70s Road Trip Songs: 30 Tracks for the Open Road
The best 70s road trip songs sound like the window is down and the exit is far off.
This page collects 30 of them, from 1970 to 1979.
You can play every one from the table below.
6 of the 30 reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Each row carries one line of chart fact, not a guess.
The 30 70s road trip songs on this list, grouped by the genre tag in this site's song data.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's Billboard year-end song data.
30 70s Road Trip Songs, Playable and Sortable
Press Play on any row and the list keeps going, song after song, until you press Stop.
Tap a column heading to sort by song, artist, year or year-end rank.
| Play | #1 Hit | The chart fact | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travelin' Band | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1970 | 89 | No | Number 89 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, between "Up the Ladder to the Roof" at 88 and "Come Saturday Morning" at 90. | |
| Hitchin' a Ride | Vanity Fare | 1970 | 14 | No | Number 14 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, between "Make It with You" at 13 and "ABC" at 15. | |
| Vehicle | The Ides of March | 1970 | 85 | No | Number 85 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100, between "Somebody's Been Sleeping" at 84 and "Gimme Dat Ding" at 86. | |
| Take Me Home, Country Roads | John Denver | 1971 | 8 | No | Number 8 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, between "Go Away Little Girl" at 7 and "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" at 9. | |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | 1971 | 11 | Yes | Two weeks at number one from March 20, 1971, after "One Bad Apple" and before "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)." | |
| Riders on the Storm | The Doors | 1971 | 99 | No | Number 99 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100, between "One Less Bell to Answer" at 98 and "It's Impossible" at 100. | |
| A Horse with No Name | America | 1972 | 27 | Yes | Three weeks at number one from March 25, 1972, after "Heart of Gold" and before "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." | |
| City of New Orleans | Arlo Guthrie | 1972 | 45 | No | Number 45 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, between "Morning Has Broken" at 44 and "Garden Party" at 46. | |
| Hot Rod Lincoln | Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen | 1972 | 69 | No | Number 69 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, between "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" at 68 and "A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done" at 70. | |
| Motorcycle Mama | Sailcat | 1972 | 89 | No | Number 89 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100, between "I Saw the Light" at 88 and "Day by Day" at 90. | |
| Bad, Bad Leroy Brown | Jim Croce | 1973 | 2 | Yes | Two weeks at number one from July 21, 1973, after "Will It Go Round in Circles" and before "The Morning After." | |
| Long Train Runnin' | The Doobie Brothers | 1973 | 41 | No | Number 41 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, between "Diamond Girl" at 40 and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" at 42. | |
| Ramblin' Man | The Allman Brothers Band | 1973 | 79 | No | Number 79 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100, between "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" at 78 and "Masterpiece" at 80. | |
| We're an American Band | Grand Funk Railroad | 1973 | 23 | Yes | One week at number one from September 29, 1973, after "Let's Get It On" and before "Half-Breed." | |
| Radar Love | Golden Earring | 1974 | 64 | No | Number 64 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, between "Takin' Care of Business" at 63 and "Please Come to Boston" at 65. | |
| Band on the Run | Paul McCartney and Wings | 1974 | 22 | Yes | One week at number one from June 8, 1974, after "The Streak" and before "Billy Don't Be a Hero." | |
| Helen Wheels | Paul McCartney and Wings | 1974 | 91 | No | Number 91 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, between "My Girl Bill" at 90 and "My Mistake (Was to Love You)" at 92. | |
| Jet | Paul McCartney and Wings | 1974 | 77 | No | Number 77 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, between "I Shot the Sheriff" at 76 and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at 78. | |
| Takin' Care of Business | Bachman-Turner Overdrive | 1974 | 63 | No | Number 63 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100, between "Eres tú" at 62 and "Radar Love" at 64. | |
