Songs that remind you of a stretch of road

[CapeCodder]

Weird title I know, but to keep the spirit of weird threads I figured this one might have merit.

Do you have songs that remind you of a certain stretch of highway? For me Bruce Springsteen's Dancing in the Dark (remix) reminds me of driving MA 128 from the Mass Pike to Wakefield and up to Gloucester.

[Max Rockatansky]

Hotel California instantly makes me think of the Mojave section of US 66...or sometimes CA 190 if it happens to come on my MP3 player if I'm in Death Valley National Park.

[bandit957]

Every time I hear "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael, I think of a family vacation to Davenport, Iowa, when I was 14. Radio stations there played it. (I remember WPXR and KIIK. I know WPXR played it, and I thought KIIK did too, though I could be wrong about the latter.) Stations in Cincinnati banned the song because of "dirty" lyrics.

From the same trip, "Who's That Girl" by Madonna reminds me of going north on the north-south stretch of I-74 in western Illinois. There's a line in the song that went, "She's trouble," and I or a family member blurted out, "She bubbled."

[Takumi]

Too many to list.

[mgk920]

A few of them for me:

- Charles and Eddy - Would I Lie To You' and Prince - The Most Beautiful Girl In the Word both remind me of driving westbound on I-80 along the Platte River in central Nebraska (1994 spring Colordo roadtrip);
- Prince - You Got the Look always reminds me of driving NWbound on US 61 along the Mississippi River in Minnesota (late 1980s roadtrip);
- KC & the Sunshine Band - Please Don't Go reminds me of driving on EB I-90 across the Cuyahoga River and on through to the Shoreway in the downtown Cleveland, OH area (late 1990s NE USA roadtrips);
- Heavy D & the Boyz - Now That We've Found Love, Tony! Toni! Toné! - It Feels Good and Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations all remind me of driving the non-interstate freeways in the western MStP suburbs as well as on NB I-35 into downtown Duluth, MN, all in evening twilight.
- Nina Sky - Move Ya Body - Driving on the inbound Edens Expressway (I-94) on Chicago's far northwest side during late June sunrise conditions (plus several other places) during my 2004 southeastern USA roadtrip.

There are many others.

Mike

[jp the roadgeek]

A few for me:

Gary Numan's Cars reminds me of driving on I-95 near the CT/RI border (probably because my family used to get a cottage at Misquamicut every summer when I was really young)

Fountains of Wayne's Stacy's Mom reminds me of driving a stretch of US 30 between Gettysburg and Chambersburg during a road trip a few years ago.

USA for Africa's We are the World reminds me of driving the Mass Pike through Newton along the rail lines having heard it once on that stretch as a kid.

Always think of Bruce Springsteen's Jungleland when I'm driving the GSP just across the Jersey state line from NY.

Think of December 1963 (Oh What a Night) by Frankie Valli as I pass through central Jersey on either US 1 or US 130.  Reminds me of a college road trip to my friend's house near Princeton in '94 when that song had a revival of sorts.

Stray Cat Strut for CT 8 through the Naugatuck Valley down to Shelton

Phil Collins's Inside Out for a stretch of the Merritt Parkway near the NY line.  Remember it from a road trip to NYC as a kid.

Seals and Croft's We May Never Pass this Way Again for a stretch of the Mass Pike near Exit 10. 

Material Girl by Madonna for a stretch of FL 826 to US 1 in Miami having heard it there as a kid.

Kyrie by Mister Mister for the stretch of US 1 between Florida City and Key Largo.

Last Child by Aerosmith reminds me of driving north on the Everett Turnpike in the Nashua area

[michravera]

Hotel California instantly makes me think of the Mojave section of US 66...or sometimes CA 190 if it happens to come on my MP3 player if I'm in Death Valley National Park.

