10 Songs About Trucks – Country, Pop, and Rock Songs to Love
Songs about trucks are often country music jams featuring lyrics about rednecks, true love, broken hearts and the open road. They can gin up a wide range of emotions and stick with us long after the song ends.
In this article, I’m going to provide you with a list of my favorites songs on this topic. Hopefully, you’ll discover one or two new songs (well, at least new to you) to add to your playlist!
Heavy Metal Truck Driver by Rob Zuzin and Hot Rod Truck
If Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and The Misfits had a baby, this song would be it. With punk riffs and Quentin Tarantino-ish vibes, this truck song delivers.
Rob Zuzin, a local Baltimore, Maryland artist recorded this album in 2007—and thank goodness he did! Heavy Metal Truck Driver is a super fun, surfer rock song about aggressive truck drivers. It belongs on a movie soundtrack and is a must on any truck playlist. The chorus, “Cuz I’m all amped up on caffeine and cigarettes,” will sink into your rock and roll soul until you are banging on the steering wheel drum kit.
18 Wheeler by Pink
Let’s imagine this scenario for a moment. Open road highway. Maybe Route 66. Sunny day. Desert land. A massive 18 wheeler coming down the line. The chrome looking kind that carries hazardous fuel.
Pink is standing on top of the truck cab with an American flag in one hand and a middle finger up in the other. This is the torpedo anthem of, “I’m tough as f****, bring it on.” Filled with independence, self reliance and badass stamina, nothing can hold us—or this song—down.
“You can run over me with your eighteen wheeler truck and I won’t give a f***,” sings Pink on this anthem “You can push me out the window. I’ll just get back up!”
Cruise by Florida Georgia Line
The South is all about the truck and the girl. And this song gives this pair an anthem. If you’ve never heard a Florida Georgia Line song before, do yourself a favor and check them out. Every. Single. Song. Is. Perfection. And this song is no different.
It’s definitely a staple for cruising in your truck on Friday night, showing off your southern queen to downtown main street America. It’s a flirty and fun love song.
If I Had This Truck by Hands on a Hard Body Broadway Musical Cast
In 1995, automaker Nissan held a “Hands on a Hard Body” contest at a Longview, Texas auto dealership. Twenty four contestants competed in a battle of stamina to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The object of the game was to see who could keep their hand on the truck the longest.
A winner was crowned 87 hours later.
Trey Anestasio from Phish and Pulizter playwright Doug Wright adapted a Broadway musical based on this contest. If I Had This Truck is a song from the musical. On this track, random strangers bound together in a contest of mental and emotional endurance, as they sing to each other about why winning a truck is going to change their lives.
It’s a song full of hope, faith, promise and shared humanity.
New Truck by Dylan Scott
The truck is the epitome of a country man arriving in his life. And for some guys, the girl is seen as the ultimate prize. So what happens when the girl breaks up with the guy? What does he do with all the memories of her in his truck?
Screw it—just sell it. Time for a new truck!
Dylan Scott gives us the perfect country break-up song about being dumped and finding yourself shackled with memories of your ex. People wreck our hearts and haunt our vehicles with their memories. And while this song can certainly be taken literally, “the truck” could also be a metaphor for a life that’s changed.
“I need one she ain’t climbed up in. That ain’t played her favorite songs. Need some glass that we ain’t fogged up. That he bare feet ain’t been on,” Scott sings, “I need a hood that we ain’t laid on, kissing ‘til the sun came up. That’s all that’s wrong with this one. If you’re looking, you’re in luck. I need a new truck.”
Sometimes, we just want to be rid of the people, places and things that remind us of our past lives. But it sucks when it’s our truck.
Running Free by Iron Maiden
Well, here’s a truck driving song from one of the heavy metal greats. “Just sixteen, a pickup truck. Out of money, out of luck. I’ve got nowhere to call my own. Hit the gas and here I go. I’m running free,” sings Di’Anno.
The truck in this song is an emblem of freedom, independence, and, well, shenanigans. Unlike other Iron Maiden songs, this one is reminiscent of early Ramone’s poppy punk beats. It’s a driving song that should be fully experienced, loud and proud. Because sometimes, we have nothing to lose and just need a little bit of Iron Maiden in our lives.
Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean
There is something to be said for cruising solo down country roads thinking about your life. Aldean brought this Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert anthem to southern life in this 2010 country hit.
“Yeah, I’m chillin’ on a dirt road. Laid back swervin’ like I’m George Jones. Smoke rollin’ out the window. An ice cold beer sittin’ in the console,” sings Aldean. “Memory lane up in the headlights. Has got me reminiscing on them good times.”
It’s a perfect ride through the farm lands. A connective sing along between friends over a game of corn hole on a lazy Sunday. Its southern, proud, and wonderfully crafted. Country songs about trucks rely heavily on metaphors for success, freedom and the concept of letting go. Our hats are off to Aldean for giving us a song that feels like all of those things and more.
I’ve Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash
This song about hitching a ride with a truck driver is classic Cash. This is a gem made for highway drives and jukebox Sundays down at the Legion. The truck is a metaphor for independence on the open road.
The truck driver tells him about places he’s traveled. Cash magically lists these places in a wonderfully fun, and frenzied, speech reminiscent of REMs “End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).”
We want a truck and the open road. The wind in our hair as we ride on to another adventure. It’s full of promise and possibility. A perfect song for two stepping with the wife on a Sunday evening porch.
Country Comfort by Elton John
Sometimes we just need to load up the truck and head home for a bit. Clear our head. Remember who we are. Have a timeout from life.
Going home means comfort and having a place to return. Similar to having a true north. Elton gives us this 1970 song about trucks and roots. The imagery of the landscape, people, and southern sounds is just fantastic here. We are in the car with Elton as he pays homage to his roots with this country-ish soft rock jam of gratitude, comfort and delight.
A truck song about going home to the things that comfort and fill us up. A lot of the time, a truck delivers us from one point in our lives to the next as a metaphor for change, time passing, or maybe letting go of something significant.
“And it’s good old country comfort in my bones. Just the sweetest sound my ears have ever known. Just an old fashioned feeling fully grown. Country comforts in a truck going back home,” he sings.
Roll On (18 Wheeler) by Alabama
This 1984 country hit by Alabama is the quintessential truck driving song. Truck driving provides for his family, but it also keeps him away. It’s hard on everyone. The chorus becomes a family crest:
“Roll on highway, roll along. Roll on, Daddy, ‘til you get back home,” sings Randy Owen, “Roll on family, roll on crew. Roll on, Mama, like I asked you to do. And roll on eighteen wheeler, roll on!”
We make sacrifices for each other. We stay brave for each other. This one is meant for southern front porches. Roll on!
Conclusion
No matter the mood or genre, there’s a truck driving song for all of us. Whether we need to get gone physically or hope to be found and find peace emotionally, these ten songs about trucks will all make excellent additions to your playlists.
FAQ
You Might Also Like:
- Songs About Empathy
- Songs About Being Lazy
- Songs About Arguments
- Songs About Trust
- Songs About Farming
- Songs About Hating Your Body
If you enjoyed the article, be sure to subscribe to my Devoted to Vinyl YouTube channel and Facebook page.
