Let’s be honest, we’ve all done it, right?
You go on vacation, pop in your earphones and just drift off into your very own cinematic universe where you’re the star of the show. The movie you’ve manifested in your head is soundtracked by whatever it is blasting through the tiny speakers in your ears, and it feels pretty damn good.
You might be an undercover cop in a baking hot location hunting down a criminal making counterfeit cocktail umbrellas. Or perhaps you’re a once doting housewife who has finally decided to leave domestic bliss in her rearview in exchange for a life being the wheel of a monster truck on one of America’s many super highways.
I myself often fantasise about being an international spy who travels from city to city looking for one of our government’s most treacherous defectors. With sunglasses sitting low on the bridge of my nose and rocking a short sleeved Hawaiian shirt unbuttoned (as to expose the imaginary Ruger P89 sitting around my waist to anyone thinking about trying me), my soundtrack is often some slick sounding Hip Hop record built using drums but with an eerie string arrangement to give it that feeling of danger – think Nas’ “The Message”.
Occasionally I switch it up and put myself bang in the middle of a mafioso movie where my fellow street soldiers and I are busy helping our boss build a criminal empire in the hope that he’ll promote some of us from runners to capos on the strength of our loyalty and actions. So again, maybe some Nas, or going old school, maybe some Perry Como or Vic Damone might play through my headphones as my mind drifts off to this fantasy.
But sometimes it’s as simple as wanting to listen to a song that best represents the city, town or country I’m travelling to. So while I’m going to leave your intricate fantasies to you to soundtrack I’ve prepared a list of 35 songs that prove a good starting point for you as you create a travel playlist for various locations around the world.
CALIFORNIA
2Pac (Feat. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman) – “California Love”
2Pac – “To Live and Die in LA”
https://youtu.be/Wz2wVLyTar4
Beach Boys – “Surfin’ U.S.A.”
SPAIN
Ed Sheeran – “Barcelona”
LONDON
The Clash – “London Calling”
AFRICA
Toto – “Africa”
Bob Dylan – “Mozambique”
JAMAICA
Damian Marley – “Welcome To Jamrock”
UB40 – “Kingston Town”
ARGENTINA
Madonna – “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”
LIVERPOOL
The Beatles – “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Gerry & The Pacemakers – “Ferry Cross The Mersey”
Gerry & The Pacemakers – “You’ll Never Walk Alone”
MOSCOW
Michael Jackson – “Stranger In Moscow”
EAST ASIA
David Bowie – “China Girl”
Shawn Mendes – “Lost In Japan”
PARIS
JAY-Z & Kanye West – “Ni**as In Paris”
TORONTO
Drake – “5AM In Toronto”
EGYPT
The Bangles – “Walk Like An Egyptian”
NEW YORK
Frank Sinatra – “New York, New York”
Billy Joel – “New York State Of Mind”
Sting – “Englishman In New York”
MIAMI
Will Smith – “Miami”
AMSTERDAM
Rick Ross – “Amsterdam”
IRELAND
Thin Lizzy – “Whiskey In The Jar”
AMERICA
Bruce Springsteen – “Born In The U.S.A.”
Supertramp – “Breakfast In America”
https://youtu.be/HLEo7blDIss
David Bowie – “Young Americans”
BUDAPEST
George Ezra – “Budapest”
LAS VEGAS
Elvis Presley – “Viva Las Vegas”
PANAMA
Van Halen – “Panama”
PHILADELPHIA
Bruce Springsteen – “Streets Of Philadelphia”
SAN JOSE
Dionne Warwick – “Do You Know The Way To San Jose”
GEORGIA
Ray Charles – “Georgia On My Mind”
BARBADOS
Rihanna – “Pon De Replay”
