Great Songs For Your Next Road Trip

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Great Songs For Your Next Road Trip

Release Date: July 7, 2025

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour dives into the ultimate road trip soundtrack in their episode titled "Great Songs For Your Next Road Trip." Hosted by Stephen Thompson, the show features insightful recommendations from Marissa LaRusso of NPR Music, crafting the perfect playlist to elevate any journey on the open road. This detailed summary captures the essence of their lively discussion, highlighting key song choices, personal anecdotes, and the thoughtful reasoning behind each selection.

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Introduction to Road Trip Essentials

The episode kicks off with Stephen Thompson setting the stage for summer adventures. Recognizing that a memorable road trip isn't just about the destination but also the journey, he emphasizes the need for the perfect mix of music to enhance the experience. "If you're headed out on the road, we're here to help," Thompson declares (00:48), introducing the segment's focus on three standout songs ideal for any road trip playlist.

1. "Closer to Fine" by Indigo Girls

Marissa LaRusso opens the discussion with a classic tune that epitomizes the spirit of camaraderie and sing-along fun essential for any road trip.

• Song Choice: "Closer to Fine" by Indigo Girls
• Album: Indigo Girls (1989)
• Duration: 02:48 to 03:58

Marissa describes "Closer to Fine" as the Indigo Girls' breakthrough hit, highlighting the harmonious collaboration between Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. She notes the song's "high sing-along potential," making it a perfect fit for group harmonies in a moving vehicle. "Even if you don't know the words, you probably know the part of the chorus that goes closer to fine. Great sing-along track," she observes (03:05).

Stephen echoes this sentiment, sharing a personal connection to the song: "There are not many songs that are more crucial to at least my own musical development than this one. I fell spectacularly in love with this song." He appreciates how the track not only invites singing but also evokes nostalgia, adding a layer of emotional depth to the driving experience (03:58).

2. "Song Two" by Blur

Transitioning to a more upbeat tempo, Stephen introduces Marissa to "Song Two" by Blur, a track that injects energy and excitement into the road trip vibe.

• Song Choice: "Song Two" by Blur
• Duration: 04:29 to 06:11

Stephen recounts his own experience with Blur's "Song Two", noting its infectious energy and "high sing-along potential." He humorously remarks, "It is perfect... if you are road tripping on the autobahn... [the song] is very, very, very hard not to absolutely max out your car's possible speed for the 2 minutes and 2 seconds of song two" (05:30). The track's dynamic rhythm and memorable "woo hoo" chorus make it an excellent choice for hyping up passengers or reaching an emotional peak during the journey.

Marissa agrees, emphasizing the song's versatility: "You could really put that at the beginning of a playlist to hype you up... in the middle... or at the end to send you off into the world." She praises "Song Two" for its ability to adapt to different moments on the road, ensuring it remains a staple in any road trip playlist (06:11).

3. "Love on Top" by Beyoncé

Marissa takes the lead on the third recommendation, choosing a powerhouse anthem that brings both energy and vocal complexity to the table.

• Song Choice: "Love on Top" by Beyoncé
• Album: 4 (2011)
• Duration: 06:27 to 08:23

Highlighting Beyoncé's unparalleled talent, Marissa selects "Love on Top" for its uplifting vibe and exhilarating key changes. She explains, "There's that part at the end where she sings the chorus a bunch of times and it modulates and it changes keys. Every time it gets higher and she's just singing higher and higher and higher." This feature not only challenges listeners to keep up but also infuses the car with infectious joy and energy (07:00).

Stephen adds a personal touch, recounting his own experience integrating Beyoncé's music into familv road trips. He mentions his playlist, "Katie is in the Car," where Beyoncé's tracks, such as "Countdown" and "XO," play a significant role. "You really like if you were just starting a foundational road trip playlist, just dumping all your Beyoncé onto it and then subtracting is a great way to go," he advises, underscoring Beyoncé's versatility and broad appeal (07:49).

Personal Playlists and Final Thoughts

Throughout the episode, both hosts share snippets of their personal road trip playlists, offering listeners relatable insights and practical tips for curating their own music selections. The conversation underscores the importance of balancing nostalgic favorites with high-energy tracks to maintain a vibrant and engaging atmosphere on the road.

Stephen encourages listeners to share their favorite road trip songs, fostering a sense of community and shared passion for music and travel. "We want to know what songs you listen to on a road trip," he invites, directing fans to engage via Facebook (08:34).

Conclusion

"Great Songs For Your Next Road Trip" encapsulates the essence of what makes a road trip memorable: the synergy between music, personal connections, and the open road. Through thoughtful recommendations and personal anecdotes, Pop Culture Happy Hour offers listeners a curated guide to enhancing their travel experiences with the perfect soundtrack. Whether it's the harmonious melodies of the Indigo Girls, the energetic beats of Blur, or the dynamic vocals of Beyoncé, this episode provides a comprehensive roadmap to creating unforgettable journeys through music.