"Convoy" reminds me of I-10 which is explicitly mentioned in the song.
"Ventura Highway" reminds me of US-101 after which it is named.
"I've been Everywhere" reminds me of I-80, both because of Winnemuca reference and because it basically goes everywhere.
There is (or at least was) a "Hotel California" in Rio. It was right off of Leme beach. The song also reminds me of both CASR-58 and I-15 across the Mojave desert.
"Maybelene" and "Hot Rod Lincoln" both remind me of I-5 and CASR-99. "Grapevine Hill" is mentioned in "Hot Rod Lincoln". "The Hill" is mentioned in "Maybalene"
"James Dean" and "He's a Rebel" both remind me of CASR-41, 46, and 33 where he met his fate.
"Born to Run" reminds me of CASR-9. "Highway 9" is mentioned, but I believe the reference is intended to be some road in the northeastern US.
"You're So Vain" reminds me of I-280 which has a Saratoga Ave exit. The Saratoga mentioned in the song is a racetrack in New York State.
"Ice Ice Baby" reminds me of CASR-1 even though it is, so far as I know, never referred to as "Beachfront Avenue" and the reference is to a street in Miami.
"Earth Girls are Easy" reminds me of NV-375 "The Extraterrestrial Highway".
"Over the River" reminds me of CASR-49 which we take to my mom's house.
"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" reminds me of CASR-51 which spans the American River in Sacramento.
"Jackson" reminds me of CASR-16. The Jackson referenced is in Mississippi.
"Emmalene" reminds me of CASR-1 which has an "Emiline" exit near Santa Cruz.
"Me and Bobby Magee", which explicitly mentions Salinas, reminds me of US-101.
"By the Time I get to Phoenix" reminds me of I-10.
"Viva Las Vegas" reminds be of both US-95 and I-15.
"Sausalito Summer" reminds me of US-101 and CASR-37.
"Little Old Lady from Pasadena" reminds me of I-210.
About half of the Beach Boys Automotive and Surf Songs remind me of US-101 and CASR-1.
"The Roadrunner Theme" reminds be of I-40 and US-95.
"Far Away Eyes" reminds me of CASR-99 because Bakersfield is mentioned in the song.
"Peggy Sue" reminds me of I-15
"Love Shack" reminds me of both GA-400 and TX-131.


.. are there more? Think about it. ... And make a wish!

[inkyatari]

Only one I can recall is Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs."  It reminds me of IL 84 between Savanna IL and Hanover, IL, especially along the Mississippi palisades.  It was a top ten hit and was playing on the radio when we went on a family trip there.

https://youtu.be/2_9QooYDYtU

[Roadgeekteen]

When I'm gone (cups) reminds me of me 3 for some reason.

[sparker]

Pat Metheny's "Into the Heartland" reminds me, most of all, of heading west on Nebraska 2 out of Grand Island (primarily to watch BNSF coal trains heading east).  The times I've been on that road I always loaded that disc into the car player somewhere along the route.  The title is appropriate; once you've heard the tune, it sure seems to work for that neck of the woods!

[US 89]

U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" is perfect for US 50 near Delta UT (and really any other desert 2-lane road).

[roadman]

Wilson Phillips' Give It Up always reminds me of Route 24 south of Brockton, and the year I went to a train show at Edaville Railroad only to find the show cancelled once I got there - with no advance notice given.

[The Nature Boy]

"Edge of Seventeen" reminds me of I-81 in Pennsylvania, mainly because I heard the song for the first time while driving through the area when I was 19.

[JKRhodes]

Tons of examples, when I stop to think about it...

"Imma Be" by Black Eyed Peas reminds me of I-15 entering Utah from Arizona, because I heard it on the radio while driving through the area for the first time.

Kid Rock's "Devil without a cause" and Incubus's "Make Yourself" CD's remind me of AZ 188 between Globe and Roosevelt Lake because I used to drive up there for fun when I Was 17 years old and my mom lived in Globe. and I listened to those CD's quite a bit. In particular, "I am the Bullgod" by Kid Rock reminds me of the intersection at the Windy Hill turnoff. Seemed like the road crested over a blind hill to a pretty sharp one-sided taper making way for an oncoming acceleration lane from the side road. The road's hill crest has since been softened a bit, and the accelleration lane for left turns off the side road has been eliminated.

"Sweet Dream" by Beyonce reminds me of I-17 entering Flagstaff. Yet another song I heard while exploring the area for the first time as an adult.

Metallica's "Load" CD reminds me of US 60 in Mesa and Tempe pre-2001 before all the widening and rubberized asphalt.

American Boy by Estelle and Kanye reminds me of I-10 dropping into Redlands, CA.

Evanescence's "Fallen" CD reminds me of I-10 between Lordsburg and Las Cruces. Similarly, their self titled 2011 release reminds me of US 180 between Silver City and Deming, I bought the latter CD late at night at the Wal-Mart in Silver while I was out bored and driving.

Not a road, but in that stream of thought, "Be Prepared" from Lion King movie reminds me of the Wal-Mart off I-10 in Las Cruces; the night crew had that movie blaring on all the TV's in the electronics section the same night I took that road trip.

"Dope Nose" by Weezer reminds me of Aviation Parkway in Tucson.

"Get Down" by 311 reminds me of US 191 in Arizona between Milepost 226 and Alpine.

"Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam reminds me of Arizona 260 in Lakeside. So does much of Michelle Branch's "The Spirit Room" CD.

"Two is better than one" by Boys Like Girls reminds me of Casino Dr in Laughlin, NV

"The Marshall Mathers LP" reminds me of I-10 at Orange Grove Rd from a time I gave my cousin a ride to Tucson and we jammed out to it.

"Learn to Fly" by foo fighters reminds me of Sky Harbor Blvd in Phoenix.

"Pancho and Lefty" by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard generally reminds me of Cochise county, Arizona.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I also have several, including various that remind me of whole areas... just I don't know the song names.

[CapeCodder]

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears For Fears reminds me of I-495 from the Mass Pike to Wareham.

Crimson and Clover by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts reminds me of MA 3.

King of Hollywood by the Eagles reminds me of I-70 between Saint Louis and Columbia, MO.

Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones reminds me of I-495 north of the Mass Pike.

Talking in Your Sleep by The Romantics reminds me of I-84 from Sturbridge to I-684

Dickeye by Jerry Cantrell reminds me of I-57 from Mt. Vernon to I-24.

[bandit957]

Whenever I hear "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd, it reminds me of pulling out of the library parking lot when I started working at the library. We had the car radio on the old WLAP-FM (which was in Lexington but it reached northern Kentucky).

[OracleUsr]

I-75 between Mackinaw City and anywhere south..."Midnight City" by M83 (because the only time I've been on that stretch of road was after midnight and that outro reminds me of it for some odd reason.

[bing101]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4gqimECT48

Driving at Night Joe Satriani in this video shows Download L.A. Though and that song pretty much fits.

[mrsman]

Hotel California instantly makes me think of the Mojave section of US 66...or sometimes CA 190 if it happens to come on my MP3 player if I'm in Death Valley National Park.

