The following is a sponsored post presented by Mercury Insurance.
A road trip just isn’t complete without the perfect playlist. We all have our favorites – songs about hitting the open road, traveling to exotic lands, faraway places and the journey.
“Driving is driving, road tripping is another kind of thing,” Sammy Hagar said. “This is about going on a road trip. You load your trunk up with things and you go see somebody or you go to a destination.”
Sammy’s a seasoned road tripper and his new AXS TV show, “Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar,” gives fans a unique opportunity to ride along with Sammy on a cross-country journey as he visits famous friends and fellow musicians. Sammy has already given his sponsor, Mercury Insurance, an exclusive interview and inside look at his prized guitar collection. Now, the road trip connoisseur is sharing his top 10 all-time favorite cruising songs.
10) Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
“So coming in at number 10, we’re going to have the East Coast boss. Okay the East Coast boss, just remember that he’s not the West Coast boss, he’s the East coast boss. We’re going to go with a guy named Bruce Springsteen, ‘Thunder Road’ in the house!”
This is the first track on “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road” and was the song that skyrocketed Springsteen’s popularity.
9) Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith
“At number nine, a little Aerosmith in the house, ‘Sweet Emotion.’”
Released on their 1975 album “Toys in the Attic,” the song reached number 36 on the “Billboard Hot 100” list and is considered to be the signature song of the band.
8) Highway to Hell – AC/DC
“At number eight, there’s only one way to go on a highway and that is straight to Hell, AC/DC ‘Highway to Hell’ baby!”
This song was the Australian band’s first hit on the U.S. charts and shares the title of the 1979 album it debuted on. AC/DC performed this song when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
7) Man in the Box – Alice in Chains
“I became great friends with Jerry [Cantrell from Alice in Chains], and him and Nancy were kind enough to sit down with me, play some acoustic music and talk about the Seattle scene [on my show]. But, here’s my favorite Alice in Chains song of all time, a great highway song, road trip song, ‘Man in a Box.’”
Released on the album “Facelift” in 1990, it was the first grunge rock song to achieve widespread popularity.
6) School’s Out – Alice Cooper
“Coming up at number six, another good friend of mine, here’s Alice on the top 10 road trip songs at number six with ‘School’s Out.’”
Released during the summer of 1972 on the album “A Fistful of Alice,” this track has been adopted as the unofficial anthem for summer vacation and was the band’s biggest hit.
5) Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
“What would any show be without the mighty Led Zeppelin? You cannot have a radio show, you cannot have music played without playing some Led Zeppelin if you are a classic rocker like myself. So coming in at number five, this is a road trip song [that] might get you there a little quicker than you planned, but here’s Led Zeppelin with ‘Immigrant Song.’”
Released on their 1970 album “Led Zeppelin III,” the group wrote the song after they played a show in Iceland having “come from the land of ice and snow.”
4) Truckin’ – Grateful Dead
“Coming up next, we got at number four, good buddies of mine. I had the privilege of jamming with Jerry Garcia once while he was still alive and got to know all the guys in the Dead over the years. Hanging with these guys was great. We’re going to tone it down a little bit now. You’re on a road trip, you’re playing your road trip songs. You came into a speed zone, so you got to slow down a little bit and take it easy. [Here’s] number four with ‘Truckin’ baby.”
Released in 1970 on the album “American Beauty,” one of the more famous lines states: “What a long strange trip it’s been.” The song was deemed a national treasure in 1997 by the United States Library of Congress.
3) Wild Side – Mötley Crüe
“[On my show] we went to Tommy Lee’s house and I said ‘Tommy we can do anything that you want to do, what do you want to do’” and he said ‘Cook.’ Coming in at number three, ‘Wild Side’ by Mötley Crüe. Love Tommy!”
Released in 1987 on the album “Girls, Girls, Girls” by Mötley Crüe, “Wild Side” and written as a tribute to life in Los Angeles, the song invites listeners to “Take a ride on the wild side.”
2) Barracuda – Heart
“At number two, we’ve got ‘Barracuda’ by Heart. This one will get you in trouble, you’ll be stepping on the pedal.”
Released on their 1977 album “Little Queen,” sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson recorded the song as a statement about the record industry. “Barracuda” peaked just shy of the top 10 on “Billboard’s Hot 100” at number 11.
1) I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar
“The ultimate driving song. No matter what you’re driving, where you’re going, what road trip you’re on. The rock and roll trip master himself, ‘I Can’t Drive 55,’ Sammy Hagar at number one!”
From his 1984 album, “Voice of America,” this is one of Sammy’s biggest solo career hits. He thought of the song when he was pulled over during a late night drive from Albany to Lake Placid, N.Y., telling the officer that ticketed him, “I can’t drive 55.” The song ranked number 26 on “Billboard’s Top 100” in 1984 and remains popular today. While we can’t recommend driving recklessly or treating the law with abandon, the song merits it spot in the top-10 list.
Now that you’ve got the tunes situated, buckle up and see where the road takes you. It’s all part of making the journey more fun! Want to score two tickets to Sammy Hagar’s infamous Birthday Bash in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico? Mercury Insurance is offering two lucky fans the trip of a lifetime to rock out at the Cabo Wabo Cantina, and you never know who will show up for the party. Click here for your chance to win.
