Sunburnt & Singing

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A road trip needs songs everyone in the car already knows, so nobody has to ask what's playing. This tape was made for a summer trip with friends and the windows down, so it's a singalong from start to finish: big choruses, bright guitars and nothing that slows the car down.

It opens with Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'", jangling guitars and an easy chorus that the whole car can reach for. Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky" is pure sunshine, Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine" bursts in with horns, and Lizzo's "Good as Hell" is a confidence boost. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is a Motown duet that sounds like friendship, and Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" brings things down to a breezy, easy strum.

The second half keeps the windows open. Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg's "California Gurls" is sunny pop for the coast road, American Authors' "Best Day of My Life" has a chorus made for shouting out of the window, and Dirty Heads' "Vacation" is a laid-back groove. The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" is the oldest song here, all harmonies and that wobbling, high electronic whistle. Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" is playful, and Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" is the last burst of energy for the final stretch.

It mixes decades on purpose, from The Beach Boys and Motown in the sixties to Lizzo and Walk the Moon, so the driver and the back seat both get their song. Open it as a YouTube playlist before you leave, put it on repeat for a long drive, and let the passenger seat take requests. If the trip ends with a quiet drive home after dark, make a tape for that moment too.