The Thinklings

"It may be useful to remember that Christian faith is ultimately dependent upon what actually happened rather than upon the views of historians."

- I. Howard Marshall

Thursday, October 20, 2011

15 Songs to Drive to That Instantly Make You Cool

Posted by Jared @ 8:10 pm CDT
Filed under: Awesomeness, Music

Caught in the mom-wagon? Make your drive instantly bad-action with any of these fifteen songs. You can't not feel cool driving to these tunes.

1. "Trouble Man" by Marvin Gaye

2. "Midnight Rider" by Allman Brothers Band*

3. "The Letter" by Joe Cocker

4. "Low Rider" by War

5. "Call Me The Breeze" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

6. "La Grange" by ZZ Top

7. "E-Pro" by Beck

8. "Super Bad, Parts 1 and 2" by James Brown

9. "Repo Man" by Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs

10. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" by Michael Jackson**

11. "1999" by Prince

12. "American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

13. "Whole Lotta Lovin'" by Led Zeppelin

14. "Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones

15. "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughn

Pop 'em in, crank it up, and rock out with your Crocs out.

Any recommendations you can make? What songs bad-action up your ride?

* Willie Nelson's version of this song works equally well.
** Will also accept "Billie Jean" as an alternative.

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Comments on "15 Songs to Drive to That Instantly Make You Cool":

1. Bill - 10/20/2011 8:33 pm CDT

"Insantly?" :-)

Red Barchetta by Rush

We Will Rock You by Queen

2. Jared - 10/20/2011 8:40 pm CDT

Insantly?" :-)

Heh. Fixed.

3. nhe - 10/20/2011 9:23 pm CDT

I'd go "Tube Snake Boogie" as my ZZ Top selection. And I'm SHOCKED that you'd go "American Girl" by Tom Petty over Petty's "Saving Grace" his best (though not as popular) song, or Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream" which I've always thought to be the ultimate turn it up to the max cool car tune.

My "other" 13 that I just flat turn up LOUD on my Ipod plug-in in the car:

"Enter Sandman" Metallica
"In Your Eyes" Peter Gabriel (I max the volume out on this one whenever I hear it)
"Let Love Rule" Lenny Kravitz
"Soften Your Heart" Keith Green
"Crossfire" Kansas (obscure, but kick butt on my IPod and the best "Christian" Kansas song)
"Innocence" Margaret Becker (Google it and thank me)
"Wicked Games" Chris Isaac
"Boys of Summer" Don Henley
"Bad" U2
"I Need You" Russ Taff (Dear Lord, I love that song)
"Change the World" Eric Clapton (the father-daughter dance song at my daughter's wedding)
"Your Life is Now" John Mellencamp (simply the best, most underrated Mellencamp tune)
"Lonely Old Night" Mellencamp again...I'm a fan boy

....oh, and "Call Me the Breeze" Skynard over "Gimme Three Steps" Skynard........come on......really?

4. Bill - 10/20/2011 9:50 pm CDT

It's funny how when you get to thinking about this you can really get quite a list going. I've thought of a few more . . .

Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas

The guitar arrangement at the end of FreeBird

Kashmir by Led Zeppelin

One Week by the Bare Naked Ladies

Beautiful Day by U2

And (we drove to Belton with J-Stroke to check out college for Molly and this was playing when we came within sight): Viva la Vida by ColdPlay

I agree w nhe - Gimme Three Steps

5. Nathan - 10/21/2011 7:49 am CDT

From a different corner of the pop world:

Faithless - Insomnia
Katy Perry - Teenage Dream

Don't shoot me; they're great so)

6. Daniel Ross - 10/21/2011 8:14 am CDT

1.) Radiohead "High And Dry"

2.) The Black Crowes "Wiser Time"

3.) "Roll Away Your Stone" Mumford & Sons

4.) "Interstate Love Song" Stone Temple Pilots

5.) "The Distance" Cake

7. Andrew - 10/21/2011 8:23 am CDT

It's the End of the World as We Know It - R.E.M.

8. nhe - 10/21/2011 9:04 am CDT

Nathan, I won't shoot you, but I'm not sure about riding in your car...... (:

9. Brian - 10/21/2011 9:10 am CDT

1999? Really?

Time of the Season - The Zombies

Foreplay/Long Time - Boston

25 or 6 to 4 - Chicago

Moondance - Van Morrison

Wonder Why - PFR

Some Kind of Zombie - Audio Adrenaline

10. nhe - 10/21/2011 9:41 am CDT

Apology to Jared......just heard "American Girl" on Pandora, gotta admit, its a great drive with the top down song.......at least up there with "Runnin' Down a Dream"

11. Bill - 10/21/2011 9:48 am CDT

Some good Eagles drive times:

Already Gone

In The City

Life in the Fast Lane

12. Dave - 10/21/2011 10:09 am CDT

In the same vein as the Eagles -

Funk #49 - James Gang

13. rob t. - 10/21/2011 11:23 am CDT

4.) "Interstate Love Song" Stone Temple Pilots

5.) "The Distance" Cake

// Co-sign. Great songs.

I'd also add:

1. Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue

2. Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger

3. Animal - Pearl Jam

4. Immigrant Song - Led Zep (I blame Jack Black for that one)

5. Epic - Faith No More

6. Cult of Personality - Living Colour

7. Horse - Live (the hidden track at the end of Throwing Copper)

8. Slow Ride - Foghat (seriously, no one has said Slow Ride yet?!?)

9. Jump Around - House of Pain

10. Sure Shot - Beastie Boys (I would also accept Sabotage or Paul Revere)

14. Bill - 10/21/2011 11:53 am CDT

And no one has mentioned any Aerosmith yet.

