50 Ultimate Summer Road Trip Songs

This trancelike tune was a Mediterranean favorite before guitar legend Dick Dale turned into a surf rock classic. The infectious instrumental also starred in the film Pulp Fiction and the opening notes alone are enough to get your engine going.

When a smooth pop icon like Billy Ocean instructs you to "get in the backseat, baby", you listen. You also roll the windows down and crank his song up to 11-especially during its steamy saxophone solo.

"Holiday Road" is the theme song of arguably the most famous road trip movie of all time: National Lampoon's Vacation. It plays repeatedly as the Griswolds make their journey from Chicago to Wally World and one listen will have you swearing that Christie Brinkley is pulling up next to you in a convertible.

From the opening line of "I'm a-runnin' down the road tryin' to loosen my load" to the phrase "standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona"-an intersection that has since become a Route 66 landmark-this easy-breezy Eagles hit is road trip royalty. Listen close and you'll hear that the entire song is loaded with the possibilities that only the open road can bring.

Driving on back roads with the windows rolled down. Southern swimming holes. Gorgeous summer sunsets. This one has it all. Even if you aren't rolling in a brand new Chevy with a lift kit like the guys in FGL, blasting this one is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

Ray Charles wasn't the first person to record this song, but his version is the most memorable. More "you've been tossed out of your house by your significant other" than wanderlust anthem, the sledgehammer of a chorus still serves to fuel a highway escape.

Switching lanes out there can be tough and while a courtesy wave is always appreciated, sometimes you need to do something more to say thank you. Enter the band Geggy Tah with this cheerful 90s ode to the generous strangers out there who let us change lanes.

Sure, there are references to a Grateful Dead sticker on a Caddy and a haunting line about desolate roads and empty beaches, but it's the ultra-cool vibe of this song that lands it on the list. Simply put, Don Henley's wistful longing for summers past is the perfect driving music-especially around sunset.

From the opening salvo of "they see me rollin'" through three verses laced with lyrical tales of cruising around super-hip Houston, this one might just blow the bass out of your speakers. But you're sure to love every second of it.

Here's an ambitious itinerary for a summer road trip: visit every place Johnny Cash mentions in this song. Not up for the challenge? Well then just play this one on the highway and be transported to the cab of a semi as Johnny tells tales from the road to a crossroad trucker.

This number tells the tale of a road trip to New Mexico that crosses paths with hitchhikers, senoritas and ice-cold margaritas. Oh, there's also a gas gauge that dips far too low for comfort. While your trip might not end up with as much excitement as O.A.R's did, you'll enjoy living vicariously through them for a few minutes.

You may not be manning a fighter jet like the boys in Top Gun were when this song was playing in the movie, but it will certainly help you fly down the highway. This tune is one big ode to revving engines, pushing things past the red line and speed, so be sure to observe all local speed limit laws while listening, okay?

This ditty was co-written by Bob Dylan and originally performed by Old Crow Medicine Show, but Darius Rucker was the one who took it all the way to Number One in 2013. In the song, the former Hootie & The Blowfish frontman croons about a hitchhiking journey from the Northeast to the South and it will certainly get your wheels turning, too.

Most American roads don't end up with their own hit song, but there aren't any other roads like Route 66. Many artists have done this tune justice and each version tells the tale of the Mother Road and its All-American twists and turns.

The protagonist of this 70s drifter anthem has been a rambler since day one and he wants everybody to know it. According to the song, he was born on a Greyhound bus and is now currently bouncing between Nashville and New Orleans. Why is he so adamant that we know he's a nomad by nature? So we'll understand why when he inevitably tells us goodbye.

Who wouldn't want to take a ride with Nelly? He seems like he's a pretty fun guy and you know he would definitely show you the sights of his hometown St. Louis. Sadly, for many of us, rapping along to this song in the car is as close as we are going to get.

With nods to nostalgia at every turn, this tune takes us down the road of life with Jackson Browne. He tells us of past adventures and present-day restlessness as he tries to figure out how life has morphed into something his road-tripping 21-year-old-self wouldn't have recognized.

On this deep album cut from the 90s, alt-rockers Better Than Ezra detail a journey from their home in Louisiana all the way to California-complete with a reference to raising your feet as you cross the state line. Best listened to under a star-filled desert sky.

While it may not specifically namecheck rites of the road, this song perfectly captures the spirit of summer and the need to get up and get moving. Perhaps the fact that it was produced by Motown Records in Detroit helped with the car-friendly sound?

Willie can't wait to get back on the road and this quintessential travel song makes for the perfect track to play when you're starting off a trip. What's he looking forward to? Going places that he's never been and seeing things he may never see again and isn't that what road trips are all about in the first place?

Even if you don't know your EDM from your BPM, this 2014 electronic track by Los Angeles deejay Deorro will have you tapping your fingers on the dashboard. There aren't many words, just an ear-worm-worthy beat that will stay with you long after you park the car.

This track is quintessential Springsteen and the Boss at his road trip anthem best. Afterall, who can't relate to wanting to leave the dim lights of our hometown behind in order to run off with our wanderlust-loving partner in crime named Wendy?

The name alone puts this song in the discussion, but it's the intro full of open road allure and the lines about leaving on a "Southern train" that seal the deal.

Have you ever tried to leap while wearing a seatbelt? No? Well, then you haven't listened to this classic in the car yet. An 80s anthem if there ever was one, when David Lee Roth yells "might as well jump", your duty-bound to give it a go.

When Rihanna hands you the keys to her car, you promptly go silent and follow all of her instructions. That's the gist of this mid-Millenium hit that also has the singer telling us she has "class like a '57 Cadillac".