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For more song recommendations and engaging pop culture discussions, tune into NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and explore additional offerings from NPR Music's diverse podcast lineup.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

It's summer and maybe you've thought about taking a road trip. And if you're thinking about taking a road trip, you're going to need road trip music. You might need a pick me up a sing along or something for when you need a break from podcasts. But if you're headed out on the road, we're here to help. I'm Stephen Thompson and in this encore episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're recommending three songs to blast on your next road trip.

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[Stephen Thompson]

Welcome back. Joining us Today is NPR Music's Marissa LaRusso. Hello Marissa.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Hey Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

It's great to have you here. Now, there is no way that we could possibly run the full gamut of road trip music in just three songs. These picks are just to get you started. Marissa, could you kick us off? Give us a song that you're gonna play on your next road trip.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Okay, so the first song I'm bringing as an ideal road trip song is Closer to Find by the Indigo Girls.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Closer I am to Fine. So Closer to Fine, of course, the opening track on Indigo Girls breakthrough sophomore album, indigo girls from 1989. I think it's probably their biggest hit. Probably the song people think of when they think of Indigo Girls. At the heart of the Indigo Girls and what makes them so special is this deep friendship and collaboration between Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. And of course, you hear that in the way they sing, right? Like, there's the main melody and the counter melody, and they just kind of like, interact with each other. Something that's important to me in a road trip song is High sing along Potential, which I think obviously closer to fine. Extremely high sing along potential. This song, to me sounds like just like being in the car with your friends, windows rolled down. Everyone is trying to both sing the main melody and the counter melody at the same time. Even if you don't know the words, you probably know the part of the chorus that goes closer to fine. Great sing along track.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, this is a great choice. And I gotta say, this song came out when I was 17 years old. There are not many songs that are more crucial to at least my own musical development than this one. I fell spectacularly in love with this song. And so for me, this is a perfect road trip. So because not only does it have that great sing along potential, but it has a hearkening back to my youth potential, which is always good for a driving song. If driving makes you feel young, this is the way to do it.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Absolutely.

[Stephen Thompson]

All right, so way back in 2008, NPR Music put together a series called Road Songs to Drive by, which was a collection of five song road trip playlists to kind of spark people's imagination. And I put one together. I did one, of course, that was, like, crushingly sad songs. That's my wheelhouse. But I also did one that was called Nine Minute Road Trip, which was five songs that added up to a total of nine minutes. And they were supposed to present, like, an entire world of experiences that you would be having in nine minutes. And so it's like if you were on the go and needed to compress your road trip way down, this was the one. And one of my favorite songs on that playlist is Song two by Blur. So two things about song two. One is you mentioned that High Sing along potential if you don't sing along with the woohoo. And then the part of the song that's like. So you can mouth along with what are probably the lyrics, but then you get to yell woo hoo. The other thing about this song is it's perfect. Ideally, if you are road tripping on the autobahn, because it is very, very, very hard not to absolutely max out your car's possible speed for the 2 minutes and 2 seconds of song two.

[Marissa LaRusso]

I think that's such a great road trip song as well, because you could really put that at the beginning of a playlist to hype you up. You could put it in the middle of a playlist when you need to kind of reach an emotional peak. And then you could also put it at the end of a playlist to kind of send you off into the world. Great choice.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you very much. How about you? You got another one for us?

[Marissa LaRusso]

I do. Okay. So there is about a trillion Beyonce songs that would be great for a road trip playlist. I chose the song Love on Top from her album 4, which came out in 2011. I think there's not much I could say about Beyonce that hasn't been said a billion times by a billion other people. But for me, this was one of the first songs that really, like, made me feel totally blown away by Beyonce. It is a great hype up song, which I think is another good genre of road trip playlist track. And of course, there's a lot of Beyonce songs that keep you hyped up. But the thing about Love on Top is that there's that part at the end where she sings the chorus a bunch of times and it modulates and it changes keys. So every time it gets higher and she's just singing higher and higher and higher. And I defy you to be in the car with one or more Beyonce fans, which could also include yourself and not try to keep up with all of those key changes and have a huge smile on your face. It simply cannot be done. As a person with like a relatively high speaking voice, I feel like I'm at an advantage to keep up with Beyonce. But of course, I wouldn't say that I can keep up with Beyonce. But anyway, I think that that makes for a good road trip. Fun.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice. Literally nobody can keep up with Beyonce, to be clear. Yeah. I mean, Beyonce has. I can vouch like, I have seen proof that Beyonce is great on road trips. We have a kind of like a family road trip playlist, you know, that I put together. It's called Katie is in the Car. And when I first put it together, it was probably about 80 songs and like 11 of them were by Beyonce. So you really I would also say Countdown is great in the car. XO is great in the car.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Great choice.

[Stephen Thompson]

You really like if you were just starting a foundational road trip playlist, just dumping all your Beyonce onto it and then subtracting is a great way to go.

[Marissa LaRusso]

That's a great place to start.

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, we want to know what songs you listen to on a road trip. Find us on facebook.com and of course, thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. If you want more song recommendations, be sure to check out some of the excellent podcasts from NPR music shows like Alt Latino and All Songs Considered. That brings us to the end of our show. Marissa, thanks so much for being here.

[Marissa LaRusso]

Thank you.

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