Classic Alternative Car Songs
The automobile is a popular subject in rock music. So popular in fact, that car song playlists are best when filtered by genre.
For this one I selected songs about cars as performed by classic alternative rock bands like The Violent Femmes, R.E.M., Big Country, Adam Ant, Echo & The Bunnymen, The B-52s and others. I also had to include The Cure song ”Mint Car”. Even though the overtly-happy love song sounds like it has nothing to do with cars on it’s face, the story behind the song title qualifies it for this list.
According to lead singer and songwriter, Robert Smith, “Mint Car” is so titled because whenever Cure bassist Simon Gallup got a new car (”mint”, as in brand new) he’d be euphorically happy, and so the band came to associate the phrase “mint car” with being drunkenly happy. Since the song is affirmingly upbeat in both tone and lyrics, the title “Mint Car” worked perfectly. So really, it’s an inside joke.
Although rockabilly, classic rock, hip-hop and metal have more car song penetration than most other genres, this short, but sweet classic alternative set plays homage to the early MTV generation.
Classic Alternative Car Songs Playlist
Three Car Jam - The Minutemen
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Double Nickels On The Dime
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Cars (Original Version) - Gary Numan
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Premier Hits
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Car Trouble - Adam Ant
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Antics In The Forbidden Zone
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Devil In My Car - The B-52’s
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Wild Planet
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Gimme The Car - The Violent Femmes
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Viva Wisconsin
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Get In The Car - Echo & The Bunnymen
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Mint Car - The Cure
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Wild Mood Swings
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Drive - R.E.M.
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Automatic For The People
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
She’ll Drive The Big Car - David Bowie
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Reality
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Cars And Girls - Prefab Sprout
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album The Best Of Prefab Sprout: Life Of Surprises
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
Drive - Throwing Muses
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album House Tornado
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Locked In The Trunk Of A Car - The Tragically Hip
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Yer Favourites (Remastered)
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Driving To Damascus - Big Country
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Driving To Damascus
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Warm Leatherette - The Normal
on Yahoo! Music JukeboxFrom the album Warm Leatherette
Last.fm page / Search for lyricsSongBlogger V1.31
