Activities: Road Trip

You're not an American until you take a cross-country road trip, and it isn't a proper road trip unless you're blasting these songs. This playlist is long enough for even the most arduous leg of your journey.

Take a trip from Haight on down to Sunset with these acoustic-centric songs by California artists from the late '60s and early '70s. Singer-songwriter, folk rock, country rock, soft rock. Lots of harmony, and plenty of mellow.

Soundtrack your road trip with these classic soul, gritty blues, and bar-room rock songs handpicked by Brittany, Heath, Zac, and Steve of the Alabama Shakes. http://www.alabamashakes.com/

Family travel can be a zoo! A good ride needs a good soundtrack; you can tame those savage beasts and still entertain the adults in the car with this playful mix of good ol' songs to sing the journey away.

Whether on a road trip or partying with with friends, this playlist includes songs that just about everyone can belt out, off-key, at the top of their lungs. Everybody now!

From the stylish East Coast multi-piece bands to the more playful, slacker-style SoCal scene, here are all your third-wave ska favorites that made the '90s so much fun.

In the late '80s and early '90s, country stars like Garth Brooks staged an unprecedented invasion on the pop charts. These days, this new batch of twangin' torch-carriers has been crashing the border from Music City to mainstream fame.

This is the heartfelt sound of the South -- the intersection of country, soul, rockabilly and R&B in the '50s, '60s and '70s; songs of drinkin', cheatin', and lovin' with Louisiana brass and Nashville strings.

Home to The Swampers, one of the greatest house bands in American R&B history, Muscle Shoals Studio in Alabama remains the go-to destination for artists seeking that iconic, soulful sound. These are the essential songs recorded there.

Don't fight it, feel it! In the 1960s, gospel music met secular lyrics describing the black experience in America, and soul music was born. '60s soul singers demanded respect, begged for love, and told it like it was, changing popular music forever.

Listen to the most popular rap songs in America as determined by the Billboard charts.

Can't get enough country music? Listen to this regularly updated playlist of songs that have hit #1 on the Billboard Country Charts since the year 2000.

Some songs just sound like summertime. Hold up your lighter and groove to these essential warm-weather classic rock jams.

The most essential classic rock hits from the late '60s through the early '70s. Long hair, epic guitar solos, and singers who graduated from frontman school with honors.

Got yourself a '69 Pontiac Trans Am with a 350 H.O. under the hood, a two-tone custom spray job and racing slicks out back? Blast these scuzzy, '70s leaning rock anthems from your radio and taste the envy in the parking lot air.

Breaker Breaker 1-9! If you got a copy on me, listen to this honky-tonk playlist on your CB radio. These tunes will get you and your 18-wheeler from Mad Rock to Sewer City in no time.

These songs were made famous by other artists, but the original recordings were pretty darn good.

If you've ever worn cowboy boots with a bathing suit -- or if you think that sounds like a great idea -- these contemporary, summertime country songs are for you.

From the late '70s to the early '80s, rock music evolved to incorporate a softer, more sophisticated studio-produced sound. These are the best songs from the last era of rock before video killed the radio star.

The E Street Band and The Asbury Jukes perfected the Jersey Shore Sound, but this playlist features all the classic Jersey rock songs, from the Four Seasons to Bon Jovi. No Snookies allowed!

All country music orbits Johnny Cash. This playlist includes songs by his greatest influences, his closest contemporaries, his indebted followers, and The Man In Black himself.

Rep the ATL, Chi Town, El Lay, D-Block and the Empire State, among others, on this collection of hometown hip hop anthems.

A sunny, nostalgia-drenched playlist packed with memorable hits from the ska-punk of Sublime and Reel Big Fish to the pop-rock of No Doubt and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Despite the prominence of malaise-infused genres like grunge, the '90s yielded a glut of shamelessly fun-loving, crowd-pleasing hits. Here's our salute to the '90s songs that made us feel so good.

Rock & roll icons' greatest in-concert moments captured for posterity, from '60s psychedelic warriors (Grateful Dead) and '70s art-rockers (Roxy Music) to punk pioneers (The Clash) and new wave trailblazers (Talking Heads).

Revisit the history of hip hop's most legendary record label, from the early mid-'80s classics through the dirty underground scenes of the '90s to their modern day superstars. No matter what the era, Def Jam supplies the hits.

The best songs from the groups that pioneered that ultra-cool surfer sound. Guitar-heavy and full of reverb, these tunes are perfect for strapping your board to the roof of your woodie and cruising to the beach.

'80s movies had the best music. If you need songs for a motivational montage, a wild party, or romantic kiss, these songs provide the perfect soundtrack for an '80s nostalgia trip.

Cool tunes from the golden age of pre-punk classic rock, 1965-'76, featuring deep tracks from the era's superstars as well as definitive songs from cult heroes and oddballs. Vintage doesn't have to mean old-fashioned.

A collection of songs featured on the popular country music blog, countryandwestern.tumblr.com. Listen to a mix of good ol' guys and gals, with a sprinkle of modern cowboys and cowgirls.

Meet the '50s rockers who combined hillbilly music and rock & roll, and see how their music has influenced subsequent generations of rockers. And not just the ones who put pomade in their hair, either.

Starting in the mid '00s, the line between indie and mainstream pop started to get blurry. These are the songs that have helped bring "indie" music to the masses.

According to AOL.com, these are the worst songs of all time. Admittedly, we have a soft spot for a lot of these songs, but some of them are truly bad.

Dirty, dusty sounds left out in the sun too long, echoing off the steer skulls and sand dunes into the wide open spaces.

Rock radio staples from the current crop of mainstream hitmakers. The artists who grew up with Led Zeppelin and Queen in one ear and Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers in the other are making their own hits now.

All your favorite one-hit wonders from the '00s.

All your favorite one-hit wonders from the '90s.

All your favorite one-hit wonders from the '80s.