"Convoy" reminds me of I-10 which is explicitly mentioned in the song.
"Ventura Highway" reminds me of US-101 after which it is named.
"I've been Everywhere" reminds me of I-80, both because of Winnemuca reference and because it basically goes everywhere.
There is (or at least was) a "Hotel California" in Rio. It was right off of Leme beach. The song also reminds me of both CASR-58 and I-15 across the Mojave desert.
"Maybelene" and "Hot Rod Lincoln" both remind me of I-5 and CASR-99. "Grapevine Hill" is mentioned in "Hot Rod Lincoln". "The Hill" is mentioned in "Maybalene"
"James Dean" and "He's a Rebel" both remind me of CASR-41, 46, and 33 where he met his fate.
"Born to Run" reminds me of CASR-9. "Highway 9" is mentioned, but I believe the reference is intended to be some road in the northeastern US.
"You're So Vain" reminds me of I-280 which has a Saratoga Ave exit. The Saratoga mentioned in the song is a racetrack in New York State.
"Ice Ice Baby" reminds me of CASR-1 even though it is, so far as I know, never referred to as "Beachfront Avenue" and the reference is to a street in Miami.
"Earth Girls are Easy" reminds me of NV-375 "The Extraterrestrial Highway".
"Over the River" reminds me of CASR-49 which we take to my mom's house.
"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" reminds me of CASR-51 which spans the American River in Sacramento.
"Jackson" reminds me of CASR-16. The Jackson referenced is in Mississippi.
"Emmalene" reminds me of CASR-1 which has an "Emiline" exit near Santa Cruz.
"Me and Bobby Magee", which explicitly mentions Salinas, reminds me of US-101.
"By the Time I get to Phoenix" reminds me of I-10.
"Viva Las Vegas" reminds be of both US-95 and I-15.
"Sausalito Summer" reminds me of US-101 and CASR-37.
"Little Old Lady from Pasadena" reminds me of I-210.
About half of the Beach Boys Automotive and Surf Songs remind me of US-101 and CASR-1.
"The Roadrunner Theme" reminds be of I-40 and US-95.
"Far Away Eyes" reminds me of CASR-99 because Bakersfield is mentioned in the song.
"Peggy Sue" reminds me of I-15
"Love Shack" reminds me of both GA-400 and TX-131.


.. are there more? Think about it. ... And make a wish!

Jan and Dean's "Dead Man's Curve" reminds me of Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles.  I lived in the Hollywood area and frequently used Sunset on my commute to UCLA.  Sometimes I would take other streets (Melrose to SM, Fountain) but I would almost always drive through the dead man's curve section of Sunset since it was so much faster than taking Wilshire. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Mine have no connection to the roads, they just happened to be playing initially when I was on these roads.

"Bluebird" by Wings - I-70 in the San Rafael Swell
"In A Big Country" - I-35 southbound through West Duluth
"Your Move" by Yes - I-35 northbound on the outskirts of Duluth

[Max Rockatansky]

The Chicago Skyway when I used to drive it back in the 1990s when I got my license:

[TravelingBethelite]

The Chicago Skyway when I used to drive it back in the 1990s when I got my license:

I'd like to hear the story behind this. If anything, Chicago would remind me of Chemical Plant, or perhaps Carnival Night Act 2.

[Max Rockatansky]

The Chicago Skyway when I used to drive it back in the 1990s when I got my license:

I'd like to hear the story behind this. If anything, Chicago would remind me of Chemical Plant, or perhaps Carnival Night Act 2.

Essentially the South Side of Chicago progressively becomes the toxic industrial wasteland of Gary along the route.  Really it is kind of neat to see all that machinery and twisted mass of steel, it pretty much bleeds onto the much of the Indiana Toll Road as well.  Chemical Plant Zone was always a little too up beat for an area like that, it just kind of sprung to mind when I was looking the prospect of crossing the Skyway today.  Incidentally today was the first crossing of the Skyway for me since 2001, it really has improved over what it was.  I used to drive from Lansing to downtown Chicago to stay with my Dad once I got my license when I turned 16, talk about a hell of a trip alone for someone that age.  I can't believe my parents were okay with it in retrospect and I kind of question the legality of a minor from Michigan crossing state lines unattended. 

[sparker]

Two SoCal references:  Ventura Blvd. out in the Valley; this may be beyond obvious (and previously cited for US 101 in general by michravera); it's America's Ventura Highway -- probably because the "Business US 101" shield assemblies (invariably utilizing the last of the state-named/button-copy shields) started disappearing from that street about the time the song was released in the early '70's. 
Also Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" (from the beyond-superb Gaucho album); it ended up being loaded into the car playback system whenever I was out on CA 1 through Malibu or Point Dume.  Still a classic!