroads And Blue Skies – Fur Dixon And Steve Werner
• Everyday A Different Journey – Fur Dixon And Steve Werner
• Homesick For The Highway Blues – Fur Dixon And Steve Werner
• Where Are We Going –  Fur Dixon And Steve Werner
• Kansas City – Fats Domino
• Fool At The Wheel  – Duces Of Rhythm And Tempo Toppers
• It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry – Bob Dylan
• Eighteen Wheels – Ronnie Fauss
• Radar Love – Golden Earring
• Friend Of The Devil  – Grateful Dead
• Goin’ Down The Road Feeling Bad – Grateful Dead (actually a Woody Guthrie song)
• Liberty – Grateful Dead
• Ripple – Grateful Dead (my favorite song, and definitely one to have along on a road trip)
• So Many Roads – Grateful Dead
• Truckin’ – Grateful Dead
• Way To Go Home – Grateful Dead
• Make It Out West –  The Greencards
• Car Song  – Woody Guthrie
• Hard Travelin’ – Woody Guthrie
• Highway Down –  I See Hawks In L.A.
• If You Lead I Will Follow  –   I See Hawks In L.A.
• I’m A Rover – Irish Rovers 
• Rocky Road To Dublin – The Kilkennys (a lot of bands have done this song, and pretty much all versions are good)
• Strangers – The Kinks
• Going To California – Led Zeppelin
• Virginia  – Josh Lederman Y Los Diablos
• America – Brian Mackey
• Waltz Across Texas – Marlee MacLeod
• King Of The Road – Roger Miller
• Roadrunner – The Modern Lovers (Joan Jett also did a good cover of this song)
• As We Go Along – The Monkees
• Movin' Right Along – The Muppets
• American Ride – Willie Nile
• 3,000 Miles – Ellis Paul
• Road Trip – Ellis Paul (especially if you have kids with you)
• Beep Beep  – The Playmates
• Diner – Martin Sexton
• Freedom Of The Road – Martin Sexton
• America – Simon And Garfunkel
• Homeward Bound – Simon And Garfunkel
• Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
• Miles From Nowhere – Cat Stevens
• On The Road To Find Out – Cat Stevens
• Take The Long Way Home – Supertramp
• Road To Nowhere – Talking Heads
• 1952 Vincent Black Lightning  – Richard Thompson
• Highway In The Sun – Trip Shakespeare
• Long Way Home – Tom Waits
• Midnight Bus – Jesse Winchester
• 40 Miles From Denver – Yonder Mountain String Band
• Town – Yonder Mountain String Band

Compiling this list makes me eager to start planning a long drive. It’s been way too long since my last extensive road trip, and I’m itching to get on the road. By the way, while this list is obviously not meant to be comprehensive, feel free to leave comments with suggestions for other appropriate tunes. I may include them on my next road trip mix.