Mental Floss

The 25 Most Popular Road Trip Songs

By Michele Debczak

"Life Is a Highway" is not on this couple's playlist.
"Life Is a Highway" is not on this couple's playlist. / Cristian Negroni / 500px via Getty Images
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The road trip is a great American tradition, and so is the road trip playlist. No matter how many podcasts and audiobooks you load up on your phone, spending hours in a car with loved ones usually leads to a sing-a-long. If you're looking for some musical inspiration before hitting the road this summer, check out the most popular road trip songs according to Spotify.

To find out which tracks drivers are most likely to blast while cruising down the interstate, Big Domain analyzed 50 Spotify playlists with “road trip“ in the title. The vacation rental site identified a few running themes, including ’80s power ballads and pop hits from the 2000s.

“Don't Stop Believin’” by Journey is the No.1 song featured on road trip playlists, followed by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.“ Millennial road-trippers may be more likely to drive to “Home“ by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and “Mr. Brightside“ by The Killers. Though most songs on the list appeal to nostalgia, a few newer tracks are featured, including “Blinding Lights“ by The Weeknd from 2020.

If you've been assigned DJ duties on your next car trip, you can read the full list of the most popular road trip songs below for inspiration. (You can also steal the whole playlist from Spotify—we promise your travel companions will never know.) If you’re still planning your route, check out these fascinating roadside attractions from each state.

  1. “Don't Stop Believin’” // Journey
  2. “Sweet Home Alabama“ // Lynyrd Skynyrd
  3. “Riptide“ // Vance Joy
  4. “Home“ // Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
  5. “Livin’ On A Prayer“ // Bon Jovi
  6. “Mr. Brightside“ // The Killers
  7. “Pumped Up Kicks“ // Foster The People
  8. “Counting Stars“ // OneRepublic
  9. “Africa“ // TOTO
  10. “Blinding Lights“ // The Weeknd
  11. “Hey, Soul Sister“ // Train
  12. “Party In The U.S.A.“ // Miley Cyrus
  13. “Royals“ // Lorde
  14. “Shotgun“ // George Ezra
  15. “All Star“ // Smash Mouth
  16. “Free Fallin’” // Tom Petty
  17. “Ophelia“ // The Lumineers
  18. “Payphone“ // Maroon 5
  19. “Stolen Dance“ // Milky Chance
  20. “Sucker“ // Jonas Brothers
  21. “The Middle“ // Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey
  22. “Watermelon Sugar“ // Harry Styles
  23. “We Are Young“ // fun., Janelle Monáe
  24. “Break My Heart“ // Dua Lipa
  25. “Brown Eyed Girl“ // Van Morrison
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