Entertainment For Lively Minds
Here in my Car
After over 25 years of putting it off, and making excuses, at the age of 45 I have passed my driving test. Work relocation has forced my hand and I can now legally drive. In the scheme of things it's no big deal, but it took a lot to get me behind a wheel.
Anyway, we have some friends over at the weekend, and as part of the celebration i'm wanting to have a kind of themed music night of all things driving and being on the open road. Off the top of my head I can think of some well known ones; 'Drive my Car' by The Beatles, 'Cars' by Gary Numan, and some less well known like, 'Driving away from Home' by Its Immaterial and 'Drive she said' by Stan Ridgway.
Any further thoughts most welcome, and if they are on Spotify, all the better.
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On The Road Again/Canned Heat - could be car-ish
Jump In My Car/Ted Mulry Gang
Pink Cadillac/Natalie Cole
Green Limousine/The Badloves
Whatever you do don't play Drive by The Cars. I can't stand it! Er, not that I'm invited of course.
How about....
'Car Trouble' - Adam & The Ants
'Cars And Girls' - Prefab Sprout
'Car Wash' - Rose Royce
I'll think of more soon!
Don't listen!
to Bowie "always crashing in the same car"...
You could have Billy Bragg "to a Vauxhall Velux".
But I think anything from Morrisey's "Vauxhall and Me" is off topic.
And I think you can now officially go round singing Madness "I like driving in my car [beep beep]"
The Cure
Did a song called "Mint Car" - which is most appropriate.
Not exactly party music, but...
how about:
Cars - To Rococo Rot
Autobahn - Kraftwerk
Goddess on a Highway - Mercury Rev
Drive Inn - Klaus Schulze & Rainer Bloss (driving-themed album)
This is harder than it looks!
Bearing in mind you've just passed your test....
The Primitives - Crash
Nervous Norvous - Transfusion
The Sugarcubes - Motorcrash
And More
Kraftwerk - Autobahn
Chuck Berry - No Particular Place to go
Ry Cooder - Crazy 'bout an automobile (other versions are available)
Queen - I'm in love with my car
Beach Boys - Little Duece Coupe and Fun Fun Fun (till Daddy takes your T'Bird away)
Bruce Springsteen - about half the songs he's ever written have a car journey somewhere, but there is Used Car, Stolen Car, Born to Run, State Trooper, and especially Racing in the Street
the other half
is about girls - of course
How about
Killer Cars - radiohead ("don't die on the motorway) and in a simlar veien 'Airbag'
Get Out Of My Dreams and Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Ford Cortina - Tom Robinson
baby Driver - Simon and Garfunkel
Highway Star - Deep Putple
Mink Car - They Might be Giants
I'm In Love With My Car - Queen ('told my girl i'd have to forget her, gotta buy me a new carburettor')
Racing In the Street - Bruuuuceee (best car song ever)
Drove All Night - Roy Orbison
Road To HNowhere - Talking heads
Highway To hell - AC\DC
Jump In My Car - david Hasselhoff
The Pssenger - Iggy Pop
and the Beach Boys -
409
Shut Down
Little Duece Coupe
Our Car Club
Ballad Of old Betsy
Car Crazy Cutie
Cherry Cherry Coupe
Custom Machine
In the Parkin Lot
This Car Of Mine
Little Honda
Drive In
And more
Paradise by the Dashboard light by Meatloaf is also a suggestion of another activity that is now open to you now that you have a car.
I for one miss back seat gymnastics now that I can use a bed whenever i want.
Drive
I would have said Drive by the Cars, but I can't listen to that song without the recalling the Ethiopian famine images from Live Aid, so not really that good for a celebration. Guess you could use some of there other tracks.....
Failing that, Madness - I Like Driving In My Car.
Mike McGear - Giving grease a ride
ZZ Top - Manic Mechanic, She loves my automobile
The big O - I drove all night
Zodiac Mindwarp - Backseat Education ('working up a sweat on the leatherette')
How are you finding it?
May I ask?
I passed my test over 20 years ago aged 23 but only started actually driving last year at age 44.
Long story - passed test, left home for London almost immediately afterwards, didn't need and couldn't afford a car etc etc...
How's your road sense so far?
Anyway I would suggest 'Traffic and Weather' by Fountains of Wayne!
Very nerve wracking
I have not had a good relationship with cars in the past, been involved in 3 accidents when I was in my teens, so that put me off. Since then i've never really needed a car as I could get to work via public transport. Its only been now that i've needed to drive, plus I can give my long suffering wife a break from driving after all these years.
My main test will be when I get out there on my own, since learning I can appreciate the level of skill needed,i'm also always surprised about the level of traffic on the roads plus how bad some other road users can be. Besides that I can't wait to get out there, if not for the fact i'll be able to go and see bands without, a) staying in a hotel for the night, or b) hoping the band finish before the last bus/train home.
Thanks for all the suggestions, really appreciate it. Particularly like the suggestions for Sugarcubes and Bowie, very good...Thanks
I know how you feel
I'm getting to love it but, equally, tend to shite myself at least once per journey.
My GLW who has been driving for the past 15 years says even though I don't feel it I'm a far better driver than she is because I'm so hyper-aware. I can become indignant when spotting another driver 75 yards ahead who didn't signal to change lanes.
Well done you
I passed a couple of years ago at age 38. It was very nerve wracking for a while and I felt the first time I drove on my own that I would get stopped and told that that wasn't allowed.
