Top 10 Songs for Motorcycle Riders

The following mixtape is for all you motorcycle riders out there. We tried to gather songs that speak to the emotions one feels traveling long distances on the road, with only a “big two-wheeler” for companionship. Some of the songs are lighthearted and designed to get your adrenaline pumping. Others are more contemplative, and speak to the sadder side of life on the road. Each of the artists and bands have some kind of connection to the world of motorcycle riding and clubs or, in the case of Joan Jett, just look really good in black leather. Seriously though, after checking out the videos, why not share with us some of your favorite songs that speak to what it’s like to be the member of a club who prefers two wheels instead of four. (Photo of Angus Young by Matt Becker.)

1. “Midnight Rambler” performed by The Allman Brothers

   The lyrics to this classic song by The Allman Brothers describe a life lived on the run with only the determination to not get caught driving the never-ending journey. The “rider” doesn’t own his own clothes, but tellingly has “one more silver dollar,” which is just enough for whatever he needs if he finds a moment to rest. Brothers Gregg and Duane Allman are heard on the original recording of this song from the album Idlewild South. Duane Allman died tragically in 1971 after crashing his motorcycle into the rear of a flatbed truck. The performance below features the recent incarnation of the Allman Brothers, with Derek Truckson slide guitar and Greg singing lead and playing organ.

2. “Highway to Hell” performed by AC/DC

   Any motorcycle rider will tell you that life on the road isn’t all fun and games. The lines on the highway seem designed to numb a biker’s brain. Hours go by without a rest, and when you do finally stop for the night, it’s usually impossible to sleep. AC/DC guitarist Angus Young described touring as like being on “a f—ing highway to hell.” AC/DC’s original lead singer Bon Scott died after an alcohol binge on February 19, 1980, just six months after “Highway to Hell” was released as a single.

3. “Roll Me Away” performed by Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band

   If anyone knows about life on the road, it’s Bob Seeger. The lyrics for “Roll Me Away,” from Seeger’s hit album The Distance, are in the first person voice of a young man traveling on his “big two-wheeler,” possibly contemplating suicide, temporarily finding solace in the arms of a fellow traveler, before ultimately coming to an acceptance of life’s unanswerable questions and a renewed determination to “keep on ridin’.” Atop a mountain, he watches a hawk fly by and the sun set and comes to the conclusion, perhaps referring to the girl who only joined him for a short time on the road, “Next time, we’ll get it right.”

4. “Running With The Devil” performed by Van Halen

   Yeah, acceptance of life’s unanswerable questions is nice and all, but what about just having a good time? That’s when you cue up, the one, the only, and the original, Van Halen. Diamond David Lee Roth screams his ass off on this number, doing a better James Brown than Bruno Mars could ever pull off, while guitarist Eddie Van Halen shreds like a man in need of an exorcism. To hell with self-pity. You chose life on the road, right? So own it!

5. “Heading Out To The Highway” performed by Judas Priest

   The debauchery continues, this time led by a studs- and leather-clad Rob Halford, lead singer of the mighty Judas Priest, and described by at least one young and enlightened YouTube commentator as “the coolest gay dude ever.” Over the course of their career, the British-born Priesters have unleashed one anthem after another for real and wannabe roadsters, including “Living After Midnight,” “Breaking the Law,” and the classic, “You Got Another Thing Comin’,” a song so good not even Satan’s helper Pat Boone could ruin it.

6. “Tattooed Love Boys” performed by The Pretenders

   What would a list of motorcycle bands be without one fronted by a biker chick? Gentlemen, no matter how tough you think you are, you do not want to mess with Chrissie Hynde. In the original line-up of her band, The Pretenders, Hynde kept not one, not two, but three men in line, and demanded they have her back and play their limey butts off. Hynde’s “Tattooed Love Boys” unsympathetically describes a woman who enjoys being clobbered by her biker boyfriend. “Stop sniveling,” Hynde sneers. “You’re gonna make some plastic surgeon a rich man!” Ouch!

7. “Runnin’ Down A Dream” performed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

   Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream” is relentless, intense, and yet strangely mellow, perhaps thanks to lead singer Petty’s spacey Southern drawl over the verses’ recurring snarling guitar hook. In the video below, you can hear how tight a band can get after logging in Lord knows how many miles on the road together. Will Petty catch up to that dream that wouldn’t come to him otherwise? Or is the simple act of “flyin’” down the road its own reward?

8. “Ace of Spades” performed by Motörhead

   This is probably the fastest song on this list. Relentless, frightening, and straight to the point, “Ace of Spades” justifiably became Motörhead’s theme song immediately after its release. Lead singer Lemmy and his crew are pictured on the cover of the album “Ace of Spades,” dressed in a combination of biker black leather and quasi-Mexican revolution gear, and standing menacingly in a sandpit located incongruously near a North London suburban development.

9. “Gimme Shelter” performed by The Rolling Stones

   The alliance between Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and The Rolling Stones begins and ends in a day of infamy captured in the documentary film Gimme Shelter. The film shows, during a 1969 performance by The Rolling Stones on an outdoor stage at San Francisco’s Altamont Speedway, members of the Hells Angels, who had been hired as security for the concert, disarming, then stabbing and beating a fan to death. The lyrics to “Gimme Shelter,” a plea for shelter from an oncoming storm, warn that violence is “just a shot away,” before thankfully concluding that “love is just a kiss away.” Singer Merry Clayton lends an unforgettable vocal performance to this track.

10. “I Hate Myself for Loving You” performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

    Shouldn’t we end this trip that never ends on an “up” note? Let’s hand it over to singer, guitarist, and all-around mean mama Joan Jett to take us out with one of her best shout-along songs, “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Although later appropriated by a much less menacing Faith Hill to celebrate Sunday night broadcasts of NFL football, Jett’s song still kicks some serious ass, its basic message being, “I hate myself, but I don’t really care, because I’m having too much fun!” Jett and her band the Blackhearts look great in leather, and surely hold their own against any of the bands previously listed. So that’s our mixtape for motorcycle riders. If you ride, how about sharing with us some of your favorite songs?

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