12 songs for the road, from Kraftwerk to Johnny Cash

The German electro-pop band Kraftwerk's 1974 hit song goes easy on the lyrics, which mainly consist of "We're driving, driving, driving on the autobahn…" Nevertheless, "Autobahn" did well at home and abroad and climbed the charts in many countries. It's as hypnotic as driving down a long, lonely stretch of highway - the long version goes on for more than 22 minutes.

"It winds from Chicago to LA..." Nat King Cole (pictured) first recorded "Route 66" in 1946, the same year this blues standard was written - and it became a hit. Over the years, the song that follows the legendary US highway was recorded by many other musicians, including Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones and the Manhattan Transfer.

No driving song playlist would be complete without the 1972 Deep Purple classic, "Highway Star," with the line, "Nobody gonna take my car / I'm gonna race it to the ground..." Covered many times since, the song was allegedly born on a tour bus. Deep Purple fans have run a website with the name of the song since 1993 - thehighwaystar.com.

Going even further back in time is the epitome of the California myth: The Beach Boys' 1964 "Fun, Fun, Fun," about a rebellious teenage girl who borrows her daddy's Ford Thunderbird. The song was made immortal with the line, "And she'll have fun, fun, fun / 'Til her daddy takes the T-bird away…. "

John Denver had never actually been to West Virginia - the place he is longing for in what was to become one of his biggest hits, the 1971 track "Take Me Home, Country Roads." The lyrics were inspired by postcards of the state and the country-western classic is perfect for singing along to on long roadtrips anywhere. The American singer-songwriter died in a plane crash in 1997 at the age of 53.

For many - including sensational blues rock guitarist and singer Joe Bonamassa - the car is a place to release negative emotions. In his 2016 "Drive," he sings "Let's drive / the night, into the light / Let's ride / Put on an old blues song / Let all our troubles be gone / Lets drive...." Labeled a "guitar god" by Rolling Stone magazine, Bonamassa started playing the guitar at age four.

In their popular 2002 song "Cruisen," the German hip-hop group Massive Töne sings about driving around just for fun, cruising down the streets. They are the "coolest guys when they cruise through the city," they rap, ignoring the speed limit, dodging the police and checking out girls. The band started out in 1991 in Stuttgart and "Cruisen" has been one of their biggest hits.

While lead singer Freddie Mercury sang about wanting to ride his bike in "Bicycle Race," it was Queen drummer Roger Taylor who wrote and performed the 1975 "I'm In love With My Car" - rock at its best from an era auto-freaks get nostalgic about. Jaguar even used the song with the opening line "The machine of a dream" in a 2004 commercial.

Headed home, on a highway or a country road, in the rain: In the dreamy reflective 2012 song "Durch die Nacht" (Through the Night) Poisel is driving a friend's car through the night, heading home from Italy. The 34-year-old German singer-songwriter started playing the guitar and drums as a child. He is signed to Grönland, the label of German pop star and "Das Boot" actor Herbert Grönemeyer.

Country legend Johnny Cash recorded this hilarious song in 1976, a tune about putting a Cadillac together one piece at a time - "and it wouldn't cost a dime" - by sneaking auto parts from the assembly line he worked at so he could "ride around in style."

American rock musician Bruce Springsteen - nicknamed "the Boss" - has recorded numerous on-the-road songs over the many decades of his career, including the 1978 "Racing in the Street." What appears to be an ode to classic US cars actually goes much deeper, touching on identity, inner conflict and the price of adulthood.

Under the pseudonym Henry Valentino, successful German composer, songwriter and producer Hans Blum sang the 1977 pop tune about an older man driving along a road, following and admiring a young woman in the car ahead of him. He muses about her youth and beauty, while she worries about the creepy guy in the fast car who won't pass.