Danielle's Top 5 -- Sing-In-The-Car Songs

I'm going to start another feature on the blog called "Top 5". In this feature I will feature my top five... somethings. If you have any suggestions about things that I might feature in my "Top 5", feel free to shoot them my way. I reserve the right to change my "Top 5" opinion if another new and exciting thing comes along to bump it off the list.


Now that you've had your introduction, on to the first ever Danielle's Top 5...

Danielle's Top 5 

Songs to Sing in the Car

Every year as the weather starts to get nice, I start to want to sing at the top of my lungs doing about 40 mph down a back road with the windows down. There's something oddly therapeutic about singing in the cars like a crowd of 40,000 is watching you, when really it's just the other people driving by... if they even notice. And God, who loves to hear us sing anyways.

 There are some songs that are my absolute favorites to  belt out for other traffic jammers to hear, and here they are in no particular order:

Guster - "Mona Lisa"

This song isn't particularly upbeat, but I love it. I think it's the lyrics and the way that Guster always has the awesome bongo drums as their main percussion. I've been known when alone to put this song on repeat and sing it over... and over... and over...

Christina Aguilera - "Dirrty" 

(specifically the version featuring Redman)

This song isn't exactly small-child friendly, but lucky for me I have no small children in the car with me on a regular basis. This is one of my must-plays as soon as the weather hits 70 degrees, it's sunny, and the weather is perfect for those windows to go down. I even dance in the car to this song, I don't care who sees. I ring the alarm and I throw elbows during the opening. I'm not scared to admit that.

Janis Joplin - "Me & Bobby McGee"

Now this song I love for sentimental reasons. My mom used to sing this song all the time on her guitar growing up, and so even now I can be found singing it all the time. In the shower. While I cook. In the car. It's one of the greatest belt it out and feel it in your toes songs to sing. If you've never sang this song in the car, and you're a girl - I highly recommend it.

Goo Goo Dolls - "Big Machine"

I've seen the Goo Goo Dolls 5 times in concert (they are my FAVORITE to see live, by the way) and at least 2 of those times they opened with "Big Machine". The guitar in this song is great to just blast while you're driving. In total disclosure... I could list lots of Goo Goo Dolls in my top songs to sing in the car, but this one is definitely my favorite to just let rip apart my speakers. Since I should probably just narrow it down to one for the sake of a "top 5", Big Machine wins. It's probably because at the end of the song once you've totally rocked out you get to say "God it's good to be alive". It's just a great release at the end of a stressful day.

And finally...

Simpli Lauri - "Let it Rain"

Now... remember I mentioned earlier that my mom sang all the time growing up? Well... clearly that meant that when I got married the one requirement I would have was that my mom sang at my wedding. She did - and she surprised us with an awesome song called "Let it Rain", which... was oddly appropriate. The last verse of the song talks about the singer's daughter getting married outside - and it started to rain. And she didn't care. Oh and by the way - it downpoured on our wedding day. I remember my maid of honor leaning over and saying "Your mom is going to make me cry!" as my mom sang this song. (Side note - my mom does not have "Let it Rain" on You Tube. So this is another one of her songs, "Body to Body", but since everyone else got a video, I wanted to let her have one too. However - if you go to her Myspace Music page and go down her list, you can hear it there... and the featured picture is from our rehearsal. How cool is that?)

So that's it - my top 5 songs that I love to sing in the car. What are yours?