Playlist: You Need A Car

Posted byLaneia

on September 5, 2011

You have recently found yourself in the market for a used car.

You spend hours every night on Craigslist and AutoTrader, pausing only to pour another whiskey or cold-call strangers who might be total liars or, even better, might have already sold their perfectly honest cars to some other lucky bastards. You go to bed talking about Volvos. You wake up pondering the reliability of a Hundai. You know the pros and cons of a Turbo 2.3L 4-cyl engine and that Saab stopped making hatchback 9-3s after 2002 (but will bring them back in 2012!). You can list all the standard features of a 1993 Toyota 4Runner SR5.

You are the most annoying person you know and yet you still don't have a car.

There are some sad options in your price rage. Almost everything has ripped seats or fucked transmissions or salvaged titles. You're driving your girlfriend to work so you can borrow her car and the money you both spent on gasoline last month could've made a nice downpayment on a yacht, maybe.

Bless your heart, you need some music.

Behind The Wheel - Depeche Mode
Camaro - Kings of Leon
Drive - The Cars
Short Skirt/Long Jacket - Cake
Drive - REM
Killer Cars - Radiohead
El Camino - Ween
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Drive My Car - The Beatles
Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin
Used Cars - Bruce Springsteen
Fast Cars - Buzzcocks
Cars - Gary Numan
On The Road Again - Willie Nelson
Mint Car - The Cure
Vegetable Car - Joshua Radin
Girls/Fast Cars - The Wombats
Loud Music In Cars - Billy Bremner
Hymn For New Cars - Mclusky
Riding In Cars With Girls - Moi Caprice
Cars Are Cars - Paul Simon
Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire

STREAM THE PLAYLIST HERE

Add your favorite late automotive related tracks in the comments below!

Want to suggest a playlist theme? Hit Crystal up on Formspring and someone on the team will make it for you.

45 responses to “Playlist: You Need A Car”

Crystal (member)
September 5, 2011 at 3:55 pm Permalink Reply

Laneia this is amazing.
I’d like to add “Drive” by Incubus.

4
Lora (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:21 pm Permalink Reply Report user

“Roadrunner” by Johnathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, my quintessential driving song.

Also maybe “Speed Racer” by Liz Phair.

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1. B
  September 5, 2011 at 7:48 pm Permalink Reply
  
  Didn’t catch this before I posted. Yes. Roadrunner is the driving song. And basically everything Johnathan Richman did rocks.
  
  1
cynthia (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:22 pm Permalink Reply Report user

YES.

“Ode To My Car” – Adam Sandler
“Shut Up & Drive” – Rihanna
“Low Rider” – War

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watson (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:22 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Cars are a sensitive subject with me at the moment. I crashed mine yesterday :/
Also “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol.

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1. AL (member)
  September 5, 2011 at 4:25 pm Permalink Reply Report user
  
  oh no I hope you’re okay!
  
  I got in a fender-bender myself Friday, wrecked my whole weekend so I know how you feel.
  
  0
  1. watson (member)
    September 5, 2011 at 4:39 pm Permalink Reply Report user
    
    thank you! Hope you’re alright too.
    it was nothing too serious, no one hurt thankfully. Well, my ego took a massive hit.
    Maybe we should have a support group
    
    1
Evidux (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:42 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Ventura Highway by America. Best song all categories really.

1
Laura (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:50 pm Permalink Reply

this is so relevant to my interests. it’s like you’re reading my mind, laneia.

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mkr (member)
September 5, 2011 at 4:56 pm Permalink Reply Report user

I am not a big Melissa Etheridge fan but “You Can Sleep While I Drive” is better lyrics-wise than usually you get with her.
I am a big fan of Lucinda Williams and “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road” is one of those perfect Lucinda songs.

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Crystal (member)
September 5, 2011 at 5:17 pm Permalink Reply

“My Car” by the Gin Blossoms.

