Day Seven of the 30 Day Music Challenge is a fun one: ‘A Song To Drive To.’ So many ways to go with this.
My initial thought was a song that you play while driving fast down an open road in broad daylight. A couple of thematically and musically appropriate choices came to me right away: Rihanna’s ‘Shut Up and Drive‘ and Sing Street’s ‘Drive It Like You Stole It.’ Another obvious one is a song I consider the epitome of open road tunes, Tom Petty’s ‘Runnin’ Down a Dream.’
But I’ve featured all three of those songs before, so I turned my attention to another kind of driving music. The music of a late night with nobody else on the road. Moody, ethereal music that makes you feel like time has stopped and you may as well be driving through outer space.
The epitome of that sort of driving song for me is Peter Gabriel’s ‘Mercy Street,’ which I listened to in just those conditions with my now-wife back when we were 19 years old.
Much more recently, Lana Del Rey is the artist whose music serves as my favorite late-night driving soundtrack. I particularly recall listening to today’s SOTD on a solo night drive from Miami back to my home in Palm Beach County. A gorgeous, enveloping experience.
We both know that it’s not fashionable to love me
But you don’t go ’cause truly there’s nobody for you but me
We could cruise to the blues
Wilshire Boulevard if we choose
Or whatever you want to do
We make the rules
[Chorus]
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Say you want me too
Say you want me too
Dark blue
Dark blue
[Verse 2]
We both know the history of violence that surrounds you
But I’m not scared, there’s nothing to lose now that I’ve found you
And we could cruise to the news
Pico Boulevard in your used
Little bullet car if we choose
Mr. “Born to Lose”
[Chorus]
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Say you want me too
Say you want me too
Dark blue
Dark blue
[Bridge]
There are violets in your eyes
There are guns that blaze around you
There are roses in between my thighs
And a fire that surrounds you
It’s no wonder every man in town
Had neither fought nor found you
Everything you do is elusive
To even your honey dew
[Chorus – Variation]
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
Our honeymoon
[Interlude]
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, da, da, da, da
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, da, da, da
Doo, doo, doo, doo, da, da, da, da, da, da
[Outro]
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Hmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Dreaming away your life
Hmm, hmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Meet Me In Montauk 
To fall in line with your reading of the theme, this is my current favorite ethereal/moody driving song: https://youtu.be/OUcdobQxrRU
I’ve never heard of this song, or band. I like it a lot.
Yeah! They’re a great recent discovery 🙂
With some ace driving songs on both ends of the spectrum: https://youtu.be/KIRgN6xTjnA
Good one!
Maddie introduced them to me over the summer, and I love their sound.
Well. I already featured Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” in the turn it up loud category, but it certainly would apply to this challenge. And, going down the more ethereal road (pun intended), I too recall blasting Gabriel’s So tracks like “In Your Eyes” and Simon’s Graceland/ROTS songs like “Homeless” and “Further to Fly.” Somewhere in between the ethereal and the hard driven songs, however, lies Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” Certainly, the lyrical theme makes this an obvious choice, but it also hits the sweet spot musically with its moody verses and exhilarating chorus.
https://www.vevo.com/watch/tracy-chapman/fast-car-(video)/USEE10505543
Too bad I’ve already used up “Mercury Blues”. No matter, I have another gem to share … John Hiatt’s “Drive South”.
Another fun theme. The two songs that came to mind that I love to crank up when I’m driving are Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” and this song that I love even more…https://youtu.be/6Whgn_iE5uc
While it even makes traffic somehow bearable, it’s definitely most fun to have on while driving through the city.