There’s no feeling quite like hitting the open road, and there are several classic rock songs that have captured this feeling. Throughout history, artists ranging from the Eagles to Janis Joplin have been singing about cars and the open road, and the spirit of freedom that comes with it. Below, we look at 10 classic rock songs centered around the theme of driving.
“Take it Easy” is one of the Eagles’ most instantly recognizable songs. The easy, breezy song makes for the perfect companion when hitting the open road. Lead singer Glenn Frey encourages the listener to take it easy / Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy / Lighten up while you still can/Don’t even try to understand / Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy. The song peaked inside the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is one of the band’s signature hits.
Foghat takes their sweet time with “Slow Ride.” Clocking in at more than eight minutes, “Slow Ride” is a staple in the classic rock music canon. Foghat turns to a little rock and roll therapy, hitting the open road to feel the sense of freedom they’re looking for. Wind tearin’ through the backstreet / I hear the rhythm of my heartbeat / Rain blowin’ to my face / I’m tired of being in the wrong place, they sing in the iconic song that hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976.
From the opening guitar riff that builds tension, “Highway Star” offers a need for speed. Lead singer Ian Gillan lets his voice wail as he steps into the character of the “highway star” who’s protective of the elements of his life that bring value. One of which is the vehicle he takes pride in, opening the song proclaiming, Nobody gonna take my car/I’m gonna race it to the ground/Nobody gonna beat my car/It’s gonna break the speed of sound. “Highway Star” has become of the band’s easily identifiable songs.
Bruce Springsteen professed that he was “Born to Run” with this 1975 classic rock hit. Like many Springsteen songs, this speaks to working-class Americans with its reference to the runaway American dream. The song finds the icon hopping on the back of a motorcycle and taking to the open road with a woman named Wendy to break out of the moronity of life. “Born to Run” is a classic and gave The Boss his first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at No. 23.
With “Rockin’ Down the Highway,” The Doobie Brothers paint a clear picture of burning rubber down the open road with lyrics like, And I smell my motor burnin’/Underneath the hood is smoke. There’s a sense of freedom embedded throughout, as they profess they have to keep moving in order to not go insane, going so far as to blaze past a highway patrol officer. The Brothers’ harmonies only elevate this spirit.
With lyrics written solely by drummer Roger Taylor, “I’m in Love With My Car” is pretty much spelled out in the title. The protagonist has no problem admitting he’s in love with his vehicle, described as, The machine of a dream/Such a clean machine/With the pistons a pumpin’/And the hubcaps all gleam. It was dedicated to one of the band’s roadies, who had a special affinity for his sports car. It was featured as a B-side to Queen’s timeless “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Alice Cooper uses his car as a vehicle to get him to the woman he’s desperate to see as fast as possible. The track features aggressive guitar that drives home the song’s message of, The telephone is ringing/You got me on the run/I’m driving in my car now/I got you under my wheels. The feverish guitar licks are the perfect melody to accompany a fast ride down the road. Originally released in 1971, Cooper re-recorded the song in 1988 with Guns N’ Roses for the soundtrack of The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years.
The Who are on the move in “Going Mobile.” Here, the highway is the band’s home as they keep moving forward professing, When I’m driving free/The world’s my home/When I’m mobile. There’s a sense of joy and freedom throughout the song where they have everything they need in a traveling van to feel happy and at peace.
English musician Gary Numan adds a psychedelic rock vibe to his 1979 hit, “Cars.” The song’s meaning is in its title, as the plot centers entirely around his car where he feels safest of all and I can only receive/I can listen to you. The song has a groovy melody that makes you want to move, so much so that it hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.
While the title of “Mercedes Benz” implies that it’s about the elite vehicle, the song’s meaning is actually much deeper. The lyrics point to mass consumerism, with Joplin begging the Lord to buy her a Benz, a color TV, and a night on the town. She recorded the song three days before her untimely death in October 1970. It was released posthumously on her 1971 album, Pearl.
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