Songs to ramble to

It’s that time of year. Time to start saving for the summer road trip. Where to? It doesn’t matter.

What does matter is that you come equipped. I’m not talking about pot, or a reliable vehicle. These things are marginally important. First, you need a soundtrack to go with your remake of Easy Rider. Something upbeat that will remind you that you are on a road trip.

Here is a list of rock, blues and country tunes sure to get your thumb itching and the liver begging for more. Trust me. They work.


1 “Let’s Take A Trip” – Jonathan Richmond – Good luck finding this gem of a ditty. All low-fi, complete with hand claps. If you can track it down, let me know.

2 “On the Road” – Canned Heat – Kind of obvious, I know, but not as bad as CCR. This buzzing, droning, wailing number won’t let you forget that the soul of a tramp is sensitive and above all, horny. It also reminds me of tearing ass down I-5 to San Francisco in an extended State of Washington van filled with 16-year-old graffiti writers from Bainbridge Island and an endless bag of weed. Youth is wasted on the young.

3 “I’ve Been Everywhere” – Johnny Cash – We’ve been through this before. This is the definitive list of places to visit.

4 “Here We Go Again” – The Hives — The Hives are the musical equivalent of methamphetamine. Overly powerful and dangerous.

5 “Walking Blues” – Robert Johnson – Had to have one Johnson song. In a way, he’s the godfather of the road song, if not the father, grandfather, or uncle. Cousin? This sparkling example of his genius is chock full of road cliches, like “riding the blinds” and references to Elgin watches, and so forth. It even begins with the classic blues line, “Woke up this morning.”

6 “Key To The Highway” – Big Bill Broonzey – A big, bad blues song for those contemplative moments when driving across the Great American Planes.

7 “Olympia, Wa.” – Rancid – This number will keep you company in the event you are stranded. For punk rock, it’s incredibly soulful. The chorus says it all: “Standing on the corner of Fifty-Second and Broadway/ cars passing by, but none of them seem to go my way/ New York City! Well I wish I was on the highway/ Back to Olympia.” I think I’m going to cry.

8 “Six Days On The Road” – Flying Burrito Brothers – The song itself is about a truck driver taking a bunch of speed and driving too fast to return home sooner because he’s horny. The Burrito Brothers bring a smoothness to it. For desired effect, play it over and over, until you start craving the “little white pills.”

9 “Badi –Da” – Mark Lanegan (w/ Mark Hoyt) – This song is about wanting to leave, get out of this creepy town. It’s a beautiful lament.

10 “Texas Eagle” - Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band – Texas Eagle – A great modern bluegrass tune about hopping freights, complete with a complaint about the current state freight riding. “Nowadays they don’t make no trains/ Just piggy-back freighters and those Amtrak things.”


Alternates:

11 “The Road” - Tenacious D

12 “Milkshake and Honey” – Sleater-Kinney