I am headed for long stretches of open Carolina and Georgia highway for spring break. My car's tape deck must be whimpering at the thought of the abuse it's about to face, but it's just a machine and I had to practically shoe-horn it into my 1981 Chevy Citation, so I'm going to be merciless.

Sitting around, dreaming of acres of passing kudzu and spring road kill has given me much impetus to think of proper music for my trip. Good tunes are a sure cure for "white line fever." So what makes a great road song?

Is it a sense of anarchy, like in Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild?" Is it the spirit of raucous youth, like in Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times?" Does it have to have "road" in the title, a la the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" or the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere?" I'm not quite sure. I think it should at least sound good in the car and make the trip more enjoyable.

To attempt to define "road-songness" is fruitless, so it seems much more appropriate (and much easier) to list some of my favorites.

-- ZZ Top, "La Grange." This song oozes Texas. It was culled in part from some old John Lee Hooker tunes, but nonetheless makes me think of long stretches of dusty, badass desert. Sometimes you gotta go heavy on the beard.

-- The Clash, "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" Punky, riotous, fast and loud. Go, by all means, go!

-- Led Zeppelin, "Traveling Riverside Blues." An old Robert Johnson tune. Jimmy, John, Robert and Bonzo at their bluesy, hard-rock best. It's got that thick slide-guitar sound. Cool.

-- Robert Johnson, "Hellhound on My Trail." Where Jimmy got the blues. If you remember that Robert had to worry about the Devil, it makes dealing with state troopers much easier.

-- Rolling Stones, "Midnight Rambler." This one's best after dark. A classic.

-- Nat King Cole, "Route 66." Many people have done this song, but Nat gives it that smooth feel, like a new set of shocks. Get your kicks.

-- Ministry, "Jesus Built My Hot Rod." The title says it all.

-- R.E.M., "Driver 8." A little mellower, but it's one of those folk rock gems that is great to sing along to. "Take a break," quoth Stipe & Co.

-- Rush, "Red Barchetta." One of the best songs ever written about a car.

-- Jimi Hendrix, "Crosstown Traffic." "I'm not the only one/Who's been accused of hit and run/Tire tracks all across your back/I can tell you've had your fun." How you interpret what Jimi means by getting run over is up to you, but the guitar riff speaks for itself.

-- James Brown, "Cold Sweat." This is a funk fugue, an eight-minute grind of horns and beats and grunts that sounds great with the Doppler effect. (Sometimes we must think of those outside the car.) Also, Brown went to jail partly because of a monumental car chase, which is an admirable road trip feat in itself.

-- Anything by Sam & Dave. They did "Soul Man." 'Nuff said.

-- Country Music. It's what truckers listen to. It's got to work. Vivarin should sponsor Alabama.

-- B-52s, "Roam." Do it.

-- Pixies, "Wave of Mutilation." "Ceased to exist/ Giving my goodbyes/ Drive my car/into the ocean." Yeah, Black Francis is weird, but I've always wanted to drive my car into the sea. It would be the perfect end to a stint of highway life.

And that, my friends, should get you rolling.