With a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, I think a ton of people are out there thinking about the summer. Getting out of their homes and getting outside. Or maybe thinking about moving on. I know durt is hitting the road real soon. In a moment of wisdom, he put up a channel in the discord to think tank through a playlist for his travels.
As I have done too many long drives in my life, I had quite a few road playlists. Figured I would share my thoughts on the types of things I think about in building a driving playlist.
Have to have some of that obvious shit
Start with the easy stuff. Got to have some of the road songs people know. This kind of thing. On the road again. King of the Road. That kind of stuff.
There is an element to the Songs You Know By Heart philosophy that does ring true. Especially if you have other people with you. You need those songs that people know the words to. And if its just you, that’s doubly true. You need the thing that makes the miles just pass by (more on this later).
Songs with a forward momentum beat
This seems to be a big gap (at least in my opinion) on alot of driving playlists I find. You need those songs that may have nothing to do with anything involving driving. You need the stuff that feels like moving forward.
I like to use this song as an example. Something about the beat here really feels like wheels turning on the road. Its got that simple metronomic kind of beat that really propels you forward. I like that.
Songs about change
This one is straightforward, but again, I feel like people miss it. You want some shit about things changing. Transitions. Something about starting up a new.
I use Tomorrow’s Dream a ton, but I’ll let Liam take the example slot. This has the benefit of being both a song about moving and a song about changing something about yourself. If you can get multiple of these categories satisfied, then you gunna be riding the high country.
Songs about wherever you are going
This is probably harder if your destination is somewhere shitty like Orlando or Shreveport. Places along the route works too. Plus this adds variety. Not everyone wants to hear Take Me Home, Country Roads all the time. You need some shit to shake it up.
That leads to the next category.
Think about it. You are on the road for endless miles. You will get tired. You will lose focus. And you don’t want that shit. That’s why I shove in the curveball every 10-15 songs or so. Some shit no one expects. Trunk Fulla Amps is a light suggestion, but you can take it as hard as you want to.
The better chance the reaction is “Wtf?” or “Hell yeah,” the better chance you are right on target.
One last thing, you want that shit you like. Whatever it is. Throw in shit you like. You need things that will keep you going down the road. So put in some shit that only you dig on.
Oh and stay safe out there. Keep masking up. Work on getting your shot. We gunna make it through, and I’ll meet you further on up the road.