In 1974, a great evil was perpetrated upon the land of these United States. No, it had nothing to do with Richard Nixon. Oh, no, it was far worse - the federal government passed the National Maximum Speed Limit into law in the hopes of striking at the energy crisis through gas conservation. Suddenly, we were a nation that was not legally allowed to drive over 55 mph.
This, as those of you not alive back then might have already guessed, sucked. A lot.
So the nation was ready ten years later when the Red Rocker himself (a mister Sammy Hagar) dropped his 8th studio album, VOA, and the first single, “I Can’t Drive 55.” Taking both MTV and radio by storm, the rock anthem dedicated to the art of putting the pedal to the metal not only became a massive hit but also became a true piece of the culture of the time.
5 songs that will get you a speeding ticket while driving and listening
It would take until 1995 before Congress repealed that federal limit, but Hagar’s efforts were absolutely the first shot fired in that particular culture war that genuinely made a difference.
That said, “I Can’t Drive 55” was hardly the first song that boomed out of our speakers and made us wanna drive so fast that the cops were going to have to put some extra effort into catching us. Here are five more great songs that sound designed to get you a speeding ticket:
“Spoonman” by Soundgarden
Seattle superstars Soundgarden gave us this power-packed single with their fourth album, Superunknown. Inspired by a legendary street musician, the eventual electric version of this tune would climb extremely high on various charts.
Combining Chris Cornell’s gravel-gargling vocals and Matt Cameron’s percussion in ways the band never had before, they created an instant classic… that makes you want to pick up the pace when driving down the road.
“Radar Love” by Golden Earring
Diving way back in 1973, these Dutch masters delivered one of the truly great driving songs by accident. The song itself does feature a lyrical protagonist driving “all night, my hand wet on the wheel,” but there’s a deeper story at play because his radar love is a soul connection to his lover, and nothing can keep them apart. Lovely.
Considered by rock historians to be a true masterpiece and chosen by many magazines as the greatest driving song ever, its speed-limit-breaking potential has always been somewhat underestimated. Let’s put an end to that, shall we?
“Touch and Go” by Emerson, Lake, & Powell
After losing Palmer and picking up Powell, Keith Emerson and Greg Lake didn’t miss a beat in turning out amazing, synth-driven music. This is because nobody - nobody! - could play the synthesizer (especially the Moog) like Keith Emerson. The guy was such a wizard on those machines, I remain convinced he graduated from Hogwarts with a musical degree.
This particular tune, which took large potshots at bad 80s culture like the show “Dynasty,” has an open, freewheeling sound that makes your foot melt into the pedal and begin to pick up speed without even thinking about it.
“Nowhere Fast” by Fire, Inc.
To this day, I have a sweet spot for Walter Hill’s over-stylish and underappreciated film epic Streets on Fire. It’s under-written, under-acted, and doesn’t make a tremendous amount of sense. But good grief, is it fun! And the music is utterly fantastic, starting with Dan Hartman’s “I Can Dream About You,” which has turned into a timeless classic.
But look past that and you’ll find this ditty - a driving beat that makes you want to dance, vocals just far enough over the top to be brilliant, and enough joy in it to be classified as a musical drug. And that driving beat? Be careful if it comes on while you are actually driving because it’s a speeding ticket waiting to happen.
“Knights of Cydonia” by Muse
Never forgetting that modern bands are perfectly capable of putting out classic material, this piece by Muse seems written explicitly for the purpose of opening up your mind and setting it free to wander the universe… while you drive really fast.
Epic in sound and epic in scale, Matt Bellamy’s defiant chants of “No one’s going to take me alive!” remind us that even the most modern of bands can get in touch with their musical ancestors and deliver an incredible piece of rock that also makes you want to speed like no one’s business. It's glorious.