I’ve always loved driving. It’s the most dangerous and wasteful thing many of us do in our lives every single day, and yet, I can’t help but feeling that arises when I hop in the car and throw on my driving music of choice for that particular trip. Maybe it’s because I’m from South Florida, so the geographical nature and lack of access to adequate public transportation has forced me to embrace it or maybe it’s just part of me. I could be driving for five minutes or five days, and it wouldn’t matter. I never get tired of it, and over the course of my life, I’ve been lucky to make a lot of friends who felt the same way.

I spent the majority of my late teens, twenties, and early thirties out on the open road whenever I had to travel somewhere in the South or on the East Coast. I’ve never had a ton of money to spend on traveling and neither did the majority of the people I spent most of my time with. Financially, it usually made sense to drive wherever we were going because we could split the cost of everything and not worry about transportation when we got to our various destinations. Spiritually, I think we mostly craved the adventure of getting out onto the highway and doing whatever we wanted with our time as we made our long way — and I mean long, it takes about five hours without traffic just to get out of Florida from Broward and Miami-Dade Counties — up and out of the state. Plus, there are tons of things you can do in your car on a road trip that you can’t do on an airplane, in a train, or on a bus. You can stop when you want, change your clothes or just take off your shoes for a while, speak loudly to driving mates or to someone on the phone, laugh wildly and often during the course of those conversations, cram all kinds of snacks and drinks down your throat as you zip around the highway, and, most importantly, blast your choice of music and scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs.

I know it’s more common now to create playlists for all of the different activities and moods we experience in our lives. And mix CDs were a central feature of growing up as young people on the very early internet where pirating music was accessible and widespread. But many of us who came of age depending on CDs also know the joys and struggles of getting through an entire album of songs. Personally, I cannot think of a better time to listen to an album “cover to cover” than on a long drive. You can just pop it in or throw on the AUX or Bluetooth and let it ride in the same way you are. Over many years of road trips with others and by myself, I’ve done this on almost every trip, and I continue to do this whenever I have to go somewhere that takes 60 minutes or more.

My taste in music is all over the map, so you can usually catch me listening to everything from hip hop and R&B to country and post punk as I’m doing any task, especially driving. As a result, it’s hard for me to nail down exactly what I think a good “driving album” is. But I think it has to have some sonic qualities that mesh well with the task of driving. It should have a good mix of upbeat songs and some slow tempo ones. There should definitely be a couple of sing along tracks. And you should be able to listen to it without getting the urge to skip songs because they’re just not doing it for you.

Summer is coming to an end and Fall is beginning, which means road trip season will be over for some people (not Floridians!) in a few months as the temperatures and weather conditions of winter start hitting hard. It’s got me thinking about trips I haven’t made yet and have been wanting to make and reminiscing about trips I’ve already made. The memories of some of my best music listening experiences come directly from those trips, so I’m compiling them here — along with some suggestions for snacks that pair well with the listening experience — for you to use on your next long drive, wherever that might be. And just a note that for this list, I’m counting albums as queer if one or more of the most prominent members of the band identify as LGBT or queer.

The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing

I first became aware of the existence of The B-52’s watching The Flintstones movie in theaters with my family. They pop up for about 30 seconds in the film performing an original song they wrote for it called “Bedrock Twitch,” and I was immediately hooked. I’ve been listening to them ever since.

Many would say Cosmic Thing isn’t the best B-52’s album, and I would agree. This is their most commercial album, the one that took them from the fringes of obscurity to pop stardom. But it is a near perfect album to on a long or long-ish drive. It includes their huge hits “Love Shack” and “Roam” but what makes it so effortlessly drive-able to me is the six song run between “Deadbeat Club” and “Channel Z” — there’s a particular type of magic there that’ll keep you amped up for a while.

Snack Pairing: Definitely a Slurpee or Icee in a fun flavor and selection of sour gummy candies (preferably Sour Patch Kids Watermelon or Tajin Peach Rings).

