Life is A Highway: Musically Celebrate A Sweet 16Jun 23 '03 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line A mix of 14 songs to commemorate a 16th birthday DISCLAIMER: I meant to put this review in the "Best Rock and Pop Mixes" Category, but I had a little (ok, a lot) of trouble finding the category, so I figured this was the next best place. Please do not NH me just because of that; I'll move the review if it is that big of a problem. I just legitimately couldn't find the category. Thanks! I decided to write this review after I received a mix CD with many of these songs for my 16th birthday; I modified it to combine my opinion and add a few new ones I found germane to the occasion. So someone you know is about to turn sweet 16. What do you do? (Besides steer clear of the roads for several months, that is.) Several people I know made mix CD's for their friends with songs that related to driving, roads, cars, and being 16. Hopefully this will maybe make for a fun and unique gift for a recently licensed driver that you know. It is a wide variety of songs that come from all genres (country to rap to oldies) that nearly any teenager is sure to love. Not only will it give them clean music to listen to in the car but they can keep the CD to commemorate this exciting event. So without further ado... 1. "(When Daddy Let Me) Drive" by Alan Jackson 3m42s "A piece of my childhood/it'll never be forgotten" "A young boy, 2 hands on the wheel/I can't replace the way it made me feel" "I was king of the ocean/When Daddy let me drive" "I was Mario Andretti/When Daddy let me drive" "I was high on a mountain/When Daddy let me drive" Alan Jackson is a veteran country singer and this is one of his more well-known songs. It discusses the elation felt by a teenage boy whose father lets him drive for the first time. Because Alan Jackson feels such excitement about getting to drive the car, any teenager can relate to this momentous experience. 2. "Drive my Car" by The Beatles 2m27s "Baby you can drive my car/and baby I love you" "I can show you a better time/baby you can drive my car" It's more than the fact that any Beatles song is fun to listen to. 'Drive my Car' has a catchy beat piano sections, and guitar part that any driver will love cruising to. Even though this is a short song, the listener can still have a good time with this song, and it makes the teenager feel almost empowered because the song's lyrics regard being 'a star of the screen' as comparable to driving a car. 'Beep beep, beep beep, yeah!' 3. "Life is a Road" by Donna Lewis 3m41s "Life is a road and I want to keep going" "Life is a road, now and forever, wonderful journey" "Now here we stand, unafraid of the future" This duet is one of the slower songs on this mix but it is still a favorite among 16 year olds, who may actually more distinctly remember this song as the theme during the credits of the animated movie "Anastasia." I really like listening to this song whose message is of the unbreakable power of friendship. 4. "16 Candles" by the Crests - PEAKED BILLBOARD CHARTS at #2 in 1958; 2m41s "16 candles/make a lovely sight" This is another slow one but you just have to add it to a CD about turning 16. The Crests were a teenage pop icon in the late 1950's and this song is virtually essential to any good driving/sweet 16 mix CD. 5. "Drive" by Incubus 3m52s "Lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel" "Lately I'm beginning to find that when I drive myself my light is found" "Whatever tomorrow brings I'll be there with open arms and open eyes" "Hold the wheel and drive" Incubus, a popular rock band among teenagers and twentysomethings, included 'Drive' on their smash hit album Make Yourself. Although it doesn't really talk about driving in the sense of someone who is operating a car (it's more metaphorical than that), the very popular song will still appeal to most teenagers regardless. It is not as heavy as some other songs by this band, and it has a good message too. 6. "Car" by Gary Numan 3m54s "Here in my car, I feel safest of all/I can lock all my doors...