Technically speaking, this lil' ditty may be more about coming of age than hitting the highway but just try to listen to it and not tap the steering wheel with the beat. There's also the reference to one of our nation's' favorite roadside ice cream stands (Tastee Freez) and the fact that being out on the open road feels a whole lot like "hanging on to sixteen".

"Hey, ho, let's go!". Those are the opening lines of prose in this two-minute track from punk rock legends The Ramones and things only get amped up from there. In addition to being catchy as all get out, Blitzkrieg Bop is guaranteed to slap you awake if you're starting to feel a little sleepy at the wheel.

Hearing one beat of this song is enough to transport you to Early 90s Philly with DJ Jazzy Jeff and that guy who ended up playing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on TV. Slow down (two miles an hour so everyone sees you, of course) put the windows down and crank this one to maximize the summer vibe.

From the first sound of the sampled Isley Brothers' track on through to the funky end, this one is one big breath of funky air. Essentially, it's like riding shotgun with Ice Cube on an uncharacteristically uneventful (yet still really fun) day in South Central Los Angeles.

With his songs about days spent in the Caribbean Sun and hanging at cool dive bars, you get the feeling it's always summertime for Kenny Chesney. For the rest of us, this one is a tribute to the time of year when taking a dip, putting your bare feet up on the dashboard, wearing cheap sunglasses and catching that perfect summer song on the car radio become daily rituals.

A perky track that extolls the rejuvenating virtues of vacation time (something Americans simply don't do enough), "Vacation" was one of the Go-Go's biggest hits. While it's technically about someone trying to "travel away" a breakup, it's just too darn bouncy to not tap your toe to.

This firsthand account of life in the shotgun seat is one of indy-rock legend Wilco's most underrated tracks. It manages to be witty and wistful at the same time and is the perfect mid-playlist breather. Why is he sitting in the passenger seat and not driving? You'll just have to listen for yourself to find out.

It may not specifically talk about driving, but when the chorus kicks in on this Boston classic in the car, you're certain to be singing along. In fact, it's pretty much the perfect "thirty-second soundtrack" for the adrenaline rush of accelerating onto the highway.

There's probably no scientific proof that this song sounds better when you listen to it while driving in the South, but it's definitely fun. "Sweet Home Alabama" has become an anthem across all of Dixie, and even Northerners are known to succumb to its charms.

If Paradise City was a real place, it would be topping the lists of Must-See Destinations each and every year. Sadly, it was only a figment of GNR's imagination. You're still free to swap out the name of your destination for "Paradise City" when you sing it in the car, though.

While many of Mr. Petty's tracks match up with driving into the great wide open, the soothing vibe of this one and the references to the "freeway running through the yard" and "Ventura Boulevard" put it on the list. For best results, listen in a convertible while watching a Southern California sunset.

If this one doesn't get your motor running, who knows what will. Yes, this Steppenwolf cut might just be the most iconic road trip song of all time. While it has come to be closely associated with motorcyclists, those on four wheels will still get a kick out of hearing it through the speakers.

Who sets off on a road trip without ever knowing the way? The protagonists in this 90s alt-rock tune, that's who. In fact, these folks are so dedicated to their mission that when the car breaks down they just start walking towards their paradisical destination.

According to the lyrics, Roger Miller is waxing poetic about riding trains in Maine over driving cars cross-country. Nevertheless, it's the romanticism of the nomadic lifestyle that turns this tune into a travel anthem.

This oft-overlooked track is country star Pat Green at his finest. In "Carry On", he weaves in travel-centric mantras like "everybody gotta get away sometimes, forget about yourself for a while" with a tour of Texas Hill Country-iwhich includes a pit stop for tacos and beer.

There's nothing in the world like seeing the twinkling lights of Vegas at night. While it's definitely a thrill to view them from a descending plane, having the lights unfurl before your eyes from the highway-while ZZ Top's rocking version of this song plays in the background-has it beat.

As this list has shown, there are a ton of tunes out there about what it feels like to head out on the road. But what about that sad-yet-satisfying feeling of coming back home? In this song, home is the love of a significant other, and we can all agree that's a fine "place" to return to.

On the other hand, if you have just suffered a devastating break-up, then this is your song. Crank it up loud and shout along with Whitesnake as they go off again on their own, down the only road they've ever known.

Coolio sampled the Lakeside track of the same name and did wonders with it to create an ultra-smooth drive-along song. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who can ignore his call to come along for a fantastic ride.

Their name is The Cars and surely it's not a coincidence that many of their songs are considered hymns to the highway. "Drive" is melancholy at times, but it also manages to match up perfectly with the feeling of cruising down an empty road in the wee hours.

Even though Bryan Adams was only ten-years-old in 1969, he somehow managed to capture the spirit of the era. Blast this ode to youth on an empty highway or on the way to a drive-in movie theater-where he spent his evenings that summer-because there's more of them still open than you might imagine.

Who doesn't appreciate the offer of a free ride? (Well, I suppose you might be a bit miffed if you had already paid for one, right Alanis?) In this case, this complimentary escort also comes with a catchy chorus and an offer of life advice.

This classic rock number from the 70s puts the listener in the mood to hit the road. It serves as a reminder to take things slow and enjoy the journey -because sometimes getting there is more than half the fun.

The most-recent recording on the list, Ed Sheeran's wistful longing for youthful days-gone-by has become an instant classic. Rock out alongside him and his friends as they cruise down country lanes at 90 MPH and watch a sunset near a castle (hey, he's from England, castles are everywhere over there).

From Mozambique to Memphis, Tom Cochrane really sets the wanderlust bar high in this 90s hit. Other locations prominently mentioned are a mountain pass on the Silk Road and stunning Vancouver-bookended by declarations that life itself is a highway and Mr. Cochrane fully intends to ride it all evening long.