Cars can be a symbol of freedom, individuality and coming of age, as well as status symbols and a way to flash cash. So, it’s no wonder they crop up across so many music genres; from rap to country, you can find thousands of references to luxury vehicles and more modest ones too.
But which car brands feature in the most songs? We’ve delved into the data to find out. We’ve also taken a look at the most popular tracks featured on driving playlists to help you get through those difficult driving lessons at your chosen driving school.
Bentley Has Featured In Almost 20,000 Songs, Which Is More Than Any Other Car Brand.
- Bentley 19,984 songs
In poll position when it comes to lyric mentions is the British car brand Bentley, having featured in nearly 20,000 songs! As well as being namechecked throughout Post Malone’s 2018 sophomore album Beerbongs and Bentleys, the brand also crops up in songs by Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Rick Ross.
- Porsche 16,984 songs
Taking second place is the German high-performance sports car manufacturer Porsche, referenced in just under 17,000 songs. Musicians have been namechecking the brand since Salt-N-Pepa in the early 1990s, and it more recently appears in the lyrics of Gucci Mane and underground rapper Action Bronson.
- Audi 10,498 songs
In third place is the luxury car manufacturer Audi, mentioned in 10,498 songs. The brand features in no less than 29 songs by Migos and has been namedropped by artists across the musical spectrum, from jazz rockers Steely Dan to indie icons The Fall and more mainstream artists like Outcast and Chief Keef.
Mr. Brightside Has Been Crowned The Most Popular Driving Song, Featuring On Over 240 Playlists.
- Mr. Brightside
Artist: The Killers
Playlists: 248
The Killers’ debut single takes the top spot as the most popular song, being featured on 248 playlists. First released in 2003, the song has sold over 3.52 million copies and spent 365 weeks in the charts, making it the longest-charting single in the UK. So, it’s no surprise a song this popular takes the top spot.
- Riptide
Artist: Vance Joy
Playlists: 175
Up next is Riptide by the singer-songwriter Vance Joy. The second single from his debut EP spent 120 consecutive weeks in the charts of his native Australia and sold over seven million copies worldwide. The song features on 175 driving-themed playlists thanks to its upbeat lyrics and pop culture references.
- Don’t Stop Believin’
Artist: Journey
Playlists: 149
Taking third place is the 1981 power ballad Don’t Stop Believin’ by the rock band Journey. The song, with its message of hope and perseverance, received a revival after being featured in The X Factor in 2009 and has since gone on to be the most digitally downloaded song released in the 20th century.
Experts At Bill Plant Driving School Share Tips On How To Drive Safely When Listening To Music.
There’s no better feeling than cranking up the volume on your car stereo as you cruise down the road listening to your favourite tunes. However, sometimes your music choices can negatively impact your driving style, creating a distraction and therefore, affecting your driving. With this in mind, here are some tips on the safest ways to listen to music when you’re on the road.
Bad news for drum and bass fans, but you should avoid fast-paced songs that make you want to drum or tap along with your hands as this can severely impact your concentration. Go for a soundtrack that is closer in tempo to your heartbeat, roughly 60-80 beats per minute, to keep you concentrated. Slower genres like reggae and hip-hop are the perfect choices.
This may seem obvious, but you shouldn’t have your favourite road trip playlist at an ear-splitting volume when you’re driving. Having your music at a lower volume helps you concentrate on the road ahead by allowing you to listen to ambient noise outside your car that could alert you to any potential dangers.
Interacting with your phone while driving is against the law and unsafe. You should also avoid connecting your phone to any car sound system that does not allow using the car’s inbuilt controls to keep your hands on the wheel and prevent distraction. Most modern cars can connect to your phone via Bluetooth, so you can use your car’s controls to skip to your favourite tracks without taking your eyes off the road.
Everyone wants to listen to their favourite tracks, especially on a long boring commute, but studies have shown that younger motorists get more distracted when they’re driving to their preferred music choices. Mix up your playlists with some deep cuts, or tune into a radio station to vary your soundtrack and prevent distracted driving.
Methodology
Beginning with a list of the UK’s best-selling car brands in 2022, taken from Best Selling Cars, we found the total number of lyrics mentioning each brand according to lyrics.com.
To find the most popular songs on driving playlists, we looked at a number of Spotify playlists using the keywords ‘driving’ ‘commuting’ ‘motoring’ and ‘road trip’ using Playlist Miner which gave us the top 100 songs for each keyword and the total number of playlists they featured on.
Data was collected on 3/07/2023.
