The bods at Money Supermarket recently got in touch to ask me and a few other bloggers if we’d share our Ultimate Summer Driving Playlist. I will always jump at the chance to get involved with anything a little bit musical, as after beauty blogging, music comes a close second in my list of passions and I’ve recently completed an MA in Popular Music. Whilst it’s good fun to put together a playlist, there was a serious message being relayed behind these posts, as music you connect to keeps you alert and on-the-ball; THINK! Research suggests that almost 20% of road traffic accidents on major roads occur due to tiredness, so with that in mind, I’ve put together a list of songs that will either keep you focused or keep you singing on your journey. Check out some of these amazing toons!
1. Beggin’ – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
I’m sure most people know the remake of this song that came out a few years ago, but to be honest the original isn’t that different, and it still contains that catchy hook, fun rhythm and singalong chorus that’ll keep you bouncing happily along in your journey.
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2. The Night Last Night – Mark Ronson and the Business Intl
This is probably my favourite song at the moment as it’s so weirdly captivating! It’s typical Ronson production, but the harmonies with the male vocals are strangely haunting and remind me of a Barbershop Quartet…seriously just have a listen and hopefully you’ll see what I mean.
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3. Chocolate – The 1975
Nothing amazing here other than another catchy chorus with a fun and jolly production that I think is actually very summery, although the lyrical content isn’t actually anything to do with summer. It’s just good fun really.
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4. Lightning Bolt – Jake Bugg
I absolutely love this dude who’s managing to somehow sound like he’s been writing solid folk songs since the 1950s, yet I don’t even think he’s 20 years old yet! He’s a brilliant singer/songwriter and Lightning Bolt is a great example of how pop can be simple and yet so effective.
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5. I Feel Free – Cream
This is a bit of an oldie but a goodie, with an intro that is just far too much fun to sing along to. Again it’s just something a bit different to add flavour to the playlist. You can’t beat a bit of Cream.
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6. Radioactive – Imagine Dragons
Five tracks in and therefore roughly about 20 minutes into the journey, we might start losing concentration, so here’s a basey, booming track to reinstate our focus from Imagine Dragons.
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7. Sail – Awolnation
Just in case Imagine Dragons didn’t do the trick, here’s something even lairier with a fantastic intro played on the harp that should definitely perk you up. You might not like the vocals but the production alone is worth a listen.
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8. In My Life – The Beatles
I don’t think any playlist is complete without a Beatles track, and everyone knows In My Life so it’s an easy one to sing along to.
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9. What Would You Like to do Today? – Sascha TC
Yeah… I don’t think I could’ve forgiven myself if I hadn’t included a track of my own, so here’s the most popular one which is jolly, easy and summery. Ch-ch-ch-check it out…
https://myspace.com/officialsaschatc/music/song/what-would-you-like-to-do-today-61686589-67365612
10. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
If you haven’t been overwhelmed by the obscene writing talent of the previous track, here’s a great example of a band who know how to put a song together. I’m not really a Fleetwood Mac fan, but there’s something very “driving” about this track, and it’s used on a lot of racing TV stuff too.
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11. Get Lucky – Daft Punk
There’s a pattern forming here, as this is another fun and bobby song that should perk you up no end. You can’t beat a bit of Pharrell vocals and the mix of that with a Daft Punk production is a match made in heaven.
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12. Phat Planet – Leftfield
If Daft Punk accidentally bopped you into a sleepy state, this pumping track should pull you back out of it. I wasn’t sure whether to include this as it’s seriously basey and packs one hell of a punch, but it’s also one of those tracks that I absolutely love driving to. Just don’t speed people!
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13. Ready for the Floor – Hot Chip
I love this song; who doesn’t love this song? It’s just everything a good pop song should be; easy to recollect, fun to sing and positive to dance to. It’ll also keep you perky, like a caffeine shot in musical form.
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14. Chelsea Dagger – The Fratellis
I loooooove The Fratellis, and I understand they’re coming back soon which is awesome! Fun-filled, guitar-based indie/pop that everyone knows from the pub. Nothing too serious but lots of fun to sing along to, ready? Do, do-do-do, do-do-do…
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15. Gone in the Morning – Newton Faulkner
There’s a lot to be said for music that follows a jumpy rhythm, as it really does keep you alert (if you think about chill out music and how it’s all long notes to mellow you out, jumpy being the antithesis of that) and Gone in the Morning is jumpy with the production, melody and vocals, so if you’re starting to doze then this peppy, poppy track should get you going again.
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There we have it! Fifteen fabulous tracks to keep you singing, bobbing and generally perky on your journey.
Disclosure: I was compensated with £20 to purchase the above tracks and I will also be entered into a competition to win an Ipad along with all the other entries.