Walk This Way

Sweet Emotion - although I disagree from a moral point of view :-) - who can resist pressing the accelerator just a little bit closer to the metal on "Telling them things but your girlfriend lied . . . ya can't catch me 'cause the rabbit done died . . . yes he did!"?

15. Richard - 10/21/2011 2:02 pm CDT

Boys of Summer - Henley
Born to Run - Springsteen

16. Jared - 10/21/2011 5:15 pm CDT

1999? Really?

Really.
Crank it up and see if I ain't right.

Don't blame me if you can't taste the awesomesauce.

17. Jared - 10/21/2011 5:16 pm CDT

Slow Ride - Foghat

Yes! Word to all of our mothers.

18. damien - 10/21/2011 10:11 pm CDT

who are you - the who

19. Quaid - 10/22/2011 7:39 am CDT

I'm doubling down on anything by STP (esp. Plush) and Lenny Kravitz (uh, Fly Away, anyone?).

For older songs, I'd add Spirit in the Sky by (I had to look this up) Norman Greenbaum
-That song only works if you don't have to tell people who wrote it

Assuming there are no kids in the backseat (or anywhere within earshot), I'd pump some Jay-Z. Perhaps some Dirt Off Your Shoulder or 99 Problems. If there are kids in the back seat, you might get away with Empire State of Mind. Of course, the edited versions are available, too.

I'm a big fan of T.I. and don't mind Live Your Life and Dead and Gone

Simply for the hook and to make myself drive faster, I'd take Missy Elliot's Lose Control or Get Ur Freak On. Once again, edited versions exist.

I don't know if this qualifies as cool, but for a long shot, I'd recommend Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars. I think it has enough edge to make people double-take in the school pickup lane.

20. Andrew - 10/22/2011 8:28 am CDT

Pretty much anything by Credence Clearwater Revival. Also "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash.

21. Bill - 10/22/2011 8:55 am CDT

The Smoothie Song by Nickel Creek

22. Nathan - 10/22/2011 5:51 pm CDT

Jared: re. 1999 - let the haters hate, you are 100% right. One of earth's hottest ever beats, plus arguably one of the best songs written about being young, privileged and scared during the Cold War. Can't fault it on any level.

NHE: Heh! You'd be very welcome in our car any time. We might even dig out some Boys of Summer to make you feel at home.

All: Has anyone mentioned The Boys are Back in Town by Thin Lizzy yet?

23. nhe - 10/23/2011 4:29 pm CDT

Nathan, when I heard the lead singer for Thin Lizzy was gay, I never felt the same about cranking that song with that particular chorus in my car anymore.

24. Paul walton - 10/23/2011 7:59 pm CDT

How about some real driven music?

Superstition- Stevie Wonder

25. Karl - 10/23/2011 10:22 pm CDT

Paradise City - Guns n Roses
Here I go Again on my Own - Whitesnake
Lots of U2 songs - I'll go with "Vertigo" and "Mysterious Ways"
Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
Boys of Summer - Henley
Margaritaville, and Cheeseburger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffet
Carolina in my Mind - James Taylor
Start Me Up - Rolling Stones
Nothin' But a Good Time - Poison
Whiskey in the Jar - Metallica or Thin Lizzy
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Carry on my Wayward Son - Kansas
Born to Run and Born in the USA - Springsteen
Photograph, Animal and Hysteria - Def Leppard
More than a Feeling - Boston

Way too many more to list them all

26. Nathan - 10/24/2011 10:41 am CDT

nhe: Really?! Wikipedia don't seem to suggest he was, but they do suggest he was extremely messed up and addicted to an awful lot of things. All rather sad really...

How's about Here It Goes Again by OK Go?

27. nhe - 10/24/2011 7:47 pm CDT

Boy, if I have my facts wrong, I really apologize.......I had heard that about the Thin Lizzy guy from several different sources. I apologize for passing that on if it isn't the case. I will fact check in the future.

Don't know "Here it Goes Again".

28. Shrode - 10/25/2011 2:10 pm CDT

Lots of good songs and sugggestions, but one glaring omission, and I mean GLARING!

B-B-Bad to the Bone by George Thorogood.
(Though almost any Thorogood song works. "Get a haircut and get a real job" is lots of fun to sing while driving.)

And on a related note, and a close #2-

"Born to be wild" by Steppenwolf

Come'on guys you can't drive fast with the top down and be cool without blasting those songs.

Other suggestions:
"Old Time Rock N Roll" by Bob Seger
"Perfect Lover" by Kansas - Seriously awesome guitar hook, with John Elefante on vocals.

29. Paul W - 10/25/2011 5:34 pm CDT

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - Robert Robinson

30. Nathan - 10/26/2011 3:27 am CDT

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA&ob=av2e

And here's them doing the Muppet Show theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMZa8flyYY

Come Thou Fount is what in my country we would call a TUUUUUUNE (i.e. it rocks).

31. Raindream - 10/26/2011 9:02 am CDT

I've enjoyed "Take California" by The Propellerheads and "Beautiful Lies" by B-Complex.

32. Val - 10/26/2011 10:14 am CDT

Cool, nightime with the top down:

Baker Street

33. Mark - 10/28/2011 3:32 pm CDT

Rude Mood-Stevie Ray Vaughn
Walking in Memphis-Mark Cohn

34. Sarah - 11/06/2011 7:21 am CST

Blister in the Sun- Violent Fems
Burning Down the House- Talking Heads
Cinnamon Girl- Neil Young
Dancin' Fool- Frank Zappa
Fish and Whistle- John Prine
I Gotta a Felling- Black Eyed Peas
Perfect Day- Lou Reed

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