And now the final ten:
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival: The last of the CCR songs. Great beginning, great lyrics, and a great tune. The song has it all.
Smooth - Santana: No one does solo guitar better than Santana, sorry Eric. The vocals by Rob Thomas adds a really good vibe to Santana's Latin guitar. When I hear this I can just close my eyes and see myself cruising down the highway.
Paint It Black- The Rolling Stones: The song has a bit of a sinister feel, but I like that. Besides the intro is one of the most recognizable in all of rock 'n roll.
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppin Wolf: I have always related the song to riding a motorcycle as the ultimate Magic Carpet Ride. Groovy 60s style guitar also makes the song fun to listen to.
Something Beautiful - Robbie Williams: All my American friends are now scratching their heads asking who the heck is Robbie Williams. He is a British pop star with a great voice and a great gift for interpreting songs. This one is one of my favorites by him and it's all about hope and finding something beautiful because you can’t manufacture a miracle.
Jessica (Single Version) - The Allman Brothers Band: One day on Twitter, @BeatlesLane and I were listing song titles that included a girl's name. As we threw suggestions at one another of songs to be included on the list this one came to mind. I've never heard the story behind it, or if there is one, but Jessica inspired a great instrumental song. It goes long, but in every note I can see the broken white lines passing underneath the wheels of my bike.
Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen: Last of the born songs. All about getting out and going. I was never an early adopter of the Boss's music but this tune got me to listen to the rest of his library.
Layla - Eric Clapton: No one does solo guitar better than Eric Clapton, sorry Santana. This has to be one of the most recognizable songs in all of rock 'n roll and has one of the best guitar solos ever. This is not the unplugged version. Note: I actually like the cover version by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra better, but could not find it anywhere.
Runaway - Del Shannon: A song written in the storeroom of a carpet store in Battle Creek, Michigan that eventually became his first hit. He had three, so you can’t call Del a one-hit wonder. I first heard this song on a Boy Scout camping trip in my younger years. This was back whenyou had to rewind the tape to hear the same song over and over again. Before the weekend was out, we had worn the tape down to a nub.
The Motorcycle Song - Arlo Guthrie: You knew this would be here somewhere. The song has it all: motorcycles, Ray, pickles, and of course four-part harmony. The lyrics are light and easy, so feel free to sing along.
Well, that is my 50 best tunes for riding. I'm sure as spring comes along and I began riding down the highway listening to this list, I will come up with changes here and there, but this is the base set I will start with. Feel free to send me your suggestions but remember: if you want to put one on you have to figure out one to take off. It makes it harder than you would think.
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