Let's face it - there aren't zillions of songs out there about riding bikes. Sure, Queen had "I Want to Ride My Bicycle" and there's "Bicycle Built for Two" a true oldie from 1892. But what are some other songs you can think of about bikes and biking? Comment below.
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“Hot Rod Heart” by John Fogerty (Yeh, I know, but it works for bicycle riding, too).
How about “Bad Motor Scooter” by Montrose. It’s really motorcycle but has such a great riff!
“Cut to the Chase” from the Counterparts album by RUSH and “Face Up” from their Roll the Bones album has this great verse:
You can go out
You can take a ride
And when you get out on your own
You get all smoothed out inside
and it’s good to be alone.
Pinkfloyd has a couple good ones. One is Syd Barrett era and I believe it is called “bike”. The other is Dave Gilmour era after syd and is about hill climbing as far as I’m concerned! It is called “Fearless”. Enjoy!
“Ride Away” by Roy Orbison.
Technically, I think he’s singing about being on a motorcycle since he says “Big motor burning the road” but think of YOURSELF as the “big motor” and you’re set! Now, get your “two wheels a’turning”!
“Olympic Cyclist” by Ballboy
“…No one saw it coming, everyone was shocked
So I bummed my roommate’s helmet
And keep a tight grip on my bike lock
Take the side streets, keep my eyes closed
Oh, it only takes a second to pass…”
(by Kind of Like Spitting)
I have a copy of a Record made by Kraftwerk, and the whole album deals with the Tour De France,and all the songs are named from diffrent stages of the race.
I recently discovered “Les Bicyclettes de Belsize” by Englebert Humperdinck of all people! I was looking for waltzes and behold! This little old love ballad appeared. Check it out on itunes if you dare.
The Mixtures’ horrible early-70s “Pushbike Song”…
Acoustic MotorBike, By Luka Blume
“Tricycle” by Flim and the BBs
The one and only Queen – “I want to ride my bicycle.”
Acoustic Motorcycle – Luka Bloom
I’m going to download it before I do the Courage Classic!
The Bike by Amy Correia
It is not a Bike Song but it is from the Film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid With the Redoubtable Paul Newman and Fay Dunaway Sharing a Bike with Herself on the Crossbar and Newman Steering . