Cars and Guitars: 20 Best Songs About Cars and Driving

2. War – Low Rider

The first mention of the lowrider car culture in mainstream music was War’s 1975 single from the album, Why Can’t We Be Friends. The funk band, War, was a popular West Coast music group with their ears to the streets who recognized the uniqueness and colorful image of lowrider cars.

The video for the song features numerous lowriders cruising the streets of L.A. The lyrics perfectly reflect the Chicano culture, which was underground in those days. They featured this song is featured in many car movies, most notably in the remake of the cult classic, Gone in 60 Seconds, starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie.

3. Johnny Cash – One Piece at a Time

One of the biggest legends of the American music scene is Johnny Cash, aka The Man in Black. Throughout his 50-year career, Cash was a pivotal country music artist who helped shape the genre. In 1976 he released his song called, One Piece at a Time, a classic and one of his last chart-toppers before his death in 2003. The song is about a man at GM who works on a Cadillac assembly line. He comes up with a plan to get a Caddy without spending a dime.

Over the course of 24 years, he collects the parts, but things didn’t work out exactly like he planned. Some people say they built two models of the car they called the Psychobilly Cadillac or Patchwork Cadillac. Bruce Fitzpatrick of Abernathy Auto Parts and Hilltop Auto Salvage in Nashville, Tennessee built one Cadillac to promote the song.

They displayed the first car at the House of Cash Museum until it closed and they crushed it. Bill Patch and the Lions Club of Welch, Oklahoma built the second car, which still remains at the Historic Auto Attractions Famous Cars and Stars.

4. The Clash – Brand New Cadillac

Although punk bands didn’t pay much attention to flashy cars and material goods, the landmark London band, The Clash, covered Vince Taylor’s classic on their 1979 album, London Calling.

This successful cover and lots of car references in other Clash songs show this band held American car culture in high regard. They also understood it as an important piece of the American lifestyle all European bands loved.

5. Gary Numan – Cars

In late 70’s there was a new music genre called new wave. It featured the massive use of synthesizers, along with catchy pop melodies and interesting lyrics. One of the best examples was England’s Gary Newman whose only U.S. hit was the classic Cars.

Even though cars are used as metaphors and there aren’t many actual car references in the song, this is still a new-wave classic and a good driving song.

6. Prince – Little Red Corvette

As one of the most influential artists in popular music in the last 30 years or so, Prince had many memorable hits. One of his first was a catchy tune called Little Red Corvette. Obviously, this is a song about the car. On the other car, little red Corvette is also a metaphor for a young, promiscuous girl.

They released the song and original video that features a red Corvette in the early days of MTV. It received much attention and a heavy rotation from the channel, making it a true 80’s classic.

7. Kings of Leon – Camaro

One of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century is The Kings of Leon. Globally popular and active as a concert attraction, the Nashville-born group released an interesting car song on their third album, Because of the Times.

Their song, Camaro, doesn’t need further explanation. They mentioned Chevrolet’s pony car a few times, as well as the girl behind the wheel of this V8-powered coupe.

8. Rose Royce – Car Wash

Some critics say that disco was a pimple on the face of the music industry. But there is no doubt this musical genre was popular, influential and fun. And while most of the songs were about dancing, nightlife and breaking hearts, there was one hit by Rose Royce about cars and car washes.

A combination of a funky beat and a catchy chorus makes this a great driving song. It is one of those rare disco tunes drivers can relate to as they fly down the highways and byways of America.

9. The Dead Milkmen – Bitchin` Camaro

Totally unknown to mainstream audiences, The Dead Milkmen are a cult punk band from the 80’s. Never intending to reach widespread fame or success, the band is still active on the club scene, playing the same tunes as they did 30 years ago.

One of their more memorable tunes is a strange and satirical punk song, Bitchin’ Camaro. The bass line is cool and the dialogue at the beginning is interesting.

10. Janis Joplin – Mercedes-Benz

Janis Joplin should have been a much bigger star if she had a chance to promote her epic 1970 album, Pearl. But unfortunately, an accidental drug overdose stopped her short but fantastic career.

Among her several classic, well-known tunes, the cool-sounding, Mercedes-Benz, is the only car-related track. In real life, Janis drove a Porsche 356, but in this legendary track, she asks God to buy her a Mercedes-Benz.

11. The Beach Boys – Little Deuce Coupe

The Beach Boys were the band who gave the early car culture its recognizable sound. Based in southern California in late 50’s and early 60’s, The Beach Boys were at the epicenter of the birth of hot rodding, muscle cars and car customization. All of that was well represented in their work.

