Guest Rant – RoadTrip Soundtrack
by Megan McKinnon

RoadTrip Soundtrack

Once the weather starts to warm up and the sky is bright blue with big fluffy, Simpson’s-like clouds… that’s when I start to think about vacations. My favorite type of vacation is going anywhere near an ocean, but to me, the most fun part of vacationing is getting there.
The thing about roadtrips is that it doesn’t matter if you’re going to another part of your state or across the country. What makes a roadtrip a roadtrip, is who you’re with and THE MUSIC. The perfect music and the long drive is what makes your vacation more than a trip, it makes it a journey.

As the day of my sure to be best roadtrip ever grows nearer and nearer, I start to research the perfect songs, to make the perfect mix CD, which makes for a perfect roadtrip. I go through each song, eyes closed, and listen to the lyrics, the melody, the percussion. What I’m listening for is that feeling… The one where you’re driving on the open road, staring out your window with the wind whipping through your hair and you think, “This moment is perfect. It could be a scene in a movie.”

Have you ever noticed that in a movie, something completely boring can be going on, like watching someone drive down a highway. But with the music they choose for that particular moment, it’s completely enthralling and you know exactly what mood the character is in, what they’re thinking about, and where they’re going. It’s the mood music. And let me tell you, the music you choose for your own roadtrip is a lot more important than three minutes of a movie.

Just a tip, the soundtrack from Elizabethtown, a movie partially about a roadtrip, is the perfect CD to start out with if you’re new to determining your own roadtrip soundtrack. By figuring out how many hours your drive is, that’s how you’ll know how many CD’s to make. Each CD can hold about 80 minutes worth of songs. Cause nobody likes to listen to the same songs over and over or the same artist 13 songs in a row. You need a little variation. And for those of you who plug in your iPod and just set it to shuffle, I implore you, at least make a special roadtrip playlist and set that to shuffle.

Here’s just a little taste of what my essential roadtrip soundtrack playlist includes:

• Band Of Horses – The Great Salt Lake
• Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK
• Jack Johnson – Hope
• PlayRadioPlay! – Decipher Reflection
• Jason Mraz – Wordplay
• Meg & Dia – What If
• Metro Station – Seventeen Forever
• The Postal Service – Such Great Heights
• Nelly Furtado – Try
• Meg & Dia – Going Away
• Radiohead – Bodysnatchers
• Cartel – Matter of Time
• Of Montreal – Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games
• PlayRadioPlay! – Compliment Each Other
• Regina Spektor – That Time
• She & Him – Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?
• Tegan & Sara – Where Does the Good Go?
• Andrew Bird – A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head to the Left

Megan currently lives in Ogden, Utah.

She is a lover of RoadTrips, Disneyland,
good books, and music.

Want to submit your own story to be considered for the Guest Headline post to run on Fridays? Just send your story to: lizandkate@live.com.

Enjoy your Coffee Break!