Now I ferry my children round and very rarely use it for any thing fun. Have been to see some bands and films though without worrying about buses or paying for another ticket so some driver would take me. When I stand back and think about it it is very liberating.
On the song front, That Driving Beat by Willie Mitchell, A Car that Sped by Gene and Maybe I should drive by the Trash can Sinatras were all on my celebratory compilation CD.
Firstly - congratulations
Secondly - Thanks. these posts are making me feel so much better - I'm 31 and have my driving test booked for next month.
Thirdly - not very party friendly, but how about 'Drive' by REM?
Congrats , you will now be going to the ...
...Car Wash -Rose Royce
you may also enjoy Car Song - Elastica
Hoorah!!
A legitimate reason to mention Del Amitri, "Driving With The Brakes On" a wonderful song.
Variation on a theme
Here's an obscure one - Soft Top, Hard Shoulder by Chris Rea from the marvellous film of the same name.
You should also have Gary Numan's Cars obviously but the cover by The Leisure Society is so much better than the original! Best cover version ever in fact!
"Driving Home For Xmas"
by Chris Rea. Or "Road to Hell" obviously.
Thanks!
Just checked out The Leisure Society on Spotify. Fantastic music!
The Cars - Drive??
surely the most obvious has been missed
others:
Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
The Verve - Drive You Home
Of Montreal - A Man's Life Flashing Before His Eyes While He And His Wife Drive Off A Cliff
David Bowie - She'll Drive The Big Car
Frida Hyvonen - I Drive My Friend
Kanye West - Drive Slow
The Long Blondes - Seperated By Motorways
M83 - Car Chase Terror
Echobelly - Car Fiction
Spoon - Car Radio
Gene - A Car That Sped
The Doors - Cars Hiss By My Window
Bright Eyes - Classic Cars
Jem - Just A Ride
Radiohead - Killer Cars
Cake - Long Line Of Cars
Larrikin Love - Meet Me By The Getaway Car
Ocean Colour Scene - Second Hand Car
Yes - Man In A White Car
a spotify playlist for most of these can be found here:
http://open.spotify.com/user/badger_king/playlist/4yQrGKeUEonPEcRo9hklBC
Vroom! Vroom!
Just to add to your list:
Trampled Underfoot - Led Zeppelin
Mercury Blues - David Lindley
Crazy 'Bout and Automobile - Ry Cooder
One Piece at a Time - Johnny Cash
Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman
Red Barchetta - Rush
The Highways of my Life - The Isley Brothers
Thunderbird - John Hiatt
Automobile Noise - The Blue Nile
Drive - REM
Used Cars - Bruce Springsteen
Happy motoring!
How's about ...
Under My Wheels / Alice Cooper
Automobile Noise / The Blue Nile
Key To The Highway / Derek And The Dominos
Congratulations!
I'd suggest Bo Diddley - a party's not complete without some Bo - Roadrunner!
Cheat.
Play some Little Feat with Lowell playing slide on it.
With his 11/16th Sears & Roebuck socket, you can claim a motoring connection yet avoid anything you consider dross from the rather excellent list above.
The Big O's 'I Drove All Night', of course, is a must.
Did you pass for automatics or have you got a stick shift?
The Best!
Billy Bremner - Loud music in Cars
Happy motoring!
Guy Clark - LA Freeway
I've had a quick check - I couldn't see Kraftwerk's "Autobahn" up there. Saves turning all those 45 rpm singles over, dun't it?
XTC
roads girdle the globe
My Itunes Car Songs
Arcade Fire- No Cars Go and Keep The Car Running
Radiohead- Killer Cars and Stupid Car
Mylo- Muscle Car
Elastica- Car Song
Snow Patrol- Chasing Cars
The Cure- Mint Car
Beatles- Drive my Car
Bowie- Always Crashing In The Same Car
Stephen Fretwell- Bumper Cars
Belle and Sebastian- I Love My Car
Bluetones- Autophilia (Excellent song!)
The Divine Comedy- Your Daddy's Car
Eels- Woman Driving, Man Sleeping
R.E.M- Drive
Roy Orbison- I Drove All Night
I'm 45
and can't drive. I need to. Unfortunately I have a mental block about the whole affair. Any tips?
To be honest
if I didn't need to drive for the job, then I wouldn't have learnt. I've managed for over half my life without driving and i'm sure I could have managed the last half. My wife bought me some vouchers for xmas for lessons, and I just booked the first lesson. I made sure I had a instructor who was good with nervous drivers.
Won't lie, the first few were awful, had butterflys before, and would think of nothing else the night before the lesson. This subsided as time went by but always felt nervous before a lesson.
Find a good instructor, and take your time. I never thought I would get to be a legal driver. Just go for it, once you get behind the wheel it's not as bad as you imagine
Didn't see them above
Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz
Prince - Little Red Corvette
John Travolta - Greased Lightnin'
The Three Johns - King Car
Screaming Blue Messiahs - Twin Cadillac Valentine
Some with relevant lyrics:
Curtis Mayfield - Just be thankful for what you've got
Tower of Power - Only so much oil in the ground
anythng
by the Crash Test Dummies.
And - The Long and Winding Road - if the Satnav's having an off-day
Jeepers Creepers Cruisers Creekers
Cruisers Creek - The Fall
Driver 8 - REM
Survival Car - Fountains Of Wayne
Been drivin' all night, hands wet on the wheel...
Radar Love, Golden Earring