| Chevy Van | Sammy Johns | 1975 | 48 | No | Number 48 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, between "When Will I Be Loved" at 47 and "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" at 49. | |
| The Rockford Files Theme | Mike Post | 1975 | 85 | No | Number 85 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100, between "You Got the Love" at 84 and "It Only Takes a Minute" at 86. | |
| Convoy | C. W. McCall | 1976 | 57 | Yes | One week at number one from January 10, 1976, after "Saturday Night" and before "I Write the Songs." | |
| Slow Ride | Foghat | 1976 | 85 | No | Number 85 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100, between "With Your Love" at 84 and "Who'd She Coo?" at 86. | |
| Jet Airliner | Steve Miller Band | 1977 | 62 | No | Number 62 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, between "After the Lovin'" at 61 and "Stand Tall" at 63. | |
| Don't Stop | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 | 52 | No | Number 52 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, between "I Wish" at 51 and "Barracuda" at 53. | |
| Lido Shuffle | Boz Scaggs | 1977 | 74 | No | Number 74 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100, between "Jeans On" at 73 and "Keep It Comin' Love" at 75. | |
| Running on Empty | Jackson Browne | 1978 | 82 | No | Number 82 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, between "Bluer Than Blue" at 81 and "Whenever I Call You 'Friend'" at 83. | |
| Baker Street | Gerry Rafferty | 1978 | 26 | No | Number 26 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100, between "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions" at 25 and "Can't Smile Without You" at 27. | |
| Sultans of Swing | Dire Straits | 1979 | 61 | No | Number 61 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, between "New York Groove" at 60 and "I Want Your Love" at 62. | |
| The Devil Went Down to Georgia | The Charlie Daniels Band | 1979 | 50 | No | Number 50 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100, between "Music Box Dancer" at 49 and "Gold" at 51. |
Song titles in gold link to a full story on this site.
Year is the year-end Hot 100 the song appears on, and Year-End Rank is its place on that list.
The #1 Hit column and every date in the last column come from the weekly Hot 100 number ones, not year-end rank.
The Short Answer: What Makes a 70s Road Trip Song
A 70s road trip song is a Hot 100 hit from 1970 to 1979 that this site's song data tags for driving.
The list leans on classic rock, but it also holds country, pop and soft rock.
Here is what the list shows at a glance:
- 17 of the 30 songs carry the classic rock tag in this site's song data.
- Nine titles name a vehicle, from "Hot Rod Lincoln" to "Jet Airliner."
- The longest run at number one is three weeks, held by America's "A Horse with No Name."
- 6 songs reached number one, and 24 stayed on the year-end lists only.
Not Sure Which Road Trip Song Fits the Drive?
The Mood Song Matcher works from this site's own mood tags.
It is a quick way to sort the long drive from the short one before you press Play.
How These 70s Road Trip Songs Were Chosen
The starting pool came from this site's own song data.
It tags every year-end Hot 100 song for 1970 to 1979 with a vibe.
260 songs are tagged drive and have a YouTube video on record.
From that pool, 30 made the list on three tests:
- The song is not already on the 70s party, dance or love songs lists.
- Its chart facts can be checked against the weekly or year-end Billboard data on this site.
- Its chart line is computed from that data, never typed from memory.
5 songs in the drive pool already sit on those three companion lists, so they are left out here.
Where the Year-End Rank on These 70s Road Trip Songs Comes From
The Year-End Rank column is a position on that year's Billboard year-end list.
It is not the song's weekly peak.
"Band on the Run" sits at 22 for 1974, yet it reached number one on June 8, 1974.
Rather than scroll, you can open the same songs on Listen Now and let the jukebox run.
Rides, Runs and Roads in the Titles
Plenty of 70s road trip songs name the ride or the road right in the title.
Counting the 30 titles by travel word shows how often it happened.
| Title word | Songs on this list | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Ride, Riders | 3 | "Hitchin' a Ride", "Riders on the Storm", "Slow Ride" |
| Run, Runnin', Running | 3 | "Long Train Runnin'", "Band on the Run", "Running on Empty" |
| Road, Street, Highway | 2 | "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "Baker Street" |
| Vehicles and wheels | 9 | "Vehicle", "Hot Rod Lincoln", "Motorcycle Mama", "Long Train Runnin'", "Helen Wheels", "Jet", "Chevy Van", "Convoy", "Jet Airliner" |
Vehicles Win the Title Count
Nine titles name a vehicle, from a train to a jet.
