Coz I’m going places…
Editor’s note: We’re re-upping our playlist of best tracks for the road—with fresh additions from the splainer fam. This is a compilation of songs that you’d love to blast on the car stereo. You can check out the full playlist over on our Spotify account!
- ‘Alive & Kickin' by Mr Big: A perfect song recommendation by Ambika to ‘kick’ start a road trip!
- ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’ by Bon Jovi: Also a rockin’ addition. Lahar who loves this song because it has a distinctive intro, a catchy chorus and “it distils the very best of 80s music into one song”.
- ‘Aazaadiyan’ by Amit Trivedi: This song is from the movie ‘Udaan’ and is a soft spot for Karun as it is the kind you “always want to hear on a road trip, especially if the destination is a place that either brings excitement or nervousness (or both :D)”
- ‘Khaabon ke Parindey’ by Alyssa Mendosa and Mohit Chauhan: This passes the “vibe check” according to Tanya.
- ‘Arriving Somewhere But Not Here’ by Porcupine Tree: Another suggestion where the song is “sad but hopeful”.
- ‘Roobaroo’ by AR Rahman: Pavithra recommends this song as “It makes you feel like you are flying… on an empty stretch of the highway, it's the perfect beat to soar to!”
- ‘Kaisi Hai Yeh Rut’ by Srinivas: Tanya loves to drive to this song from ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ because it “sends you into a meditative zone”.
- ‘Thunderclouds’ by Sia, Diplo and Labrinth: Swathi suggests this for the “brilliant vocals and peppy music”.
- ‘Subah Subah’ by Zubeen Garg: Manoj believes that this is the best song to kickstart a road trip; “especially when you get started early in the morning, perfect to play as the sun rises”.
- ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ by Nazia Hassan: This song from ‘Qurbani’ forever synonymous with the gorgeous Zeenat Aman is a favourite of Harsh’s because… two words: “The music”!
- ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ by Uttam Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan: Harshvardhan chose this song for “the beats, the tunes, the childhood nostalgia, the 90s, the pleasant breeze, the foreign locales”.
- ‘What’s up Danger’ by Blackway: Another recommendation by Kaustubh where he notes that this “is the kind of song that gets you prepped up to find adventure”.
- ‘Kokomo’ by Beach Boys: Two of our subscribers really like driving to this classic! For our anonymous subscriber, this song feels like “a vacation in Hawaii”. While Ambika classifies this song as a great sing-along.
- ‘Barbie Girl’ by Aqua: When driving alone, Rohan likes to blast out this iconic number and sing his heart out. He says “it brings my inner child out”. He also switches the ‘kenergetic’ song for songs from A Suitable Boy as the low beat music helps him focus on the road.
- ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley: Nope you have not been rick-rolled. Kaustubh Khade genuinely likes this song because you can “sing along with abandon”.
A special shout out: to Vikalp, who shared his personal playlist called ‘The Desi Happy Trip’, which you can access here. He created this playlist to “bring in happiness and excitement as we have when starting the trip together” We also loved Ambika’s tracklist which include 'Riders on the Storm' by The Doors, 'Fast Car' by Tracy Chapman, 'Suzanna' by the Art Company, and 'Dream On' by Aerosmith.
The splainer team’s picks: Assistant News Editor Aarthi jams to ‘Tinak Dhin’ by Ali Hamza, Ali Sethi and Waqar Ehsin from Coke Studio Pakistan as it wakes her up immediately and gives her a rush of energy. While, Anannya suggests the entire ‘Alaipayuthey’ album by AR Rahman.
Our newest team member, Raghav, has two fantastic additions to the playlist—‘Autopilot’ by Queens of the Stone Age which “epitomises a laid back road trip” and ‘Nannuflay’ by Tinariwen feat. Mark Lanegan which is the perfect listen for a road trip via desert.
PS: Check out the splainer fam’s other recommended playlists—one for unwinding at the beach, a soundtrack for the slog, tunes to feel your zen, songs to get your karaoke groove on, tunes that mention colour, their favourite cover versions, tunes to sing in the rain and songs to dance to in your underwear.
