‘Tis the Season: Roadtrips

Brian and I were just talking about road trips, and the seemingly inverse relationship between frequency/duration and age. Someone on his work team was talking about her excitement to do an 8-hour road trip with friends. He recoiled at the thought (as did I when he was retelling the story). The coworker surmised that we only fly– which assumes we place a premium on getting where we want to go, rather than savor the journey. Writing that makes it seem harsh, but the fact of the matter is that most trips over 3 hours do tip us into planning by looking at flight schedules rather than forecasting Waze. For us, those 3-hour road trips now are reserved for special times of the year, as in the holiday season.

Our state of fewer road trips overall is a sad realization, as I grew up driving everywhere with my family, and I loved it. In fact our claim to fame was that we drove to all 49 states- and most provinces- by the time I was 12. Doing that was both affordable and allowed us to experience different parts of country that some jaded city people call “fly overs”. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

What made those trips especially fun was the music 🎶 that established the soundtrack for our adventures. At times, our music was hilariously prescient, like the time the AC broke in our station wagon driving through South Dakota while we were down to only peanut butter sandwiches. As if on cue, Bruce Springsteen’s “Badlands” played on the cassette player (or was it an 8-track player?!).

If you’ve read this blog before, you might sense a theme that I love nostalgia. And not surprisingly I can completely relate to The Goldbergs show. Aside from brilliantly (and humorously) written, that show excels at using a musical score that is in keeping with the era and also relevant to the moment. A recent episode, “Love is a Mixtape“, featured said mix tape– the 80s version of SnapChat (in the sense that SnapChat is all about personalization).

Indeed, with mix tapes, you could express yourself to your friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, you name it. Mix tapes were a form of shareable storytelling– the lyrics said what you wanted to say. The melodies set the mood-happy, romantic.. You might argue that iPod playlists or custom channels on Pandora accomplish the same thing, but they are all derivative. (Truth be told those awful K-tel infomercials in the 70s probably started it all. (Rebranded as) Yacht Rock, anyone?)

Roadtrips were the perfect opportunity for a mix tape to tell a story. Even Jack Nicholson immortalized them in As Good As It Gets.

Today, we call mix tapes “playlists” – and even they are becoming dinosaurs as Sirius and Bluetooth-enabled Pandora custom channels are becoming the tool of choice. But, I would argue, the element of share-ability has greatly diminished.

Regardless of how you get your music, it remains my favorite part of the roadtrips we *do* take nowadays, and certainly makes even the max 3 hour road trips we take not only bearable, but fun. And again, this time of year- the holiday season- tends to be our season for road trips.

With all this in mind, I wanted to share with you my current mix tape/playlist for holiday season road trips, which tells the story of the season and sets the mood for an adventure. Buckle up!:

As we begin our journey, we set the mood: Driving Home for Christmas

With the post election hang over, let’s “Shake it Out”:

Shifting gears, Sarah reminds us that The Journey Home is never too far:

The Journey Home does certainly inspire classic rock (my favorite subset of which is Yacht Rock), so we move onto thinking about Brandy (such a fine girl):

Getting onto the open road, we shift wistfully think of Vincent, as Interlochen alum, Josh Groban, implores us to “catch the breeze and winter chills”:

Ok, that was beautiful, but kinda sad, right? Let’s take the energy up to a folksy notch as the sun starts its dip as we adjust our lumbar support:

Edie and Steve set the stage for a little nostalgia of similar music with none better than a little R.E.M. reassuring us that we are everything:

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a road trip without Jazz, and nothing is better than a little Coltrane:

Now having had our Jazz fix, every road trip needs a little sing-a-long. Defiantly inspirational, Les Miz delivers the promise of One Day More:

At this point (having woven in some tangential songs), we’re starting to reflect on the season, which can be likened to Joni’s River:

Sometimes, though, Dolly reminds us that it’s a Hard Candy Christmas (maybe I’ll dye my hair):

Just in time, Dean and Frank snap us back into a more festive/whimsical mood for the holiday:

Finally, as darkness has fallen and we’re arriving just in time for (Thanksgiving/Holiday/Christmas dinner), This Christmastide reminds us what it’s all about: