Drive (if you want to)

This challenge was full of…. challenges. And originally I’d planned to make this a “mega-mix,” where each song flows into the other in seamless bliss.

But two things stood in the way - one practical, one more esoteric.

The first thing to note is that Ringo is very much a “feel” drummer. His tempo wavers a bit (”Drive My Car” varies between 122 and 124 beats per minute), but the songs always seem to be “just right.” And Ringo would be the first to admit that other drummers can carry a better, more consistent tempo. That said, the tempo variation gave me a bit of wiggle room to select songs for a fun playlist.

Secondly, citing any song by The Beatles was bound to make me smile - and incessantly ponder the right songs to list as follow-ups to “Drive My Car.” So I hemmed and hawed over songs for a long time. Even though the list of tempo-compatible songs was short(ish), it took me a long time to find the right order - and even the right performers. Had I wanted to, I could’ve made the entire list a bunch of songs by The Beatles, Wings, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo. But that didn’t seem quite right, however fun (and easy) that would’ve been.

So I present this list as a starting point - and one that’ll get you 24-or-so minutes along in your journey.

1. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” - The Beach Boys
   From the same basic time period as “Drive My Car” comes this Brian Wilson song that also happens to be an ideal driving song. Even though Pet Sounds is a very moody, melancholy album, this song still brings forth the image of driving along the California coast - and what’s not to like about that?
2. “Lucky Town” - Bruce Springsteen
   Bruce wrote one of the better cruising songs - “Blinded By The Light,” which became a hit for Manfred Mann - so it stands to reason that he would record more songs that invoke the feel of a good drive. “Lucky Town” is from one of Bruce’s “twin albums” from the early 1990s, Lucky Town and Human Touch. The former album is mostly uptempo songs, while the latter is more mellow fare. The story of going “down to lucky town” seems to work well for a wheeled journey.
3. “You Just May Be The One” - The Monkees
   This song is one that is seldom seen as a hit for The Monkees, yet it’s one of their stronger songs. To my mind, it’s all due to the fact that Mike Nesmith wrote the song and closely dictated its arrangement - Papa Nez was perhaps the most musically gifted of the “pre-fab Four.” This version, from one of the Missing Links compilations, is an earlier recording that was used on the TV show - the song was later re-recorded by Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork on their superb Headquarters album. On this version, the only Monkee performing an instrument is Nesmith, who plays rhythm guitar.
4. “Straight Shooter” - The Mamas & The Papas
   From If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, this song has such wonderful harmonies and moves along at a good clip - something that can’t often be said of the output of this crazy, folk-rock group. Enjoy the wall of sound as you cruise down the highway.
5. “On And On And On” - ABBA
   Ah - Scandinavian disco at its best. Benny Andersson and Bjørn Ulvaeus are a potent writing team - on a par with Lennon-McCartney, John-Taupin, Nanker-Phelge and Wilson-Love in terms of being able to churn out well-crafted, eminently hummable songs that aren’t pure bubble-gum pop pap. This song encourages any driver to keep moving, on and on and on…
6. “Rebel Rebel” - David Bowie
   An ode to cross-dressing and sexual ambiguity wrapped up in a rocking package - one of David Bowie’s most enduring and rocking numbers, and one that forever ears him a place on my “must-have” driving playlist.
7. “She’s A Rejecter” - Of Montreal
   Just to show that I’m not completely stuck in the pre-modern days, there’s this gem of a track from Atlanta’s Of Montreal. Their arrangements are odd and sometimes most discordant, but they know how to establish a good beat.

Enjoy - and don’t crash along the way!

Download: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” - The Beach Boys (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Lucky Town” - Bruce Springsteen (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “You Just May Be The One” - The Monkees (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Straight Shooter” - The Mamas & The Papas (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “On And On And On” - ABBA (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “Rebel Rebel” - David Bowie (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: “She’s A Rejecter” - Of Montreal (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Onkel Rudi’s “Drive (if you want to)” (XML Playlist)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

The whole thing is available as a single ZIP file for one-stop-shopping:

Download: “Drive (if you want to)” (ZIP)
(Click here for download instructions)