If you are heading on a road trip with your friends for the summer, then you’re going to need to put on some great tunes to help you all get there. Creating a summer playlist can be tricky; there’s a fine balance between great and mediocre. We’ve come up with some suggestions to help you create the perfect summer road trip playlist.
The big song for now
Let’s just get this one out of the way. You’re going to want to put on the songs that you and your friends are absolutely loving at the moment. They will be fresh enough that you haven’t got sick of them yet, and new enough that you’ll be happy to listen to them over and over again.
The one that was good a year ago
You’ll still need some songs that you all know well enough to sing at the top of your lungs, so make sure you add some of the songs that have been around for a little while, but that you and your friends still love. That way when the going gets tough on the road, you guys can distract yourselves by singing along to hits that you know every word to.
The classic hit
Some songs just have to be included in a road trip, even if you don’t like the genre, they are just so big that you’d miss them if they weren’t there. Songs like “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey, or “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. These are songs that everybody knows, despite their musical preferences, and you’ll continue the car karaoke by throwing in a few classic tunes to mix things up a little.
Lesser-known songs
The playlist shouldn’t be all sing-a-longs though. You’ll get tired of singing at the top of your voice, so you’ll need a few songs for when it’s quiet time. Add a few up-and-coming acts to the list for everyone to enjoy, or some songs that you heard as the background music to something. Just something a little different, but that doesn’t completely bum everybody out at the same time.
The one we all know, but not the words
There are a bunch of tunes out there that everybody loves, but no one really knows what the words are meant to be. Think “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice, or “Jump Around” by House of Pain. These are songs that we all know the tune to but apart from the chorus and the occasional word we’ve picked out, the rest of the lyrics remain a mystery to us, even after 20 years or more.
Your song
In your social circles, it is likely there is a song that you all connect with and perhaps define as “Your song.” If you’re heading on a road trip with your partner maybe it is a love song, or if you’re in a car with a bunch of friends perhaps it’s the song you all sung while camping over one summer when you were younger. Watch people’s faces react when the song you all love comes on the radio and pat yourself on the back for picking the song everybody wanted but forgot to mention.
TV theme tune
This one is for a bit of fun, but there are many TV show theme tunes that we all know and love, so why not put them on the playlist? The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is something loads of people watched and know the tune to, so have some fun and get it on the list, or another theme tune for a show you and your friends all love.
The playlist should be something fun to keep you and your friends entertained as you make the long car journey to your summer destination. Make sure there is plenty of fun and energetic songs to help keep spirits high on the long and winding roads!
