Playlist: Road Trip

Something I like to do for fun every once in a while is to make playlists for different occasions. I did this pretty often for Divine Comedy, making a specific "setlist" for each show, but even before then I'd been making playlists as a way to pass the time. I figured I'd eventually need to use some of these playlists once in a while, and one opportunity is actually coming up this week. So, as a new kind of post I'll do every so often, I'll post a playlist of 20-30 songs specific to a kind of genre, occasion, or feeling. I'll do my best to post links for each one and explain my reasoning for some of my choices or what each playlist is meant to accomplish.

If you've already read the title, which I hope you have by now, this playlist is meant for road trips, or pretty much any opportunity you'd have to go for long stretches of time cooped up in one place. So these songs are meant to be fun; they help pass the time by distracting you from the tediousness of the road, and in many cases they're already well-known and everyone in the car can sing along. (And it doesn't have to be great singing - again, it's just meant to be a good time.)

• Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen I don't think any road trip music would be complete without this one, so I just got it out of the way to begin with. It's a classic, and for good reason.
• It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - R.E.M. While not everyone may be able to sing along with the lyrics, it's still a fun one to jam out to.
• Albuquerque - Weird Al Yankovic A lot of the songs I put on here kind of tell their own stories on here, and the story that "Albuquerque" tells is quite entertaining.
• The Impresario - Jake Kaufman and Tommy Pedrini This is probably one of the first ones on here that not as many people will know about. The song is taken from a scene in the game Final Fantasy III (or Final Fantasy VI, depending on how technical you want to get – but I digress). The scene itself is an opera, where one of the characters you play as goes undercover as one of the performers, but ends up being kidnapped. This song is basically a rock opera version of what the game's opera is meant to be, and in a lot of ways similar to Bohemian Rhapsody's conveyance of a story. Think Romeo and Juliet, and it'll make a lot of sense.
• On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons Fun to sing along at the chorus, and the music video for this actually has some friends of mine in it!
• Shut Up And Dance - Walk the Moon This is a catchy one that's come out fairly recently. Easy to sing along with the whole time, and the version I linked to is actually a compilation of dance scenes from various films.
• I Want You Back - Jackson 5 I could put probably any song from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack here, and it'd be an acceptable choice.
• Don't Stop Me Now - Queen Just fun the whole way through.
• Get Lucky - Daft Punk While most of Daft Punk's songs aren't in quite the same style, the top single they released from their most recent album still holds up. Also, there's a cover by George Barnett that takes away the techno feel and puts a bit more funk in it.
• Our Own House - MisterWives I first heard this song (and this artist) from a beer commercial. While I don't drink alcohol myself, the song caught my attention, and I've actually enjoyed a lot of the songs from MisterWives since discovering them.
• Super Rad - The Aquabats A classic ska anthem, this one I listened to quite often back in the day to pump me up and get me energized.
• Hopeless Wanderer - Mumford and Sons This is more for a singalong – if you've got a large group of people in the car with you, the harmonizing can be incredible.
• Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas Making sure there's a healthy balance of classic rock in here, this song (having been the theme song for the show Supernatural) should be pretty recognizable and enjoyable.
• I'm Alive (Life Sounds Like) - Michael Franti & Spearhead Another underrated song, I heard this one in a commercial for a video game (Rayman Legends) and was immediately hooked. It's just happy all the way through, and great for maintaining high spirits.
• Daylight - Matt and Kim Good for just jamming out for a few minutes, even if you don't know all the words.
• Love and Memories - O.A.R. I like singing along with this one, personally, and from what I remember when it came out it was pretty big. Don't know how many people will still remember the lyrics, but they're not hard to learn.
• Don't Stop Believing - Journey THIS one, however, everybody should know and sing along with. Or at least try to sing along with. It's guaranteed to be heard at any karaoke night, so why not include it here?
• Just Give Me a Reason - P!nk feat. Nate Ruess I think this song is actually quite overplayed on the radio these days, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. And if you've got a mix of guys and girls in the car, it makes a fun duet.
• Beat It - Michael Jackson I included this one 1) for the singing aspect and 2) the dancing aspect. I'd kinda like to see someone try to pull off some of the moves from the music video while in the car.
• Tribute - Tenacious D Probably their most famous song, as it gives you a feel for pretty much any other of theirs.
• Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi Another classic rock choice, where everyone can join in on the chorus.
• Freebird - Lynrd Skynyrd I have fond memories of playing this on Guitar Hero 2, going through the whole nine minutes and feeling so accomplished after getting through the second half of this song. Sure, it's not a sing-a-long like the rest of these, but if you wanna rock out, this'll do the job.

Movie soundtracks, especially Disney songs, are quite acceptable as well. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments, and feel free to include links or say why you think they're great for a road trip!