40 Songs About Cars, from Little Deuce Coupe to Fast Car

What is the most famous song about a car?

"Little Red Corvette" by Prince and "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett are two of the most famous songs about cars, and "Little Deuce Coupe" by The Beach Boys is the classic hot rod song. "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman, later a hit again for Luke Combs, is the most moving one.

50s and 60s hot rod songs

1. "Maybellene", Chuck Berry: a car chase set to rock and roll.
2. "No Particular Place to Go", Chuck Berry: a drive with a stuck seatbelt.
3. "Little Deuce Coupe", The Beach Boys: the hot rod anthem.
4. "409", The Beach Boys: a song about a Chevy engine.
5. "Fun, Fun, Fun", The Beach Boys: a girl and her dad's Thunderbird.
6. "Little GTO", Ronny & the Daytonas: the Pontiac muscle car song.
7. "Dead Man's Curve", Jan and Dean: a street race gone wrong.
8. "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena", Jan and Dean: a granny with a fast car.
9. "Beep Beep", The Playmates: a 1958 novelty race song.
10. "Hot Rod Lincoln", Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen: a souped-up classic.

Rock songs about cars

11. "Little Red Corvette", Prince: his 80s breakthrough.
12. "Drive My Car", The Beatles: a playful classic.
13. "Racing in the Street", Bruce Springsteen: a quiet song about street racers.
14. "Cadillac Ranch", Bruce Springsteen: named for the Texas art installation.
15. "Thunder Road", Bruce Springsteen: an escape in a car.
16. "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", Meat Loaf: a teenage romance in a parked car.
17. "Red Barchetta", Rush: a sci-fi story about a classic sports car.
18. "Cars", Gary Numan: the synth-pop classic.
19. "Highway Star", Deep Purple: pure speed.
20. "Radar Love", Golden Earring: built for a fast night drive.

Soul, funk and pop car songs

21. "Mustang Sally", Wilson Pickett: the soul classic.
22. "Pink Cadillac", Natalie Cole: her hit version of a Bruce Springsteen song.
23. "Low Rider", War: the lowrider anthem.
24. "Car Wash", Rose Royce: the disco classic.
25. "Mercedes Benz", Janis Joplin: a tongue-in-cheek prayer.
26. "Fast Car", Tracy Chapman: dreaming of a different life.
27. "Shut Up and Drive", Rihanna: pop with the windows down.
28. "Real Gone", Sheryl Crow: from the movie Cars.
29. "Life Is a Highway", Rascal Flatts: the Cars version of the Tom Cochrane hit.

Country songs about trucks

30. "Mud on the Tires", Brad Paisley: a new truck and a back road.
31. "Big Green Tractor", Jason Aldean: a ride on the farm.
32. "Truck Yeah", Tim McGraw: a pickup party song.
33. "Cruise", Florida Georgia Line: windows-down country pop.
34. "I Drive Your Truck", Lee Brice: grief carried in a brother's truck.
35. "Fast Cars and Freedom", Rascal Flatts: young love on a summer night.
36. "Riding with Private Malone", David Ball: a Corvette and the soldier who owned it.

Modern songs about driving

37. "Drivers License", Olivia Rodrigo: heartbreak behind the wheel.
38. "Car Radio", twenty one pilots: silence after a stolen stereo.
39. "Ridin'", Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone: the 2006 hip-hop hit.
40. "Sunroof", Nicky Youre and dazy: a windows-down summer hit.

Songs about first cars and learning to drive

A first car is a rite of passage. "Drivers License" is the modern song about getting your license, "Fun, Fun, Fun" is the classic about borrowing the family car and "Fast Cars and Freedom" captures the first summer with wheels. They make a fun playlist for a new driver.

Songs for a car show or cruise night

For a classic car show or a cruise night, play the hot rod songs: "Little Deuce Coupe", "409", "Hot Rod Lincoln", "Maybellene" and "Mustang Sally", then add "Low Rider" for the lowrider crowd and "Racing in the Street" as the sun goes down.

Why are there so many songs about cars?

In postwar America, a car meant freedom: a way out of town, a place to be alone with a date and a symbol of who you were. Rock and roll grew up at the same time, so songwriters wrote about cars the way blues singers wrote about trains. For those older songs, see our songs about trains, and for the open road, our road trip songs.

Car songs for a wedding getaway

For a getaway car exit, "Little Deuce Coupe", "Drive My Car" and "Life Is a Highway" are fun choices, especially if the couple leaves in a vintage car. For more, see our wedding exit songs.

Car songs for a dad or grandpa

For a dad who restores old cars or a grandpa who still talks about his first Mustang, a playlist of hot rod songs makes a great Father's Day or birthday gift. For more, see our songs about fathers, and for two wheels, our songs about motorcycles.

A song about their car and their story

For the car lover in your life, a personalized song can celebrate the car they rebuilt, the road trips you took together and the first car they ever owned, with their name in every chorus. It makes a memorable birthday, retirement or Father's Day gift.

How to create a personalized song

1. Choose a style from 14 genres: rock, country, pop and more.
2. Add their name.
3. Share three memories about their cars and drives.
4. Review the lyrics and edit or regenerate them for free before any music is made.
5. Listen to 4 free 45-second previews and choose your favorite.

The full 3 to 4 minute song costs $24.99, or $29.99 for Premium with four full versions and editable lyrics. You get the MP3, a gift page and the lyrics as a PDF.

Give the car lover in your life a song of their own: create a song and hear four previews for free.