"Chevy Van" is number 48 on the 1975 year-end list.
"Hot Rod Lincoln" is number 69 on the 1972 year-end list.
"Convoy" is the one vehicle title that reached number one, on January 10, 1976.
Three Wings Songs, One Ride, One Run
Paul McCartney and Wings put three songs on the 1974 year-end list.
They are "Band on the Run" at 22, "Jet" at 77 and "Helen Wheels" at 91.
Foghat's "Slow Ride" and The Doors' "Riders on the Storm" carry the ride in their titles too.
More of the decade's songs live on the Music of the 70s home page.
What Plays on the Road: The Genre Mix
The genre tag in this site's song data splits the 30 songs five ways.
| Genre tag | Songs on this list | Reached #1 |
|---|---|---|
| Classic rock | 17 | 2 |
| Country | 4 | 1 |
| Pop | 4 | 1 |
| Soft rock | 3 | 1 |
| Hard rock | 2 | 1 |
Classic Rock Carries the Highway
17 of the 30 songs are tagged classic rock.
Two of them reached number one.
"Me and Bobby McGee" got there in March 1971, and "Band on the Run" in June 1974.
For the sound behind them, read 70s rock, which follows the decade's guitar bands.
Country, Pop and Soft Rock Fill the Rest
Four songs are tagged country.
They are "Take Me Home, Country Roads," "Hot Rod Lincoln," "Convoy" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."
The Take Me Home, Country Roads page tells that story in full.
The 70s country songs list goes wider.
Soft rock holds "A Horse with No Name," "City of New Orleans" and "Baker Street."
Four Stretches of Highway
Grouping the 30 songs by the year-end Hot 100 they appear on shows when the road songs were thickest.
| Period | Songs on this list | Reached #1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 to 1973 | 14 | 4 |
| 1974 to 1976 | 9 | 2 |
| 1977 and 1978 | 5 | 0 |
| 1979 | 2 | 0 |
1970 to 1973: The Busiest Stretch
1970 to 1973 holds the most songs, with 14.
It opens with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band" and Vanity Fare's "Hitchin' a Ride," both from the 1970 list.
Four of the six number ones came in these years.
The last was Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band" on September 29, 1973.
Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" took two weeks in July 1973.
Its Bad, Bad Leroy Brown page has the rest.
1974 to 1976: Wings, Truckers and Detectives
Nine songs fall in these years, from Golden Earring's "Radar Love" to Foghat's "Slow Ride."
"The Rockford Files Theme" by Mike Post is here at number 85 for 1975.
"Convoy" by C. W. McCall reached number one on January 10, 1976.
It followed "Saturday Night" and gave way to "I Write the Songs."
Not sure what to play after it? Spin the Random 70s Song Generator.
1977 and 1978: No Number Ones, Plenty of Miles
Five songs sit in these two years, and none reached number one.
Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" is the highest ranked, at number 26 on the 1978 year-end list.
Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop" at 52 and Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" at 82 sit lower down.
1979: Two Songs, Two Stories
Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing" is number 61 for 1979.
The Charlie Daniels Band's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is number 50 on the year-end list.
Neither reached number one.
The Six Road Songs That Hit Number One
Six of the 30 songs reached the top of the weekly Hot 100.
Staying power at the top is the clearest sign a road song landed.
| Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 | First week at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Horse with No Name | America | 3 | March 25, 1972 |
| Me and Bobby McGee | Janis Joplin | 2 | March 20, 1971 |
| Bad, Bad Leroy Brown | Jim Croce | 2 | July 21, 1973 |
| We're an American Band | Grand Funk Railroad | 1 | September 29, 1973 |
| Band on the Run | Paul McCartney and Wings | 1 | June 8, 1974 |
| Convoy | C. W. McCall | 1 | January 10, 1976 |
How the 30 70s road trip songs on this list break down by year-end Hot 100 year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's Billboard year-end data.
