Music and cars go hand in hand. There aren’t many pleasures in life greater than cruising the strip in your hot rod or classic car while cranking your favorite tunes.
There are literally thousands of songs about cars and cruising down the road in one. Many of which came about during the post-war days when hot rods and rock ‘n roll were first being introduced to the youth of America.
We have narrowed down our favorite tunes about cars and the time we spend in them. Some of the songs on our list are obvious choices, but some might surprise you.
1. Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston & Ike Turner
Considered by many to be the very first rock ‘n roll song, Rocket 88 was based on the famous Oldsmobile Rocket 88 which is considered by many to be the first muscle car. It only makes sense then that this song is at the top of our list.
The lyrics just say it all… “A V8 motor baby, it’s modern design, black convertible top and the girls don’t mind, sportin’ with me riding all around town with joy”.
2. I Hold On by Dierks Bentley
A few years ago, Dierks Bentley released this song and it was an instant hit. The song opens with lyrics about an old beat up truck that means the world to him as it reminds him of time with his late father. It’s priceless. The lyrics go… “It’s just an old beat up truck, some say that I should trade up now that I got some jangle in my pocket. But what they don’t understand Is it’s the miles that make a man. I wouldn’t trade that thing in for a rocket. What they don’t know is my dad and me, we drove her out to Tennessee and she’s still here and now he’s gone, so I hold on”.
3. No Particular Place to Go by Chuck Berry
“Riding 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. Crusin’ and playin’ the radio. With no particular place to go.” We can’t think of any lyrics that capture the essence of the late 60s. It was the golden era for cars and music alike!
4. GTO by Ronnie & the Daytonas
“G.T.O.” is the 1964 debut single of American rock group Ronny & the Daytonas. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1964 and was clearly a song dedicated to the beloved Pontiac GTO. This song certainly got a lot of red-blooded hearts pumping when it first hit the airwaves. Yeah, yeah, little GTO!
5. Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys
Just one of many massive hits from the Beach Boys. It’s hard to listen to this song and not sing along. After all, she had the radio blasting. Goes cruising just as fast as she can now, and she’ll have fun fun fun ’til her daddy takes the T-bird away!
6. Go Lil’ Camaro by The Ramones
Nothing like some Ramones to get the juices flowing! We bet there have been plenty of speeding tickets given out to Camaro owners throughout the decades caused by this rockin’ tune! It’s a simple set of lyrics that quickly get their point across. Go lil’ Camaro go, Oohh!
7. Mercury Blues by Steve Miller Band
Mercury blues is about as smooth as smooth gets. This soulful rock song pay homage to Mercury Boogie performed by K.C. Douglas back in the 40s. Mercury blues is about as smooth as the cars it sings about. There is also an upbeat country version of the song by legendary country star, Alan Jackson. Many other artists have also covered this song making it an all-time classic about an all-time classic car.
8. Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett
One of the most iconic classic cars is the Ford Mustang and Wilson Pickett’s Mustang Sally has been blasting out of stereo speakers for decades. It’s one of the most covered songs by rock and blues bands all over the globe making it almost as iconic as the car itself. We are also a big fan of the rock hit by Sammy Haggar, Let Sally Drive.
9. Pink Cadillac by Bruce Springsteen
The Boss, enough said. Seriously though we think this is one of his catchier tunes. Cadillac itself has had so many songs written about it from every genre of music imaginable. Country, rock, rap, you name it. Bruce Springsteen’s song is our favorite for sure. Many of dance floors were filled in the late 80s with Natalie Cole’s pop version of Pink Cadillac too.
10. Slow Ride by Foghat
While the song isn’t about a classic car, it sure does sound good when you have it cranked with the windows down. Just a nice slow ride down main street or the local strip. Cruisin’ nice and easy for everyone to enjoy the sight of your ride. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.