For full read, see my Sunday, July 1 column ...

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I define a great road tune as having some or all of these pieces:
Must make fingers tap the steering wheel.
Has to have a catchy chorus that’s screamable.
Has drum or guitar riff that prompts imaginary playing.
It must contain lyrics that force longing or achieving.
I’ll offer bits of my playlist (all on YouTube to sample), broken down into these categories:
Must singles:
Seger’s “Roll Me Away,” Springsteen’s “Thunder Road” and “The Rising,” Van’s “Brown-Eyed Girl,” Rush’s “Spirit of the Radio,” Zevon’s “Werewolf,” Diamond’s “America,” Denver’s “Calypso,” Social’s’ “Story of My Life.”
Must artists:
Avett Brothers, Van Halen, CCR, Counting Crows, Todd Snider ...
Obscure musts:
Hiatt’s “My Old Friend,” Bowling for Soup’s “Shut-up and Smile,” Prine’s “Lake Marie,” Plaskett’s “Nowhere with You,” Edward Sharpe’s “Man on Fire,” RWB’s “Walking Shoes,” Matt Palka’s “The Dream Will Live,” Cleaves’ “One Good Year.”
And ... my best most-obscure gem for the road:
Spirit of the West’s “Home For a Rest” — which is Canada’s sing-a-long equivalent to “American Pie” with a classic and apropos traveler lyric: “These so-called vacations will soon be my death; I so sick from the drink, I need home for a rest.”