Summertime means hitting the road — and that means turning up tunes to travel by, whether you’ve got a vacation destination or you’re just getting the heck out of Dodge.
While editing Matt Wickstrom’s post about music for summer road trips, I couldn’t help but come up with several of my own suggestions.
It’s force of habit: In my close friendships — or in friendships that might become close depending how things go — we trade favorite songs back and forth.
Over many years of working together, senior editor Hunter Hauk, my longtime partner in co-editorial-director crime, and I have developed a friendship I value deeply and will take with me when I go. In spite of the stress and demands of the job, we’ve managed to get to know each other in a wonderful way not just by working well side by side through more deadlines than I can count, but also by emailing each other favorite music videos and song files. We do this to prop one another up when the going gets tough, to inspire ourselves to keep persevering and practicing in our own secret musical pursuits, and to just enjoy the heck out of a great song with a simpatico, like-eared friend.
In that spirit, I have some recommendations, my C&I friends. Enjoy!
— Dana Joseph, C&I editorial director
Roger Miller, “King of the Road”
It’s impossible not to turn up this classic by country genius Roger Miller. I grew up on Roger Miller courtesy of my dad, who was the audiophile and deejay of our house and who liked his music at peak volume. Sixty years later I can still remember dancing with my dad to “King of the Road” and can still sing word-for-word not just that (“I’m a man of means by no means / King of the road”) but every song on the album The Return of Roger Miller (which also has “Dang Me” on it!).
I really appreciate these memories about “King the Road” from YouTube commenters and fellow Miller-lovers. @Kirkduvall says, “In case you’re interested in the history of this song. As I understand it, Roger Miller worked at the Verkamp’s gift store on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. And wrote this song about the experience!!! The trailers were rented to employees, the train is the railroad from Williams, AZ. The reference to Bangor, Maine ........ it rhymed!!! (I once worked at the south rim, and learned this).” Elsewhere in the comments, @YazxL55 says, “I grew up in South Dakota. My 4th grade teacher was ‘supposed’ to teach us the Pledge of Allegiance. INSTEAD he played this song every single morning on a record player and we all held our hands on our hearts and sang this very song. My entire 4th grade year. …”
Richard “Dickey” Betts, “Highway Call”
Known more widely for his guitar-playing and songwriting with The Allman Brothers Band than his solo work, Dickey Betts had star power all by himself, too, as his Americana gem of an album Highway Call attests with every song. This was a high-school-boyfriend album for me, first heard coming through massive JBL speakers in the make-out basement at his house. The title track lends itself especially to those long, lonely stretches at night when the road’s dark, the car’s quiet, and the mood’s a little pensive. Not everyone hears the call of the highway, but everyone who does will totally get the lines “Highway call there’s something in your song / Highway call you keep me rollin’ on.”
Delaney & Bonnie, “Living on the Open Road”
Not many Delaney & Bonnie songs can get me to stop playing “Soul Shake” on repeat, but here’s one by the terrific duo that fits the bill for this “road” playlist. If the driving slide guitar makes you pull over to listen better and safely, there’s a reason: It’s none other than Duane Allman. However old you were in 1970 when this came out, you’ll feel your youth surge.
Miranda Lambert, “Highway Vagabond”
Here’s a bonding exchange I might have with my good music buddy and co-editor Hunter. “I’m writing this road-trip playlist post in answer to and inspired by Wickstrom’s piece. I’ve got a half-dozen or so songs that are thematically about the road, as opposed to just great to play loud in the car on a road trip. When I think about road trip music, my list would be more the latter, but whatever. Anyway, the low-hanging fruit was all songs that reminded me of my dad and ex-boyfriends and those are all songs by men. You know how much I love Bonnie Raitt, so of course ‘The Road’s My Middle Name’ is on the list and fits perfectly. I had to dig around a little for another song by a woman and discovered “Highway Vagabond” by Miranda Lambert. How did I not know this song? Not sure it thrills me musically, but the lyrics are on the money (‘something ’bout the way I feel when the wheels go round ..., and the ‘next stop Texas’ bit …).” And here’s what I mean about Hunter: He would quickly respond by reminding me about Shania Twain’s “In My Car (I’ll Be the Driver)” and would also suggest that Roy Orbison’s version of “I Drove All Night” should make any list. OMG — YES!
Bonnie Raitt, “The Road’s My Middle Name”
Besides having that voice and those ax chops, Bonnie Raitt’s been a touring warrior all her long career, so her self-penned song about that life hits all the right notes musically and lyrically. “The Road’s My Middle Name” from her breakthrough album Nick of Time has Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds) on harmonica. Check out Bonnie’s guitar-playing and cowboy boots in the video of this deliciously stripped-down version. By the way, her actual middle name is Lynn.
John Denver, “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
I wouldn’t say John Denver is a favorite of mine by any stretch, but my dad liked him, particularly this song. Maybe it reminds you of your dad, too, or of all the times you wanted to get in the car and head for home, however long the drive. Just listen to it, sing along (I promise you know the words), and see if a tear doesn’t well up. You take the melody, and I’ll take the high harmony.
Wilson Pickett, “Mustang Sally”
Of all the songs that namecheck a specific make of car — Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” Dwight Yoakam’s “Long White Cadillac,” and Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” come to mind — I’m going with Wilson Pickett’s recording of “Mustang Sally” for my top pick. So much to love: the incomparable vocals of Wilson Pickett, those early model Mustangs (one of the coolest cars ever), the sexy lyrics. Since 1991, the song has always brought to mind the great movie The Commitments and the thrilling moment when the titular Irish soul band takes the stage and rocks the heck out of this song.
Elvis Presley, “[It’s a] Long Lonely Highway”
The King with backing vocals by the Jordanaires! The tune is part of the soundtrack of the 1964 Elvis movie Kissin’ Cousins, which the Los Angeles Times described as “a frisky mixture of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Li’l Abner.” The finale’s title track hit No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100, but plenty of fans have tender feelings for the movie’s underrated “Tender Feeling.”
Freddie King, “Key to the Highway”
This blues standard is usually credited to Charles “Chas” Segar and William “Big Bill” Broonzy and has been recorded plenty, but my favorite version is the one by Freddie King. I got into the Texas blues great — one of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar,” along with Albert and B.B. — through a blues-guitar-playing boyfriend. Freddie’s “Palace of the King” and his rock-shaping guitar instrumental “Hideaway” would be on my list, too, for the way they fill the car (and soul) with great energy, but “Key to the Highway” has the words that fit our present road-trip/driving theme. I’ll never get over the lyric “Give me one more kiss, baby, before I go …” and can imagine that was Freddie’s constant leave-taking. The hard-touring and hard-partying King hit the road nearly 300 days a year. He died at age 42, likely as much from road-touring stress as hard-living ill health. So let that be a road trip lesson to us all to be careful out there.
Check out Matt Wickstrom’s road trip playlist on Spotify.
