Open roads.
The songs that made the journey feel bigger than the destination.
Part of the Songs That Feel Like Driving collection.
CHAPTER I — Leaving Before Sunset
The day is ending. The road is just beginning.
1. Go Your Own Way — Fleetwood Mac (1977)
2. Ventura Highway — America (1972)
3. Baker Street — Gerry Rafferty (1978)
4. Year of the Cat — Al Stewart (1976)
Mood: Freedom • Open Roads • Possibility
The best journeys often begin before the sun has disappeared. The engine comes to life, the windows are rolled down, and the warm evening air carries the last sounds of the day. There is no urgency, no fixed destination, only the quiet excitement of setting off with the road unfolding ahead.
In the seventies, driving still felt like an act of freedom. Motorways stretched towards distant horizons, petrol stations promised another chapter rather than a brief stop, and every mile offered the possibility of discovering somewhere new. These songs belong to that moment, when the journey mattered just as much as wherever it was leading.
CHAPTER II — Endless Horizons
The road stretches further than you imagined.
5. Running on Empty — Jackson Browne (1977)
6. Take It Easy — Eagles (1972)
7. Fool (If You Think It's Over) — Chris Rea (1978)
8. Wild West End — Dire Straits (1978)
Mood: Horizons • Distance • Warm Evenings • Discovery
As the miles slip quietly behind, the journey settles into its own rhythm. The excitement of setting off gives way to something gentler, where every bend reveals another stretch of open road and every horizon invites you a little further. There is no pressure to arrive. Somewhere along the way, the journey has become bigger than the destination.
The seventies celebrated the freedom of the open road. Long evenings, fading sunlight and endless landscapes turned every journey into a small adventure. These songs belong to that feeling of possibility, when the world seemed wider, time moved more slowly, and every mile carried the promise of discovering something just beyond the horizon.
CHAPTER III — The Long Way Home
The road feels familiar. So does the music.
9. Listen to the Music — The Doobie Brothers (1972)
10. Tiny Dancer — Elton John (1971)
11. How Long — Ace (1974)
12. Stuck in the Middle with You — Stealers Wheel (1972)
Mood: Rhythm • Distance • Easy Driving
The last colours of the day slowly fade behind you as the road settles into an easy, familiar rhythm. The traffic has thinned, the engine hums steadily, and every song seems to arrive at exactly the right moment. There is nothing left to chase, nowhere you need to be just yet. For a while, driving is enough.
The seventies had a way of making the journey feel as important as the destination. Long before sat-navs and playlists curated by algorithms, the radio surprised you, familiar songs drifted in through the speakers, and every mile felt quietly unhurried. Sometimes the best part of the drive wasn't arriving home—it was simply staying on the road a little longer.
CHAPTER IV — Home at Last
The journey ends. The feeling remains.
13. Long as I Can See the Light — Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)
14. Into the Mystic — Van Morrison (1970)
15. Baby I'm-a Want You — Bread (1971)
16. The Air That I Breathe — The Hollies (1974)
Mood: Peace • Home • Quiet Hope
The familiar roads begin to appear, and home is finally within reach. There is no urgency now. The drive grows quieter, your thoughts begin to settle, and the music fills the last few miles with a sense of calm that only the journey could create.
By the time you arrive, you realise that something has changed. Not the road, nor the place you've returned to, but the way you feel. Home is no longer simply where the journey ends. It's the quiet moment when the engine falls silent, the song reaches its final note, and you stay in the car for just a little longer before stepping back into the world.
Closing Reflection
The Drive Home isn't simply a playlist about driving.
It's about a time when driving itself was part of the destination. When there was no rush to arrive, no shortest route to follow, and no reason to turn the music down. The road unfolded one mile at a time, the radio chose the soundtrack, and every familiar song seemed to make the journey last a little longer.
These sixteen songs, all released during the 1970s, capture that feeling of effortless movement. They remind us that the best drives weren't measured by distance or time, but by the moments in between—the open roads, the fading light, the familiar melodies, and the quiet satisfaction of simply keeping the car moving.
The journey always felt bigger than the destination.
Music Before Silence
Every playlist tells a story.
← Back to Songs That Feel Like...