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11/01/2004: "Top 10 Roadtrip Songs."

This month's music list is about transportation. Any kind of transportation. I found a lot of songs in my collection that at least have some sort of transportation in the title, but I tried to put the ones that I thought were the top ten driving songs in the list. As it turns out I had to decide between best driving songs (with some connection to transport) and favorite songs about transportation. This is why my honorable mentions list is so long.

10) Miss the Girl - The Creatures
I love this sad song. I'm listening to it right now and it's just genius. Siouxsie on vocals with Budgie playing some sort of xylophone type instrument. Minimal and perfect.
9) Police Truck - Dead Kennedys
From one of my all time favorite albums, and a classic by itself.
8) Drivin' on 9 - The Breeders
A bit different musically than most Breeders' songs. This is a sweet little ditty. Did I just say ditty?
7) Jerry Was a Racecar Driver - Primus
"Dog will hunt!" I moved on from my Primus obsession a few years ago, but this song is still a good one.
6) Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry
Ahhh. Ministry with Gibby from The Butthole Surfers on vocals. A badass song with an equally badass video.
5) Shirley - L7
A song about drag racing legend Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney. There aren't many of those.
4) Riding With Mary - X
Just a great early punk rock song. If it were on in my car and you passed me (oh, wait. I mean If I passed you) I would definitely look like one of those dorks on that new show Motor Mouth.
3) Car Jamming - The Clash
Classic Clash. I guess it's the beat, but this song just makes me think of driving out in the middle of nowhere, even though the song has nothing to do with that.
2) New Moon - MC 900 Ft Jesus
An eleven minute, forty one second epic about a girl who liked to drive a bit too fast for her own good. Spoken word over a bed of fluid Jazz rumblings. "...She loved to go fast. For her the dashed lines on the freeway were like grains of sand slipping through an hourglass, ticking away the seconds, the minutes, and the hours of her life."
1) Devil in My Car - The B-52's
It doesn't get much more fun than this. I don't have anything deep to say about this song. If you know the song, you know why. It's just a pure driving song.

Honorable Mentions:
Falling Elevators - MC 900 Ft Jesus
Not a song about Elevators. "The cars outside rush buy like falling elevators."
Bitchin' Camaro - The Dead Milkmen
"The important thing here is that we get to the part where you ask me how I'm going to get down to the shore." "Oh, How you gettin' down to the shore?" "Funny you should ask. I've got a car now." "Oh, wow. How'd you get a car?" "Oh, my folks drove it up here from the Bahamas." "You're kidding." "I must be. The Bahamas are islands."
Warm Leatherette - The Normal
Predecessor to Miss the Girl.

Please visit these other fine lists this month (added as they are posted):
ultrablog
cheleblog
dune shack
reality remixed
bitchalicious
alien fur
i see monsters
chapati mystery
situation in progress...

please see the extended entry for even more honorable mentions.

Twin Cadillac Valentine - Screaming Blue Messiahs
Modern Schools Of Motoring - Toy Dolls
Car Crash - Tricky
Motorcycle - Love and Rockets
Drive My Rocket - Alien Sex Fiend
Dirty Back Road - The B52's
Sex on Wheels - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult
A Spy in the Cab - Bauhaus
Drinking and driving - Black Flag
Stickshifts and Safetybelts - Cake
Dune Buggy Driver - Future Wives

Replies: 10 have commented

OMG, I haven't heard of any of these!! It was definitely hard to choose. First I had a bunch of songs about cars, such as Springsteen's Pink Cadillac, but then realized they weren't about traveling. Maybe another time we can do cars only.

HOT ROD LINCOLN!! Man, that song is awesome.

UV said @ 11/01/2004 10:03 AM PST

you gotta love the B-52s! i haven't heard "Devil in My Car" for ages!

chele said @ 11/01/2004 10:19 AM PST

Ministry and Thrill Kill Kult!!!

I always love your lists.

k said @ 11/01/2004 10:53 AM PST

im kinda mad that i forgot about the breeders and tricky.

sven said @ 11/01/2004 11:19 AM PST

Miss the Girls...that is what I seek as I write. That and the MC 900 Ft Jesus. thanks for that.

sepoy said @ 11/01/2004 01:26 PM PST

Bitchin' Camaro!! Man, am I 18 again or what...

rock grrrl said @ 11/01/2004 01:43 PM PST

ARGH! Awsome list! All I end up doing after this day is downloading stuff!

rachel said @ 11/01/2004 03:14 PM PST

Um. I don't know a single one of these songs. I knew all of UV's. Maybe it's time to take the Oldies and 80's stations off my spinner.com presets.

Jen said @ 11/01/2004 04:13 PM PST

well listed.
when i got my convertible for my cross country drive, i only fit in a camaro and a chrysler (i'm 6'5). i didn't like how yuppie the seabring was nor how john cougar the camaro was. but 'cause of the dead milkmen, i imagined the camaro to have a modicum of funpunk cred. bitchin' camaro was the first song i played in that car. and it'll be the last.

kid b said @ 11/02/2004 08:55 AM PST

I've been working through these lists, and I have to say that "Ghost Town" by the Specials is the best for post midnight interstate driving.

throckey said @ 11/02/2004 10:20 PM PST