"A Horse with No Name" Runs the Longest
America's "A Horse with No Name" reached number one on March 25, 1972, and held for three weeks.
It followed "Heart of Gold" and gave way to "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
Two Weeks Each for Janis Joplin and Jim Croce
Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee" reached number one on March 20, 1971, for two weeks.
Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" followed on July 21, 1973, for two more.
Road Trip Songs That Never Hit Number One
24 songs on the list never topped the weekly Hot 100.
Each is here because the year-end list proves it was played everywhere.
- "Travelin' Band" by Creedence Clearwater Revival: number 89 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100.
- "Hitchin' a Ride" by Vanity Fare: number 14 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100.
- "Vehicle" by The Ides of March: number 85 on the 1970 year-end Hot 100.
- "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver: number 8 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100.
- "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors: number 99 on the 1971 year-end Hot 100.
- "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie: number 45 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100.
- "Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen: number 69 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100.
- "Motorcycle Mama" by Sailcat: number 89 on the 1972 year-end Hot 100.
- "Long Train Runnin'" by The Doobie Brothers: number 41 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100.
- "Ramblin' Man" by The Allman Brothers Band: number 79 on the 1973 year-end Hot 100.
- "Radar Love" by Golden Earring: number 64 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100.
- "Helen Wheels" by Paul McCartney and Wings: number 91 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100.
- "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings: number 77 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100.
- "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive: number 63 on the 1974 year-end Hot 100.
- "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns: number 48 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100.
- "The Rockford Files Theme" by Mike Post: number 85 on the 1975 year-end Hot 100.
- "Slow Ride" by Foghat: number 85 on the 1976 year-end Hot 100.
- "Jet Airliner" by Steve Miller Band: number 62 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100.
- "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac: number 52 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100.
- "Lido Shuffle" by Boz Scaggs: number 74 on the 1977 year-end Hot 100.
- "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne: number 82 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100.
- "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty: number 26 on the 1978 year-end Hot 100.
- "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits: number 61 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100.
- "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band: number 50 on the 1979 year-end Hot 100.
A Rank Is Not a Peak
The year-end list measures a whole year of chart life, not the highest weekly position.
So these ranks say how big the song was, not whether it climbed to the top.
For the decade's biggest hits, see the 70s number one hits page.
When the road ends, the 70s dance songs and 70s party songs pick up.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best 70s road trip songs?
The best 70s road trip songs on this list include John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Golden Earring's "Radar Love," America's "A Horse with No Name" and Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty." All 30 are checked against Billboard chart data, and every one can be played from the table at the top of the page, one after another.
What is the number one road trip song of the 70s?
America's "A Horse with No Name" has the longest run at number one on this list, with three weeks from March 25, 1972. Six of the 30 songs reached number one on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 file on this site.
Do 70s road trip songs have to be about driving?
No, this list mixes songs that name a road, a ride or a vehicle in the title with songs picked from the drive vibe tag in this site's song data. Only the title words are counted on this page, so no song's meaning is guessed.
Did every 70s road trip song on this list reach number one?
No, 6 of the 30 road trip songs on this list reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The other 24 are year-end Hot 100 entries, including "Take Me Home, Country Roads" at number 8 for 1971 and "Baker Street" at number 26 for 1978.
Where can I listen to 70s road trip songs?
You can play all 30 70s road trip songs from the table at the top of this page, with no sign-in. Press Play on any row and the list continues song after song until you press Stop. You can also open the same songs on Listen Now, this site's 70s music player.
Related Posts
70s Dance Songs
The floor-filling side of the decade, 30 more playable songs from the same chart data.
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Take Me Home, Country Roads
The story behind the list's highest year-end entry among the country-tagged songs.
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70s Party Songs
The singalong side of the decade, 30 playable songs from the same chart data.
Read postSources
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1972, Wikipedia, for the date of "A Horse with No Name."
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1976, Wikipedia, for the date of "Convoy."