MUSICPOP CULTURERoad Trip & Playlists

Quick story about a road trip and a play list that followed.

The odyssey of traveling has always captivated me. The open road has always calmed me. There’s something therapeutic to me about packing an overnight bag, loading your car up for a long haul, and having the satisfaction of arriving to your desired destination safely. I wonder if this has to do with man’s nomadic history, who knows.

A couple of weeks ago I was in a serious rut with my mental health, my anxiety was at an all time high, seriously depressed, and just feeling close to throwing in the towel. My super close friends rented a cabin in Caliente CA close to where we all grew up and invited me. One of my best friend’s Simone offered to drive the 6-hour trek north. To this day hats off to her.

So yea, yea, yea I know every trip needs water, jerky, candy, and energy drinks but everyone knows music could be the most important aspect to any road trip. With today’s cellphone technology its something we really don’t think about because all you need is an aux chord and a streaming service. I suggested to Simone that I plug my phone in and she countered with giant CD case binder full of handwritten mix tapes. Names that range from “SF Trip” to “Gangsta Shit”. We chatted about life while we listened to old songs the whole way. That trip calmed me down and since then I have kind of been on a positive roll personally. Maybe it was the venting, maybe it was the jams, most likely the good company.

On the way home we made a road trip playlist that reminded us of that weekend, this is what we ended up with on the ride home. My hope is that this become a thread being continuously added too. If you are about to go on a road trip look over this list and see if you want to make a mix before you leave.

I’d suggest it.

“Hotel California”- The Eagles

“Ain’t to Proud to Beg”-The Temptations

“C.R.E.A.M”-Wu Tang Clan

“Amber”-311

“Sicko Mode”-Travis Scott

“Mr Postman”- The Carpenters

“Strange Days”-The Doors

“All the Stars”- Kendrick Lamar

“Don’t Let Me Down”-Blue Oyster Cult

“I Ran”- Flock of Seagulls

“Africa”-Toto

“Palmdale”-Afroman

“Push it to the Limit”- Paul Engermann

“Revolution”-The Beatles

“Even Flow”-Pearl Jam

“Sharp dressed man”-ZZ Top

“Big Mouth Stikes Again”- The Smiths

“Don’t You Forget about Me”-Simple Minds

“Rebel Yell”- Billy Idol

“Magic Carpet Ride”- Steppenwolf

“Rock On”- David Essex

“Bringing Down the House”- Talking Heads

“Hungry Like the Wolf”- Duran Duran

“Lucky Star”- Madonna

“Get Lucky” –Daft punk

“Do You really want to hurt me?”- Culture Club

“Winding Road “–Fleetwood Mac

“Stuck in the Middle with you”-Steelers Wheels

“Don’t till you get enough”-Micheal Jackson

“Final Countdown”-Europe

“Celebration”- Kool & The Gang

“R.E.S.P.E.C.T”- Aretha Fanklin

“Big Poppa”-Notorious B.I.G.

“Iron Man” –Black Sabbath

“7 Nation Army”- The White Stripes

“California Love”- 2pac feat Dr. Dre

“When Doves Cry”- Prince

Written &  illustrated by J-Walk