The Grammy Awards are tonight, so let’s talk music. There is a road in California that plays a 20-second snippet of the “William Tell Overture” as cars pass over it. It involves a sound generator installed in the roadway (originally for a Honda commercial). Specifically, it’s in the westbound left lane of West Avenue, between 32nd and 40th streets, in the desert town of Lancaster.
Now, the “William Tell Overture” is an inspiring piece of music, particularly when you’re winding your way toward Yosemite or cruising through Monument Valley. That kind of sound can supplement the sights in a big way. But you don’t have to go to the trouble of heading for a particular lane in Lancaster to get some good driving tunes. Just make yourself an American Soundtrack.
About 18 months ago, I offered up a great collection of songs for an American road trip. These were my 15 choices:
“America the Beautiful” (Ray Charles version)
“On the Road Again” (Willie Nelson)
“Ramblin’ Man” (Allman Brothers)
“Thunder Road” (Bruce Springsteen)
“Big Yellow Taxi” (Joni Mitchell)
“Turn the Page” (Bob Seger)
“Love the One You’re With” (Stephen Stills)
“Gotta Travel On” (Bob Dylan)
“Watchin’ the Wheels” (John Lennon)
“American Girl” (Tom Petty)
“Take it Easy” (Eagles)
“LaGrange” (ZZ Top)
“I’m Gonna Be” (The Proclaimers)
“The Way” (Fastball)
“Breakdown” (Jack Johnson)
Well, I could probably choose 150 songs that work, but here are another 15 that conjure up visions of the open road, no matter where I happen to be when I hear them:
“Homeward Bound” (Simon & Garfunkel)
“Me and Bobby McGee” (Janis Joplin)
“On the Road to Find Out” (Cat Stevens)
“Life is a Highway” (Tom Cochrane)
“Radar Love” (Golden Earring)
“Slow Ride” (Foghat)
“Roll On Down the Highway” (Bachman Turner Drive)
“Running on Empty” (Jackson Browne)
“Truckin’” (Grateful Dead)
“Up Around the Bend” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Ventura Highway” (America)
“Backstreets” (Bruce Springsteen)
“Here I Go Again” (Whitesnake)
“Hotel California” (The Eagles)
“Jersey to O.C.” (Sam Shaber)
Never heard of Sam Shaber? She now fronts an L.A.-based punk band called The Happy Problem, but she’s also a heck of a singer-songwriter. I hope to use that particular song as the soundtrack to a soon-to-be-released “book trailer” (a book version of a movie preview) for my upcoming travel memoir. More on that in a few months…
Anyone have a favorite on this list? Or other suggestions?