(I couldn't make out some parts)..." "Will you visit me please if I open my door" This song, a quintessential 1980's hit, 'Cars' has a strong techno (almost freaky) beat that everyone can recognize and enjoy cruising to. No "Sweet 16" CD would be complete without a song from the 1980's, especially since the recipient of this CD would have been born in that decade. (I think we all have a fond place in our hearts for music from the era of our birth.) I can't think of many songs that are more fun to drive to on a hot summer day with the windows rolled down and friends in tow. 7. "Life in the Fast Lane" by The Eagles 4m45s "Life in the fast lane/surely make you lose your mind" With a strong guitar/bass and reliably solid vocals from Don Henley, the Eagles have done it again with 'Life in the Fast Lane.' Although like Incubus' 'Drive' this song is more metaphorical in its discussion of the 'fast lane' ("they had one thing in common - they were good in bed") but it still a classic. The 16-year-old you know may not necessarily drive in the fast lane (hopefully not, especially at such an unexperienced age), but 'Life in the Fast Lane' is one to include. Everyone knows and loves this timeless Eagles song. 8. "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson 2m33s "Just can't wait to get on the road again" "Going places that I've never been/Seeing things that I may never see again" "Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway/we're the best of friends, insisting that the world be turning our way/and our way is on the road again" This song is short, with a running time of barely over 2 and a half minutes, but it packs so many feelings into that limited amount of time. Willie Nelson, the father of country music, uses this song to glorify the act of driving and to attempt an expression of the intense allure that being 'on the road' can create. If the recipient abhors country I might take this off the list (along with the Alan Jackson and Robert Earl Keen songs for that matter) but for most part, people of all ages can enjoy this song, especially while on the road. 9. "Life is a Highway" by Tom Cochrane 3m19s "Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long/if you're going my way, I wanna drive it all night long" "It's in my blood and it's all around" So now we know that life is a road and a highway. This mix would not be complete without the upbeat, classic single from Tom Petty. It may be a bit before their time but teenagers will still love driving around to the rhythm of 'Life is a Highway.' With its strong bass and brilliant harmonica performances, and an a capella bridge near the end of the song, this tune is perfect for a teenager who is about to set wheel on the road. 10. "I Woke up in a Car" by Something Corporate 4m11s "So here I am/I woke up in car" "I've never been so at home...I woke up in a car" A new band who calls their genre 'piano rock,' Something Corporate's new album featured a popular song called "I Woke Up in a Car." It doesn't really talk that much about driving but most teenagers like the style of Something Corporate. It's unique sound is unparalleled, and plus, I can truly picture this song being used in a car commercial. 11. "Car Wash" by Rose Royce 3m16s "Workin' at the car wash" "Fill up and you don't have to pay" From the slow clap introduction of this song to Rose Royce's silky vocals, 'Car Wash' brings the fun and funky disco era to the car stereo of your new driving friend. Like 'Car' by the Cars, this song recalls a mood of the past; believe it or not, most teens actually like oldies. Your car (or your teenager) may not have been made in the 1970's but this great song is still fun to drive around to. The beat and instruments used in the song and very unique. 12. "The Road Goes On Forever (And the Party Never Ends)" by Robert Earl Keen, Jr. 6m31s "The road goes on forever and the party never ends" Another legendary name in the realm of Texas country music, Robert Earl Keen's timeless hit mixes clear country vocals and a toe-tapping fiddle in this song. Starting out slow, 'The Road Goes On Forever' eventually speeds up to the beat of a catchy Texas classic. I often hear of people who have quoted lyrics of this song, making REK Jr's hit a popular one for teenagers due to its motif of rebellion in the song that is relatable to many teenagers. 13. "Ride Wit Me" by Nelly 4m51s "If you wanna go and take a ride wit me" Nelly's second smash single on his debut album 'Country Grammar' was 'Ride Wit Me,' which surged in popularity in the spring and summer of 2000. Although teeming with inappropriate lyrics that your teenager should not be permitted to blast in their car, 'Ride Wit Me' is a fun song that every teenager knows and loves (if they can tolerate rap, that is). When I think of this tune, I think of having a good time; the rhythm itself almost connotes fun. I like 'Ride Wit Me' because it has such a catchy and infectious beat. 14. "Hit the Road, Jack" by Ray Charles 1m54s "Hit the road, Jack" Although the lyrics of this song are generally seen as negative, any recently licensed driver will gladly 'hit the road.' The brass interludes are very fun, and this song is another timeless tune that any teenager will recognize. Ray Charles' scored a huge hit with this one; even if your 16 year old friend's name is not Jack I'm sure the road is still calling his or her name. Total running time: 51m37s Enjoy and thank you for reading!  |
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