Very Specific Playlists is a weekly feature in which Jezebel staffers make very specific Spotify playlists based on their weird proclivities.
When I was a kid, the highlight of my summers were the road trips we’d take as a family. My parents in the front seats, the three of us in the back seat. We liked each other most of the time, so the trips were fun, most of the time. Over a series of summers, we went all over the country by car; my parents thought we’d see more important places that way (I’ve been to 43 states!). But while the scenery changed, from the eerie suddenness of the Black Hills of South Dakota to the cliffs of Sedona, Arizona to the hot humid plate of the Mississippi Delta to the salty chill of coastal Maine, one thing remained constant: the Dad Jams my father played in the car stereo, over and over. To this day, when I hear any of these songs, I think of a moment from one of those vacations. And to this day, I still like these songs, for better or worse.
Listen to this playlist at Spotify here.
1. The Clash, “Train in Vain”
One time, when we were driving in rural South Dakota, we somehow took a wrong turn (a feat in a part of the country with so few roads). “I think we’re going the wrong way,” said my mother as we drove for several minutes past fields dotted with bored-looking cows. Eventually we passed a sign that said “WELCOME TO SOUTH DAKOTA.” We had been under the impression that we were already in South Dakota. My dad stopped the car just beyond the sign. “WELCOME TO NEBRASKA” said the other side. There were no other cars on the road, so we all got out and posed by the WELCOME TO NEBRASKA sign. My sister, who was three, took her shirt off and wouldn’t put it back on. In the picture, she is standing on one leg like a stork, her little right foot cupped around her left knee.
2. David Bowie, “Changes”
Until I was way too old, I was certain that the lyrics of this Bowie jam were “J-j-j-j-jane Jazz.” I thought Jane Jazz was, like, a cool girl David Bowie hung around. I wanted to be like Jane Jazz, whoever she was. I sang along with the radio as my brother and I played travel Chinese Checkers in the back seat. “J-j-j-j-Jane Jazz!” I sang to myself. He laughed at me. I got really mad at him.
3. The Allman Brothers Band, “Jessica”
Because this song doesn’t have any words and is basically just a dad rockin’ out on the guitar for several minutes, my siblings and I would make up lyrics for it. I believe we were in Missouri at the moment we gave up and just started singing the word “Beer” on every note. Turns out, you can do that with a lot of songs. In response, my parents made a “No beer-beer song” rule for the car, a rule we broke almost constantly.
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