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The 10 best songs about cars

These lists can be pleasing, and often stir up memories of our youth, and of the car songs that we all remember. Except that's part of the mind-boggler -- it seems like it's always the same 10 songs or so. And the list is almost always confined to those songs that were mainstream Top 40 hits.

So, these lists almost always categorize catchy numbers like the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Not any Deuce Coupe," Prince's "Hardly any Red Corvette," Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Effort 55," Gary Numan's "Cars," Blest Earring's "Radar Love," Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac," etc. -- songs that have virtually been pounded into cliche by super-heavy radio rotation.

But, I have a "dual business" -- in addition to being a longtime auto litt, I've also worked as a music journalist for more than 15 years -- so I trifle I would compile my own list, one that digs a little deeper and pulls together some eager, stirring, compelling car and driving songs that didn't flatter the Top 40, and therefore might sound "new" and exciting to music lovers whose listening habits were perhaps mostly influenced by commercial portable radio. I also thought it would be interesting to go into a bit more detail about what makes these such great car songs.

Source: CNN