I’ve written about motorcycle enthusiasts who travel back roads with musical amplification on a dazzling summer morning.
But, the editors of WorldHum, the online site of the Travel Channel, took on the task of naming the greatest travel songs of all time. What’s excellent and notable is they took the time to track down YouTube videos of each song. You can also check out an interactive map.
Here’s the top 40, ranked by the total number of votes:
- “On the Road Again,” Willie Nelson (60 points)
- “City of New Orleans,” Arlo Guthrie (57)
- “Graceland,” Paul Simon (46)
- “America,” Simon & Garfunkel (44)
- “I’ve Been Everywhere,” Hank Snow/Johnny Cash (42)
- “Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen (42)
- “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” Nat King Cole (33)
- “This Land is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie (32)
- “Me and Bobby McGee,” Roger Miller, Janis Joplin (28)
- “Southern Cross,” Crosby, Stills and Nash/Jimmy Buffet (27)
- “Road to Nowhere,” Talking Heads (27)
- “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” Tom Petty (26)
- “Tangled Up In Blue,” Bob Dylan (25)
- “King of the Road,” Roger Miller (25)
- “Roam,” B-52s (21)
- “Long May You Run,” Neil Young (21)
- “Born to be Wild,” Steppenwolf (20)
- “Proud Mary,” Ike and Tina Turner/Creedence Clearwater Revival
- “Back in the USSR,” The Beatles (18)
- “Like A Rolling Stone,” Bob Dylan (17)
- “When I Paint My Masterpiece,” Bob Dylan/The Band (17)
- “Thunder Road,” Bruce Springsteen (15)
- “Midnight Train to Georgia,” Gladys Knight & the Pips (15)
- “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” Peter, Paul, & Mary/John Denver (14)
- “Ol’ 55,” Tom Waits (14)
- “Wagon Wheel,” Bob Dylan/Old Crow Medicine Show (14)
- “Africa,” Toto (13)
- “Truckin’,” Grateful Dead (13)
- “Travelin’ Prayer,” Billy Joel/Dolly Parton (13)
- “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” John Denver (12)
- “American Girl,” Tom Petty (12)
- “The Long and Winding Road,” The Beatles (12)
- “Radar Love,” Golden Earring (12)
- “California,” Joni Mitchell (12)
- “Ramble On,” Led Zeppelin (11)
- “Katmandu,” Bob Seger (11)
- “Where the Streets Have No Name,” U2 (11)
- “Sweet Home Alabama,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (11)
- “Roadrunner,” The Modern Lovers (11)
- “Ramblin’ Man,” The Allman Brothers Band (11)
Music can make a moment or a memory, but sometimes the seclusion of the wind is all we need. Whether riding with or without music, it’s your head after all, wherever you go!
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