What is the best motorcycle song of all time?

Motorcycles and music go together like wine and cheese. Open roads, high speeds, spectacular destinations – it makes sense that motorcycling can inspire great sonic art.

And I’d be flabbergasted if there is a rider on this planet who hasn’t hummed a tune beneath their helmet. Some might argue the sheer noise of a motorcycle engine is music – just depends on whether you dig two-stroke jazz or four-stroke heavy metal.

Funnily enough, despite the obvious connections, there isn’t an abundance of music that specifically references motorcycling – especially in recent decades. Trying to find a list of songs that equals a discography from the likes of The Beatles or Bob Dylan would be near impossible.

Still, there are plenty of gems out there that give bikes more than a passing mention. Some are classics, some are cheesy, and some are deep cuts that you might not have heard.

We’ve listed nine of our favourites (by no means a definitive list) and even put them in a Spotify playlist.

In no particular order, here are nine great motorcycle songs:

1952 Vincent Black Lightning – Richard Thompson

While some of the songs on this list might be treading on the edge of novelty, this lesser-known tune from 1991’s Rumour is a true work of art about a…well, a true work of art. Richard Thompson is a guitar virtuoso from London who gained prominence in the late-60s as a folk rock musician. In 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Thompson’s acclaimed fingerstyle playing provides the backdrop to a tale about a criminal who wins over a girl with his rare motorcycle. The song was named one of the greatest English-language songs in history by Time Magazine.

Key Lyrics: "Now Nortons and Indians and Greeves' wont do, ah they don't have a soul like a Vincent '52."

Motorcycle Drive By – Third Eye Blind

While you might know Third Eye Blind’s Semi-Charmed Life, you might not know Motorcycle Drive By, a sad, yet hopeful story about unrequited love and the attempt to move on. It’s a little unclear where exactly motorcycling fits into the story, but sources say that the song stems from frontman Stephan Jenkins riding his bike aimlessly after a failed relationship.

Key Lyric: "Visions of you on a motorcycle drive by, cigarette ash flies in your eyes, and you don't mind." 

Ezy Rider – Jimi Hendrix

The first of two songs on this list related to the film Easy Rider, this Hendrix banger from 1971’s The Cry of Love was apparently inspired by the film. It makes sense – Hendrix and his band previously contributed If 6 Was 9 to the film's soundtrack.

Key Lyric: "There goes Ezy, Ezy Rider, riding down the highway of desire."

The Motorcycle Song – Arlo Guthrie

Arlo Guthrie built his musical career in the shadow of his folk legend father, Woody, but he did have some hits of his own, including the opening track on his debut record Alice’s Restaurant. Another song off that album was The Motorcycle Song, which was featured in On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter, the sequel to Bruce Brown’s Oscar-nominated doco, On Any Sunday. There is nothing cloak-and-daggers about Guthrie’s tune – “I don’t want to die, I just want to ride my motorcycle,” he sings. Don’t we all.

Key Lyric: "Just last week I was on my bike, run into a friend named Mike, run into a friend name Mike, and Mike no longer has a bike, he cries."

Little Honda – The Beach Boys

Another song that doesn’t require Sherlock Holmes to decipher, Little Honda is about the Honda Super Cub (known in the USA as Honda 50). The Beach Boys are best associated with surfing (ironically, its claimed only one of them actually surfed), but this track from 1962’s All Summer Long suggests they also enjoyed surfing the tarmac.

Key Lyric: "It's not a big motorcycle, just a groovy little motorbike. It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys, that two-wheeled bike."

Wanted Dead or Alive – Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi’s ode to the American Old West compares the life of a cowboy to his life on the road as a rock star. References to ‘steel horses’ and an appearance in cult film Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man have made it an ode to motorcycling as well. Who doesn’t want to saddle up and hit the open road when Richie Sambora’s arpeggio kick in?

This guy sure does:

Key Lyric: "I'm a cowboy, on this steel horse I ride. I'm wanted (wanted) dead or alive."

Steppin Up – Burnin Groove

One for the punks, Steppin’ Up references the can-can, superman and heel clicker – all freestyle motocross tricks, for the uninitiated. The song also name drops Seth Enslow, Carey Hart, Travis Pastrana and Evel Knievel. It also mentions the Crusty Demons of Dirt. This song far from a literary masterpiece, but hey, it’s catchy, right?

Key Lyric: "Eye-popping, jaw-dropping, show-stopping, air-time, superman, can-can, no hand, who's the man, Enslow will, Carey will, Pastrana will, with balls of steel." 

Downtown – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

We couldn’t leave the millennials out. Downtown was a smash hit when it dropped in 2015. It follows the adventures of Macklemore as he purchases an $800 moped from the ‘moped store’ and heads downtown to show off his wheels. Kawasaki, Ducati and Harley all get a mention, but they apparently have nothing on Mack’s moped.

Key Lyric: 

Born to be Wild – Steppenwolf

While not strictly about motorcycling, Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild has become the quintessential biker’s song, thanks in no small part to its appearance in Easy Rider. And with lyrics like ‘get your motor running, head out on the highway’ and ‘heavy metal thunder, racing in the wind’, how could you not picture a big V-twin roaring down an open road?

Key Lyric: "Get your motor running, head out on the highway, looking for adventure, and whatever comes our way."

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