Japanese Breakfast – Soft Sounds From Another Planet

No, I didn’t pick this album just because it has a song called “Road Head” about giving road head on it. But that certainly doesn’t hurt! This is a relatively short album compared to the others, so I’ve listened to this when I know I’m in the final 40 minutes of a drive because it just feels like the best finisher for some reason. Ambiently, this album is all over the place, but its generally low vibrations and electronic melodies make it feel expansive in the way the music takes up space physically and mentally. By the time you get from “Machinist” to “Till Death,” you can feel you’ve reached the conclusion of something wonderful.

Snack pairing: I have no doubt Michelle Zauner probably equips her tour buses with the coolest possible snacks, but we’re on the road here, so options are more limited. I think an ice-cold coconut water and some Oh Snap Hot n’ Spicy Pickles would be a good combo.

Jamila Woods – LEGACY! LEGACY!

So, it’s definitely possible this is coming straight from personal bias and experience because I did, in fact, road trip to New Orleans in the summer of 2019 to see her perform this on the LEGACY! LEGACY! tour. But honestly, listening to this album for about six of the 12 hours of that drive kind of proves to me it’s an amazing driving album.

LEGACY! LEGACY! is Woods’ second full-length album, and it features a group of songs that are, in some way, paying tribute to the legendary (mostly Black) artists, writers, and musicians each track is named for. Woods is known for playing and experimenting with genre, but this particular album is fun in the way she’s playing with lyrics, themes, and the general mode of homage, too. On top of that, there’s something very special about hitting the 8-song run between “FRIDA” and “BALDWIN” as you’re driving that particular stretch of I-10 from Tallahassee through southern Alabama and Mississippi.

Snack pairing: If you can hit a Trader Joe’s before you hit the road, the Dried & Juicy Mangoes are the way to go here.

George Michael – Faith (Remastered)

Y’all didn’t think a queer road trip album list wasn’t going to feature my guy George, did you? Because come on. He was one of the best to ever do it. His music transcends time and space in a way many of his contemporaries can’t fully claim. Not only that, but it’s so gay — lyrically mostly but also I think in the way he utilizes genre — and fun to sing along with. He has to be here, and I think this is his most unskippable album to drive to. You get hit with some of the big classics like “Faith” and “I Want Your Sex” but then you also get some of the most interesting more understated classics like “Father Figure,” “Hand to Mouth,” and “Kissing a Fool.”

Snack pairing: Honestly, I kind of feel like George would be a little bristly about the concept of pairing a snack with his music. So, I’m going to play it safe and say a black coffee and a cigarette or a few hits off your driving mate’s vape.

Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls

The day this dropped in April 2012 and I got a chance to listen to it in its entirety, I knew this would always be a top driving album for me. There is some part of me that is always craving blues, country, and a little rock & roll as I’m making a long drive, and I just think this album is the perfect combination of all of those things. You also get Brittany Howard’s titanic vocals on each and every song of this album, which really level up the vibes of a long car ride. It’s truly the perfect vibe for driving anywhere from the flatlands of Florida to the Appalachian Mountains to the rocky coasts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Don’t forget to sing along as loudly as you can.

Snack pairing: A Dr. Pepper Zero and beef jerky in a smokey or spicy flavor, for sure.

Jill Sobule – Jill Sobule

Most millennials will know Jill Sobule from her song “Supermodel” that was prominently featured on the soundtrack to the movie Clueless. And that song is on this album, but I’ll admit I’m mostly putting this here because I think this album is full of 90s alternative indie/indie pop musical surprises. And isn’t it nice to be surprised by something you’ve thrown on during one of the harder legs of your trip?

Sobule’s music might not necessarily make you dance and bop in your seat, but you’ll certainly want to sing along as you get to know the tracks better. What makes this album so sonically pleasing, especially in the car, is how Sobule aptly moves between playing with all of the hallmarks of 90s alternative without losing any of her indie pop flavor. Some of the songs even have a country rock tinge to them — like her other big hit on this album “I Kissed A Girl” — which definitely helps add to the long drive appeal of this one.

Snack pairing: Nerds Gummy Clusters and an overly sweet gas station iced coffee that you only allow yourself to have when you’re on a road trip.

