Open Road Rockers Essentials

Heading out on an epic road trip requires an equally epic soundtrack. While these so-called open-road rockers can explicitly mention cars or driving (for instance, AC/DC’s barn-burning “Highway to Hell”), in other cases, they’re classic rock anthems and laidback jams capturing the freedom and possibility of the open road itself. This vibe is embodied by the main character of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “American Girl”—“raised on promises” and prone to look for silver linings—and by the wistful nostalgia of Bruce Springsteen’s brawny, hopeful “Glory Days.” Yet an open-road rocker might just as easily be a song with a rebellious streak—as evidenced by the raucous riffage driving Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ fist-pumping “I Love Rock ’N Roll,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s defiant political statement “Fortunate Son,” and the gang’s-all-here hard-rock vibe of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town.”