Summer Road Trip Playlist: 15 great Bay Area songs to fuel your travels

If you’re going on a road trip then you’re going to need a proper playlist.

It’s just that simple.

And we certainly have one for you, filled with cool driving songs, sunny weather tunes and fun party tracks.

Of course, there’s a zillion such playlists out there. What separates ours from the others is that we only draw from artists and acts who have strong Northern California ties.

So, jump in your ride and turn up our Bay Area summer songs playlist.

Here we go:

“Good Vibrations,” Beach Boys

What’s SoCal’s signature band doing here? Well, founding member Al Jardine has long called Northern California home. So, we’re claiming the Pride of Hawthorne for this playlist. Plus, we understand it’s a law that the Beach Boys must be included on any summer music playlist and figured we might as well oblige at the very start of the ride with this glorious “pocket symphony” from 1966.

“The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion),” Grateful Dead

Going on a long, strange trip? Well, then you are going to need some Grateful Dead on the playlist. And we just love rolling down the highway while listening to this glistening Summer of Love classic from the ultimate Bay Area jam band’s first album.

“Drive,” R.E.M.

Surprised to see Georgia’s finest on the list. Well, maybe you don’t realize that guitarist Peter Buck hails from Berkeley. So, buckle up and groove along with this appropriately entitled rocker from 1992’s “Automatic for the People.”

“California Love,” 2Pac

You just know we’re bring some ‘Pac on this trip. So, let’s go cruise — “from Oakland to Sac-town, the Bay Area and back down” — with one of the best hip-hop party anthems of all time.

“Circling the Sun,” Orange Peels

From their Sunnyvale studios, the Orange Peels created some incredibly memorable music. Yet, the number that has always been nearest and dearest to our heart is this fun, catchy indie-pop gem, which is perfect tune for circling around the Bay on a nice day.

“Free Your Mind,” En Vogue

Who’s that in the backseat of the convertible? Well, nobody, actually. But we can pretend it’s the superb Oakland vocal troupe En Vogue as we crank up those sweet harmonies on this essential 1992 soul-pop number.

“Dirt On My Boots,” Jon Pardi

Here’s a good T.G.I.F. country rocker that will put a little fuel in your tank when the work week is done and it’s time to play. It’s served up in fine fashion by Pardi, a Dixon native who was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2023.

“Zero to Sixty in Five,” Pablo Cruise

Possibly the most underrated Bay Area band of all time, Pablo Cruise is most often lumped into the smooth yacht rock realm. And they certainly did excellent work in that subgenre. Yet, the group also delivered some absolutely smokin’ rock instrumentals, such as this road trip-friendly winner from 1976’s “Lifeline.”

“Take the Skinheads Bowling,” Camper Van Beethoven

You need a good joyous sing-along on a road trip — preferably one where singing loud is far more important than singing on key. And this goofy alt-rock classic from Camper Van Beethoven (which spent time in both Santa Cruz and San Francisco) certainly fits the bill.

“I Can’t Drive 55,” Sammy Hagar

A little too on the nose for a road-trip setlist? Maybe, but you won’t care as you rev on down the highway to the sound of the Bay Area’s Red Rocker in his prime.

“Callin’ Out,” Lyrics Born

The Berkeley rapper’s signature tune just never seems to get old. On the contrary, we often like to play it two or three times — in a row. So, hit the highway with nothing short of one of the grooviest hip-hop tunes to light up speakers over the last 25 years.

“Go Your Own Way,” Fleetwood Mac

Lindsey Buckingham, a Palo Alto native and former San Jose State student, wrote and sang lead on this hard-driving rocker on Fleetwood Mac’s legendary 11th album, “Rumours.” Just think about how many people cranked up this number in their cars back in 1977, the year that “Rumours” spent a staggering 29 weeks at No. 1 on the charts.

“You Learn,” Alanis Morissette

The Canadian alt-rock icon, who now calls the Bay Area home, has a ton of great driving tunes. Yet, the one we really like to turn up is this empowering anthem, which helps us realize that it’s perfectly normal to make a few wrong turns now and again.

“Shiny Happy People,” R.E.M.

R.E.M. is a favorite American band, so they get two spots on the list. Of course, we know that a lot of fans think this pop song is rubbish. But listen to this joyously sweet single in the convertible, with the windows down and the system up, and you’ll realize those people are wrong.

“Somebody to Love,” Jefferson Airplane

We’ll bring the road trip to a close with the voice of Grace Slick — arguably the greatest Bay Area rock vocalist of all time — and this ultimate Summer of Love anthem.