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your picks

Lead singer Bono (R) of the rock band U2 performs with guitarist The Edge (L) and bass guitarist Adam Clayton (C) during the first of two concerts at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey in 2009.GARY HERSHORN

Summer's here, and all across Canada, we're winding down the car window, cranking up the music and drumming on the steering wheel.

Nothing goes better with a road trip than your favourite sounds. They bring back great memories, pass the time and make you feel like you're at the wheel of a 1960s Thunderbird convertible - even when you're driving a Smart car.

We at Globe Drive want to hear what you like to play when you're on the highway. Tell us your top five driving tunes of all time, and why. Then take a look at what fellow readers have selected and feel free to give them a virtual high-five or jeer. (Politely, of course).

And just to get the creative ball rolling, take a look below at the selections of a mix of our writers from our Review section and Globe Drive.

In late August we'll go through every reader's picks, tally them up, and reveal which songs are your most cherished driving tunes. Get posting!

Just post your personal top five via the Comments function on this story.

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Robert Everett-Green

Music critic, Globe Review

Freeway of Love - Aretha Franklin

You don't need a pink Cadillac to feel the love in this smooth, pulsing specimen of semi-vintage R&B, which cruises along the way only a big vehicle can.

Eat to the Beat - Blondie

This song was the road not taken by Blondie, who never sounded more punk or more crazy than in this fast bluesy anthem to desire and junk food - an essential part of any long drive.

Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

It's a little shopworn after umpteen covers and a few parodies, but this 1968 classic is still the sound of freedom on the open highway.

Subterranean Homesick Alien - Radiohead

The perfect song for late-night driving, when the road seems to glide under your headlights, and the dark sky seems a million miles distant.

My Blue Canadian Rockies - Wilf Carter

A country waltz may not seem like road music to you, but this Wilf Carter classic (complete with yodels) can't be beat when you're driving west across southern Alberta.

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Joanne Will

Auto Therapy columnist, Globe Drive

Hot Love - T. Rex

An essential summer convertible cruising tune - especially in a '71 Mustang GT.

The Race Is On - George Jones

Co-written and recorded by the man dubbed 'The Rolls-Royce of Country Singers', this song is mandatory listening on prairie road trips.

Duo Glide - Daniel Lanois

Lanois. Girl on a motorbike. 'Nuff said.

Keep the Car Running - The Arcade Fire

Is this song about living in Whitehorse in the winter? A bank robbery? Not sure, but it provides a killer driving soundtrack.

Road to Nowhere - The Talking Heads

Easy listening when you're gridlocked on the 401.

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Brad Wheeler

Music writer, Globe Review

Slow Ride - Foghat

You're in the mood and the rhythm is right for a bass-poppin' Led Zeppelin knockoff.

Little Bones - Tragically Hip

A toy-monkey drum beat sets a mean pace, and then there's that stellar pause right before the dashboard-banging guitar riff kicks in.

Free Ride - Edgar Winter Group

Albino-light funk and seventies pseudo-spirituality are just the thing when "you're confused as to which way to go."

Let it Ride - Bachman Turner Overdrive

Will you let it ride? With beefy Bachman vocals and an even beefier guitar riff, you know you will.

Beautiful Day - U2

"You're on the road, but you've got no destination." A seriously uplifting anthem is your GPS.

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Andrew Clark

Road Sage columnist, Globe Drive

Panama - Van Halen

When David Lee Roth says "I reach down between my legs n' ease the seat back." I think, "Hey, I do that all the time."

Moonlight Desires - Gowan

Do you feel a boot up your ass? That's Gowan.

Anything by Earth Wind and Fire

Maurice White is the real godfather of soul.

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Whenever I'm on a road trip and down about having to drink truck stop coffee this song reminds me that lots of other people have it worse, like Mr. Brightside who, despite his adamant claim to being an optimist, appears to be pretty depressed and involved in a bad relationship.

Sex Dwarf - Soft Cell

Don't be fooled by the title, this song is actually about sex dwarves.

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Andrew Gorham

Editor, Globe Review

Beverly Hills or Hash Pipe - Weezer

Open the window and bang the wheel.

Stagga Lee - Nick Cave

A story is nice when we drive.

(Don't Go Back to) Rockville - REM

A good way to pull out of town.

Cannonball - Breeders

A car company used this song, but it's still a killer drive song.

Harvest Moon - Neil Young

Now that feels good as we settle in for the evening.

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Peter Cheney

Writer/columnist, Globe Drive

Polk Salad Annie (live version) - Elvis Presley

The musical and sexual majesty of Elvis in his 1970 prime - live in Las Vegas, backed up by the wicked drumming of Ronnie Tutt.

Beautiful - Snoop Dogg

Drop the top, turn up the bass, and head for the club district. Best played in a 1966 Chev Impala convertible with chrome wheels and full hydraulics.

Radar Love - Golden Earring

Written for the road, and best listened to in the fast lane through oversized speakers.. Almost cost me my licence once. ("But officer, I was driving to the music…")

Beautiful Day - U2

An incredible road song that I played while driving the California coast with a porn star (don't ask.) Driving beat, soaring instrumental, and we were off to film an adult movie (I wasn't in it.)

The Boys in the Bright White Sports Car - Trooper

A Canadian treasure. Ra McGuire's vocals conjure up long-lost nights in the Fraser Valley, and Brian Smith's guitar chords make me think of a wolf howling in the pines along the Trans Canada highway in Northern Ontario.

So what are your top five road tunes? Post them in the Comments below.

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