13 Great Songs About Planes, Trains, & Automobiles
Writing Prompt: Tell us your favorite songs about modes of transportation — or write a fiction story featuring their song titles
Writer and all-around good person David Acaster recently wrote and published this great story about The Repton, a fantastic old locomotive in England:
Another fellow writer and all-around good person, David Asch, replied to the story and suggested to the first David that he should write an article about train-themed songs. I was then invited into the conversation and said I loved that idea. The second David (I promise to not cause more confusion here by adding a third David later in this article) said he thought it might be a nice writing prompt for others.
I suggested that it may be fun to broaden the prompt a little bit and also include songs that dealt with planes and automobiles — and any other modes of transportation that people might like to write about.
And then my wacky little mind got another idea — let’s work fiction into this challenge too!
Last year, I read a great short story by Paul Combs, that was the result of a writing challenge. Basically, the challenge was to write any sort of fictional story that you wanted to — but you needed to include the titles of multiple songs by a particular artist within your story. The more song titles you used, the better!
Naturally, Paul wrote a story that included titles of songs by his favorite musician, the legendary Bruce Springsteen:
Paul used 50 song titles. It was fantastic the way he worked them into his story!
So, I said to myself, “Hey self, let’s do the same sort of thing with this challenge about transportation songs!”
So (because I’m trying to start multiple consecutive paragraphs in this article with that word), there are two options for this writing challenge:
- Write about transportation songs that you like. The songs can be about planes, trains, automobiles, scooters, skateboards, pogo sticks, or whatever else you can think of. Do it on just one mode of transportation — or about as many of them that you choose to write about. If you want to list 10 songs about cars — go for it! If you want to list 322 songs about scooters — go for it. If you want to combine them — go for it! It’s entirely up to you!
- Write a short fiction story that includes song titles from songs that have something to do with transportation.
A short and lame example from me of what a line in your story could look like:
Jimmy awoke early because he was going to be leaving on a jet plane to go out of state to buy a pink Cadillac.
So, you get the idea, right? Fantastic!
So, I’m doing my part of the challenge right now. Here are 13 songs I love that are about planes, trains, and automobiles!
1. Learning to Fly — Pink Floyd
This song is from Pink Floyd’s exceptional album A Momentary Lapse of Reason from 1987. The band’s singer and guitarist, David Gilmour, was taking flying lessons at the time the band was recording the album, and the lyrics were greatly inspired by that experience.
2. Iron Eagle (Never Say Die) — King Kobra
This came from the 1986 action film Iron Eagle, which a lot of people unfairly view as a sort of lower-budget rip-off of Top Gun. In truth, Iron Eagle was released several months before Top Gun was.
It was a fun movie that also had some very good music in it, including this great theme song by King Kobra. I’ve never heard anything else by this band, but I’ve always loved this one.
3. Jet Airliner — The Steve Miller Band
This one came out when I was a kid and I have very clear memories of repeatedly calling my local radio station back then and requesting them to play it. In fact, I was calling so often that one of the deejays actually snapped at me on the phone and told me to stop calling.
So, yeah — I liked this song a lot back then. I still do! Maybe I’ll give that deejay a call later and ask him again to play it.
4. Counting Airplanes — Train
This is one of my favorite songs from Train’s fantastic My Favorite Nation album. I love the lyrics in it and I think singer Pat Monahan sounds especially great on it.
This entry on the list is sort of a two-for-one special, since it includes both airplanes and a train.
Woohoo!
And choo-choo!
Speaking of trains…
5. Steam Engine — The Monkees
This great song from 1969 was a bit of a rarity for many years. Although it was featured on the band’s television series, it was never released as a single or on any of The Monkees’ studio albums. The song was never officially released until it was included on a compilation album in the 1980s. Being a Monkees’ fan who had always loved the song when I heard it on the TV show, I was ecstatic when I was finally able to own a copy of it.