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Chloe
September 5, 2011 at 6:46 pm Permalink Reply

Deep Purple’s Highway Star gets me every time

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Roxy2
September 5, 2011 at 7:22 pm Permalink Reply

one time i bought a beach boys cassette tape all about cars.

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1. chrissie riot (member)
  September 6, 2011 at 5:56 am Permalink Reply Report user
  
  I want that tape.
  
  0
SuperNaye (member)
September 5, 2011 at 7:34 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Can I just say that this is me. I’m 21 and I dont have a car. The older I get, the more of a pain it becomes. Ugh. Hopefully next year *crosses finger* til then, i’ll listen to these songs and take rides when possible.

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1. Dina (member)
  September 6, 2011 at 3:05 am Permalink Reply Report user
  
  I’m turning 29 tomorrow and I don’t even have a LICENSE.
  
  Because I’m awesome.
  
  2
  1. kakapo (member)
    September 6, 2011 at 6:19 pm Permalink Reply Report user
    
    Whoo, I’m 24-rapidly-closing-in-on-25, and I’m in the same boat. We are so cool. I’m certain of it.
    
    1
    1. NewTexan (member)
      September 11, 2011 at 7:12 pm Permalink Reply Report user
      
      Huh…my younger brother is 38ish and has never gotten his license. I didn’t know it was a cool thing, I guess I owe him some cred.
      
      0
B
September 5, 2011 at 7:35 pm Permalink Reply

Nice list!

My all-time favorite car/driving song is “Roadrunner” by The Modern Lovers. If you are from Boston this is especially great.

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MStadler
September 5, 2011 at 7:38 pm Permalink Reply

Drive by Hannah Georgas is always a good one.

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Emma (member)
September 5, 2011 at 7:57 pm Permalink Reply Report user

this is super timely for me too, some asshat without insurance backed into me in a parking lot last week, the repairs are going to cost more than my car is worth!

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sterling_sky (member)
September 5, 2011 at 7:58 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Everything Bruce Springsteen. This is possibly a carryover from the Bruce Springsteen post but I’m a Canadian with a serious Springsteen habit so whatevs.

Keep the Car Running – Arcade Fire
Life in the Fast Lane – The Eagles (shut up.)
Pickup Man – Joe Diffie (I like to listen to this with a complete lack of irony and slightly modified lyrics wrt gender)
Bitchin’ Camaro – Dead Milkmen
The Truck Got Stuck – Corb Lund Band
Highway Unicorn – Lady Gaga

And has no one said Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway” yet? It remains a favourite forever; that Rascall Flats version is total blasphemy.

I also have a significant love for TERRIFYINGLY cheesy/great old country songs about truckers. “Convoy”, anyone? He speaks most of the lyrics through a CB radio, what is not to love, I ask you.

… God, my list is so much less cool than the AS one. *hangs head in shame*

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Jen (member)
September 5, 2011 at 8:21 pm Permalink Reply Report user

“In My Car”
“Drive On, Driver”
“Lonely Highway”
“When The Open Road Is Closing In”

by The Magnetic Fields

I listen to other bands, I promise, but THEY ARE THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.

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1. rachip (member)
  September 5, 2011 at 10:59 pm Permalink Reply Report user
  
  drive on, driver = best
  
  0
Samantha (member)
September 5, 2011 at 9:26 pm Permalink Reply Report user

“I Can’t Drive 55″, Sammy Hagar.

Period.

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wallow (member)
September 5, 2011 at 10:08 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Behind the Wheel is one of my favorite songs ever. Ever!

Satan Is My Motor – Cake
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – The Smiths
That Ain’t My Truck – Rhett Akins
No Particular Place To Go – Chuck Berry
America – Simon and Garfunkel

And maybe, just maybe:
Low Rider – War

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myou (member)
September 5, 2011 at 10:35 pm Permalink Reply Report user

indians scattered on dawn’s highway bleeding

0
Melody (member)
September 5, 2011 at 10:50 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Cars are overrated.

3
Dani
September 5, 2011 at 11:11 pm Permalink Reply

‘Drive’ by funeral for a friend, ‘Headlights on dark roads’ snow patrol and I can’t believe no one’s mentioned ‘I drove all night’ by roy orbison yet

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bam
September 6, 2011 at 12:33 am Permalink Reply

Drive and Rollin’ On by Black Stone Cherry
Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show
The Traveling Song by The Avett Brothers
B Movie Box Car Blues by The Blues Brothers

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Katie
September 6, 2011 at 12:47 am Permalink Reply

Built to Spill – Car. That’s the only car song we need.