There are dozens of songs about cars and driving, and Little Deuce Coupe is just the first one. As the title suggests, the story is about a hot rodded 32 Ford Coupe with various modifications and great performance, as The Beach Boys described in their lyrics.

12. Wilson Pickett – Mustang Sally

The introduction of the Ford Mustang shocked the American car industry. The car was not just a sales phenomenon, but a cultural icon, as well. In 1965, several songs about Ford’s hot new car emerged.

But the best and the most memorable of them was the soul classic, Mustang Sally. In it, Wilson Pickett sings about girl called Sally who rides around all day in her new Mustang and doesn’t want to do anything else.

13. The Beach Boys – 409

The Beach Boys deserve more than one mention as one of the prime examples of the rock music-car connection. However, with this track, they went a step further. Songs about cars and driving were nothing new, but a song about an engine is a something different.

In 1963, The Beach Boys released the song, 409, which was about Chevrolet’s hot new V8 with up to 409 HP from the Impala SS. The engine was the hottest offering on the early muscle car scene, so it deserved eternal recognition through this hit song.

14. Bruce Springsteen – Racing in the Street

As a prime example of the Americana music genre, Bruce Springsteen had made many car references in his songs. As a vivid car collector himself, Springsteen was a part of the street racing scene in his early years, an experience he transformed into his popular songs.

But one of them, Racing in the Street, is among his best work. It was a fantastic production, with simple but effective lyrics. It tells the story about a serious street racer. Music fans knew they had something special when his song started with “I got a sixty-nine Chevy with a 396, Fuelie heads and a Hurst on the floor.”

15. Sammy Hagar – I Can`t Drive 55

In 1974, the National Maximum Speed Law was in effect throughout America. It declared 55 miles per hour (mph) was the set national speed limit. Today, most drivers admit that 55 mph is a painfully slow speed to drive on interstate highways, but in 1974 that was the limit.

Thankfully today, many state speed limits are higher. But, one of the first rockers to raise his voice against this limit was Sammy Hagar with his 1975 hit, I Can’t Drive 55. After this song, several protest tunes came out with the same topic.

16. Vanilla Ice – Rollin` in My 5.0

Although most rap music topics weren’t about cars, in the beginning, rap musicians were fond of fine machinery. So, the car, as a desirable object, has an important place in hip-hop mythology. And the best example is the Vanilla Ice hit, Rollin’ in My 5.0.

The car is about the legendary 80’s muscle car, the Ford Mustang with its 5.0 HO engine. It was the prime example of an affordable, yet powerful muscle car in the late 80’s. Especially desirable in the convertible version, the white Mustang has once again contributed to the history of popular music.

17. Cake – Distance

Rock music in the 90’s endured big changes with the appearance of grunge and post-punk bands. They were tuned into criticizing consumerism and the American way of living. However, even if that was the fashion, artists could not stay away from cars as a motif for writing lyrics.

The band, Cake is one of the highest critically acclaimed bands of the 90’s. One of their best songs is Distance. It’s about a maniacal race car driver who chases speeds and lap times as he reaches for the extreme driving experience.

18. Deep Purple – Highway Star

Deep Purple is a classic 70’s hard rock band with roaring guitar riffs and fast rhythms. Their songs are just what you need to play loud and annoy your neighbors. Their song, Highway Star, is all of that and a tune that drivers love to drive to, even nowadays.

The lyrics are straightforward, telling a short tale about a fast driver on the highway. However, the music and the feel of the song get you from the moment you press the play button. Be careful, though, because it may make you start hitting the accelerator pedal harder.

19. Dr. Dre – Let Me Ride

One of the most significant parts of the gangsta rap scene are lowriders. West Coast rappers in the early 80’s accepted the culture of those low, hydraulically-operated cars and have cherished them ever since.

The track, Let Me Ride, from the 1992 Dr. Dre hit album, Chronic, tells the tale of riding around in a “6-4” or 1964 Impala, making everybody envious of your ride.

20. Jerry Reed – Eastbound and Down

A legendary country song from the 1977 hit movie, Smoky and the Bandit, by Jerry Reed is a driving classic. Even if you are not into country music, this song reminds you of the movie and its crazy bootlegging run across state lines.

These are the 20 best songs about cars and driving. With so many choices, it is easy to pick your favorites. As long as there are cars and drivers, there will be iconic songs to help drivers enjoy the trip. More are sure to come, so why not start your driving playlist today?