Apologies to The Proclaimers. So we are currently at Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. It’s taken over 12,000 km of driving, two oil changes and some pretty serious tunage to get us this far. What does one listen to in the car for hours on end each day? Well I put together a play list with 6 hours of music and that can still lead to a lot of repetition. My partner also has several play lists with electronic music that’s pretty rad when you’re cruising through deserts and mountains. Here’s a list of artists that we’ve been listening to in no particular order:
Gordon Lightfoot – no cross country trip would be complete without Early Morning Rain and the Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn – old school country is a must in the US west and so damn fun to sing along with.
Dolly Parton – because she’s the best. Jolene is one of my favourite songs of all time.
Glen Campbell – this is nostalgia for me, as a kid listening to AM radio on long road trips and also that time dad and I visited the Grand Canyon 10 years ago and found an old country AM station that we binged on while travelling through Arizona. Dad knew every song.
Marshall Tucker Band, America, Seals and Crofts – pure nostalgia.
Joni Mitchell – no better way to while away the time than with some introspective poetry by the finest Canadian songwriter.
Billy Joel – everyone know the words to his songs and they’re awesome to sing along with.
John Denver – you can’t drive through the Rockies without screaming Rocky Mountain High in vocal range you have no business attempting.
Zac Brown Band – I love this band. Few country artists write songs outside the usual country tropes of Daisy Dukes, hidden swimming holes, headlights on 2 lane roads, shooting firearms at out of reach astral objects. The band is tight and every song’s bridge is a gem.
Alanis Morrissette – her first album is still one of the best albums of all time by a young artist.
Hall and Oates – my partner and I love these guys. Darryl Hall is one of the best soul singers of the 70s.
Crosby, Stills and Nash – my partner loves songs with great harmony. Nothing compares.
East Pointers – I’ve known Tim Chaisson’s solo music for awhile but his band – from PEI – is great.
Ed Sheeran – his songs are great energy and easy to sing along with.
In addition, we have a ton of 80s and 90s music and we supplement our musical appetites with CBC radio.
Still half a country to go on our return trip. Feel free to send any suggestions!
sedativegunk 