On a long drive.
Open road, time to think, no skip-anxiety. Five records that earn the runtime.
What you want from driving music: weight and propulsion. Songs that lean into the same forward motion you're already in, that don't demand attention so much as accompany it. Verses that work on the third hour of a six-hour drive.
The picks
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1
Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen · 1975
Springsteen's Born to Run is the canonical American driving record — every song built around motion. Side one alone is worth the gas money.
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2
Rumours
Fleetwood Mac · 1977
Rumours sounds like the highway looks: clean, melodic, a little melancholy under the gloss. The most-played album in American driveways for a reason.
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3
Wildflowers
Tom Petty · 1994
Tom Petty's Wildflowers is the un-arrogant driving record — no rush, no overstatement, just a guy who knows exactly what he's doing for 63 minutes.
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4
#1 Record
Big Star · 1972
Big Star's #1 Record is the album every American songwriter steals from. Power-pop perfection at driving tempos — turn it up.
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5
Lost in the Dream
The War on Drugs · 2014
The War on Drugs' Lost in the Dream is the modern entry — patient, drone-anchored, built for the moment when the GPS says 'continue for 137 miles.'