Jackie Shane – Assorted Singles

This is cheating a little bit, but it’s not my fault that no one gave Jackie Shane a record deal in the 60s where she could finally lay these tracks down on a full-length album. If I could go back in time and be a record executive, I would! Thankfully, though, all of the music streaming services available right now have every one of Shane’s singles, so what I’ve done is put them all on a playlist in the order that makes most sense to me.

I like to listen to soul when I’m driving because soul always feels transcendent to me and helps me get out of my head for a while. Shane’s songs have been driving favorites for a while, and I absolutely love both the instrumental compositions of the tracks and the sound of her voice. When they come together, it feels like they were destined to be arranged in exactly that way. Listening to them on a long night drive will make you feel like everything’s all right for a little while.

Snack pairing: A hard one to nail down but I’m going to go with something really indulgent here, like a Magnum ice cream bar or a Reese’s Big Cup.

Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out

I know this is basically everyone’s favorite Sleater-Kinney album. Mine actually changes every six months or so (right now it’s Hot Rock). But I do think this is the best one to drive to, especially when you’re feeling the angst of being in the car for too many hours at a time. At this point in my life, I’ve memorized every single one of these songs, so I can belt them out loud as hell and jam to the drums on my steering wheel as I’m plowing through those tough hours in the middle of a long road trip. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thrown this on in that exact situation only to feel totally amped back up by the time the first few chords of “Little Babies” come on. I don’t know how anyone can sit still with the windows down and this blasting from every corner of the car.

Snack pairing: Bare Bells Creamy Crisp (or Salty Peanut) protein bar and a Ghost Energy drink in Warheads Sour Watermelon or Sour Pink Lemonade. You need the energy.

Cakes Da Killa – Hedonism

I listen to a lot of hip hop and rap, but I’ll admit one of my blind spots in this arena is queer hip hop artists, and I’m really trying to fix that. On the short list of queer hip hop artists I do love and listen to often, though, Cakes Da Killa is one of my absolute favorites to put on in the car. This album in particular is spectacular for hitting a long drive because the composition and production of the songs incorporate a variety of genre hallmarks from electronic, hip hop, techno, and house music, which helps keep you on your toes and helps keep you alert for the entire run time of the album. Cakes’s bars are extremely intoxicating, moving from rage to lust to celebration to rage again. And on top of that, almost every track on this album has a catchy, belt-worthy hook that you’ll no doubt catch yourself repeating in your head for far longer than your drive lasts.

Snack pairing: Cheetos Cheddar Jalapeño, Haribo Happy-Cola gummies, and a Cherry Coke Zero.

The Go-Go’s – Beauty and the Beat

People are mostly familiar with the big hits from this album — “Our Lips Are Sealed” and “We Got the Beat,” respectively — but I think looking past the rest of this album is a great disservice, not only to the band but also to yourself. This is, unequivocally, one of the greatest pop-rock albums of all time, and I’m happy to go on record saying that. I came to this kind of late myself, having only listened to the whole thing about eight years ago when a friend I volunteered with at my local rock camp insisted that I listen to it all the way through. Once I did, I was absolutely hooked, and it’s been one of my top driving albums ever since.

Even though I love it, road trips can get a little boring sometimes, and in those instances, you need to just give yourself over to something, whatever that thing may be. For me, I like to give myself over to the way “Lust to Love,” “This Town,” “We Got the Beat,” and “Fading Fast” melt perfectly, one after another, into each of their different yet perfectly coherent compositions. It’ll bring you back to life.

Snack pairing: Sun Chips Salsa flavor, Life Savers Gummies in Wild Berries flavor, and a Gatorade Zero (preferably yellow or blue).

Honorable Mention: The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs

This is for the real sickos, of which I am a proud member of the club. I’m sorry, but when else do you have the time in your life to sit and listen intently to an almost 3 hour long album of soft indie rock songs besides when you’re on a long road trip? Probably never. So, for me, that’s when I’ve put on 69 Love Songs. Sure, I have a lot of favorite songs from this album that I guess I could just skip to or put on a playlist, but I do think it’s cool to give this album a single run through at least once (or more) in your life. I can’t think of a better time to do that than on the road.

Snack pairing: Heath bar and a Fairlife chocolate milk.

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