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lia (member)
September 6, 2011 at 2:10 am Permalink Reply Report user

‘little red corvette’ – Prince
not my favorite car song but the only one I can think of that isn’t already on here:)

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Dina (member)
September 6, 2011 at 3:06 am Permalink Reply Report user

I feel like this needs to be on here.

1
segfault (member)
September 6, 2011 at 5:00 am Permalink Reply Report user

“Getaway car” by Audioslave

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Jules (member)
September 6, 2011 at 10:45 am Permalink Reply Report user

“Passenger Side” by Wilco!

Needing a car is the story of my life.

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mp
September 6, 2011 at 12:18 pm Permalink Reply

Butterfly Boucher – Another White Dash
Chris Pureka – Porch Songs

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julia (member)
September 6, 2011 at 5:52 pm Permalink Reply Report user

at first i didn’t see fast car on the playlist and i was like THIS IS A LESBIAN TRAVESTY I AM APPALLED. but then like… i saw it and all was well in the land of lesbian travesties.

1
Rose (member)
September 6, 2011 at 6:05 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Jaguar – The Who:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwD3OvMTq8A

(It’s a bonus track from the CD version of The Who Sell Out.)

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Rose (member)
September 6, 2011 at 6:11 pm Permalink Reply Report user

Also, how about 1/3 of Beach Boys songs? (All the ones that aren’t about surfing or girls.)

409: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKKP_cZuk54
I Get Around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WP2exZurfc
Little Honda – technically about a motorcycle, but who cares: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m1rrMB3JdA

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Playlist: You Need A Car - Autostraddle
September 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm Permalink

[...] Playlist: You Need A CarAutostraddleYou spend hours every night on Craigslist and AutoTrader, pausing only to pour another whiskey or cold-call strangers who might be total liars or, even better, might have already sold their perfectly honest cars to some other lucky bastards. … [...]

0
Kestrel (member)
September 7, 2011 at 1:16 pm Permalink Reply Report user

“Northwest Passage” by Stan Rogers is utterly necessary for Canadian road trips, or at least driving aimlessly in the middle of nowhere.

“Destination Unknown” by Alex Gaudino for when you really need to groove in place to a good beat.

“Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car” by Iron & Wine for pretending you’re starring in a queer feminist remake of Supernatural.

“Supersonic Rocket Ship” by the Kinks because it’s a happy hippie song and I have a Prius and, well, it’s my little humming spaceship and I love it so.

0
‘Drive Away Hunger’ campaign begins - Bizjournals.com
September 7, 2011 at 5:00 pm Permalink

[...] Playlist: You Need A CarAutostraddleYou spend hours every night on Craigslist and AutoTrader, pausing only to pour another whiskey or cold-call strangers who might be total liars or, even better, might have already sold their perfectly honest cars to some other lucky bastards. … [...]

0
Kadence
September 7, 2011 at 9:45 pm Permalink Reply

In order of my preference:
“Back on the Motorway” -Metronomy
“On the Motorway” -Metronomy
“Lullabye”- The Bubbles
“Marty”- Five Iron Frenzy
“Car” -Five Iron Frenzy
Others I remembered:
“Pootermobile” -Five Iron Frenzy
“K-Car”- Relient K

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NewTexan (member)
September 11, 2011 at 7:21 pm Permalink Reply Report user

All of these suggestions make me want to write a lesbian love song to my Subarus, past and present.

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A
October 5, 2011 at 3:00 am Permalink Reply

Try: Bury me with my Car, Ben Sollee

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