From Sufjan to ‘Nashville Skyline’: Two Takes on a Road Trip Soundtrack

And the Kerouac anniversary celebration lingers. In honor of the 50th birthday of “On the Road,” the Guardian’s Laura Barton put together a 50-song list of must-listen road trip tracks, one for each American state. It’s an eclectic selection—everyone from Sufjan Stevens to Aerosmith to Loretta Lynn is represented—and it’s stirring up a lot of (mostly civilized) debate on the story’s comment pages. I can’t see how she skipped over “Georgia On My Mind” or “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” but for the most part I was impressed by the list’s range and creativity. Perry Como’s “Delaware”? Who knew?

The Globe and Mail has another take on the road trip soundtrack: Dave Bidini’s story of a four-day drive from Toronto to Newfoundland, fueled by 80 second-hand cassettes. Like Barton’s list, Bidini’s big bag of tapes holds an odd mix of tunes, but somehow, each album fits perfectly for a given stage of the drive.

He writes:

While listening to Beck’s Mellow Gold, I grind through Montreal’s narrow overpass tangle. Seeking something more tranquil and reassuring, I push an Atlantic Rhythm and Blues collection—Roberta Flack, Donnie Hathaway, Aretha Franklin’s Rock Steady—into the tape deck. This guides me through the city’s traffic snarl until I am released along Highway 40 toward Quebec City listening to Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo in Beat It. Michael Jackson gives way to Hot Chocolate, who give way to Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express, its electronic machine works thrumming perfectly to the engine’s grinding beat. Propelled by the song’s deep motoring trance, I flatten the accelerator.

Both stories offer plenty of inspiration for that next road trip. I’ll definitely be digging out some old tapes for my next long drive—New Kids on the Block Christmas album, anyone?

 

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved