BY EYLÜL DOĞANAY (TRIN/III)
eylul.doganay@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
A spontaneous drive to anywhere can make my day (or night). However, I’m not really a fan of the typical road-trip songs like AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.” To me, the road is peaceful, even hypnotizing. To match this mystic vibe, my go-to songs aren’t really American. By that I mean that they aren’t loud and “go nuts” kind of songs, but more minimalist, “let’s discover small villages in southern France” kind of songs. You’ll know what I mean from this list:
Where’s My Life – Boonz
Every single sound that I hear listening to this song is beautiful – just like every tree, every lamppost and every single random roof that’s seen from a car window. The road itself gets to somewhere specific, yet this song can go on and on forever, and you can keep lingering in its sensation of freedom. Because that’s what it feels like: limitless movement.
Runaways – Sam Feldt and Deepend ft. Teemu
Yes! This one is for beginnings. Imagine getting ready for the road, filling up the tank and buying munchies from the shop at the gas station. This is leaving the city, and knowing you’ll be gone for some time – not guilty of anything, but excited about the beauties the road offers.
Ride and Car Radio – Twenty One Pilots
Well, these two tracks are quite different from what I set out to say about road-trip songs, yet they actually do reflect some of the thought processes that you can have on the road. You argue with yourself, especially when the passengers are asleep or there aren’t any, and the monologue gets heated. You scramble ideas, and even get annoyed about things, and believe it or not, these two songs always help in figuring out whatever it is you’re struggling with.
Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah
Well, the name gives a heads-up – this actually is a road song. Yet, imagine finally entering the province of your destination, the moment when you see the border sign. This is it, the end of the trip. You know that you’ll get out of your seat in a few hours, if not minutes. Sitting for an unusual amount of time, your body is stiff, but if nothing unfortunate happened on the way, your brain is extremely content due to lots of thinking.
La Cigarette – Babylon Circus
From every trip you take, sadly you return (unless something amazing happens and you stay at your destination). And on the way home, tired, content, though maybe with less wealth and hygiene, you see the end credits scroll on the lane you’re driving. Et voila, Babylon Circus is there to provide the soundtrack.
Special Edition Winter Road-Trip Song (actually a four-season song) Oh Ms. Believer – Twenty One Pilots
You’ll sense the Christmas-y vibe, but you’ll get more 🙂 This one is for shorter distance road trips at night, for the ones you go on when everything goes wrong; the constant relocation brings very much needed peace.