Here in the flat, spacious Midwest, we're all intimately familiar with the art of the driving song. A good driving song must fit a slew of criterion: it must be upbeat, but it can't be irritating; it must compliment a mood, without being overpowering, etc.
Apparently, across the pond, they're a little bit more lenient. Check this out:
The latest survey by vehicle information experts HPI reveals that when the sun comes out to play, drivers reach for Lynard Skynard's [SIC] "Sweet Home Alabama."
This confirms what we suspected all along: the Brits are weird.
More after the jump.
"It seems like summer is a time for the good old classics, rather than whatever ray of sunshine the charts may be producing. Our top 10 is dominated by songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s," saysNicola Johnson, Consumer Services Manager for HPI. "Seventies classic, "Sweet Home Alabama" was a clear favourite with 52% of the respondents putting the song in their top ten, followed closely by "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves with 48% of people placing this in amongst their top summer songs.
Wow. Is it just me, or is Alabama really, really, really, really far away from Europe? Mysterious!
Surprisingly, the only song made in the last 10 years that makes it onto the chart is the less than summery "Mr Brightside" by The Killers. Coming in at number four with 40% people selecting it as part of their summer playlist, it's the perfect sing-along track for drivers on those unpredictable, British summer days.
So: is it that the only people that drive in Britain are old people? Or is it simply that they're in the car for shorter amounts of time than we are in the States?