If you don’t know the song, check it out. Singer Micky Dolenz sounds especially fantastic on this one.
6. Peace Train — 10,000 Maniacs
This remake of Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” is exceptional. I actually prefer it over Cat’s original version. (Sorry, Cat!)
7. Night Train — Andy Taylor
Many years before he became famous as a member of the band Duran Duran, Andy Taylor was the sheriff of a small town called Mayberry in the southern part of the United States. Here he is with his deputy, Barney Fife:
No, wait. Further research has shown me that some of the above is incorrect. Andy Taylor was in Duran Duran, but he had nothing to do with the Andy Taylor from Mayberry.
“Night Train” is from Andy’s exceptional solo album Thunder from 1987. It has more of a ‘rock sound’ than most of the pop songs that Andy was known for from his years with Duran Duran.
It’s different — but it’s still very, very good.
8. Midnight Train to Georgia — Gladys Night & The Pips
I absolutely love the vocals on this song by The Pips. Could they possibly have sounded any cooler than they do here?
No, they couldn’t have!
Darn it — I wish I was a Pip!
This clip below (a ‘pip clip?’) is from an episode of The Richard Pryor Show that ran on the NBC Television Network in 1977. In it, The Pips are seen performing on a stage, but without Gladys Knight. They dance and sing their regular background parts, but when it’s time for Gladys’ vocal parts, well, we see and hear nothing but the Pips.
It’s very simple — but very funny.
9. Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car — Billy Ocean
If you ever want to see someone sing and dance like a total maniac, just come and hang out with me while this song is playing.
The same also holds true while I listen to Billy Ocean’s other hits like “Caribbean Queen,” “Loverboy,” and “When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going.”
Speaking of that last one, here’s the great music video for it. I’ve always loved the appearances in it by actors Kathleen Turner, Danny Devito, and Michael Douglas. They do a great job “performing” background vocals and dance moves — and Danny DeVito does a mean “sax solo” in it too!
10. MGB-GT — Peter Tork
This fun solo song from Peter Tork of The Monkees is about a beloved car that Peter owned when he was very young. One of the things I love about this song is that fellow Monkee Michael Nesmith guest-starred on it and can be clearly heard singing background vocals on it.
11. Greased Lightning — John Travolta (with Jeff Conaway)
A very entertaining and memorable song from the movie Grease. I can’t ever hear it without “seeing” Danny, Kenickie, and the other T-Birds performing it in my head.
12. This Car of Mine — The Beach Boys
Although it wasn’t released as a single and wasn’t a famous song, this has always been one of my favorites from the early days of The Beach Boys. Drummer Dennis Wilson does a great job singing lead on it and, as always, the vocals of the rest of The Beach Boys sounded fantastic.
13. Drive — The Cars
One of my favorite songs ever — by anyone. The late Benjamin Orr did a wonderful job singing lead on it.
I can’t not include the legendary music video for “Drive,” which was directed by actor Timothy Hutton and featured supermodel and actress Paulina Porizkova.
If you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend you watch the video. I just now watched it for my 4, 206th time (give or take a few times.)
And here’s my complete playlist on Spotify:
Now it’s your turn!
Whether you tell us in a non-fiction article or in a fictional story, what are your favorite transportation songs?
I’d be especially curious to see which songs these cool kids would write about:
Jessie Waddell, Alex Markham, Christine Schoenwald, Terry Barr, Lark Morrigan, Katemiya, Amber Walters, Kevin Alexander, Simon Dillon, Jeffrey Harvey, Sarah Paris, L Burton, David Robson, Jasmine Aguilar, Charlie Cole, Ashley, Nichola Scurry, Susie Kearley, Laura Lind, Steve Devine, Steven Hale, Anthony Overs, Arpad Nagy, Francis B., Paul Walker, Sarah Callen, C L Smith, and Marmi Maramot Le.
Come one!
Come all!
Publish your stories here or wherever else you choose to. Just please me tag me in it — because I’d love to read what you write!
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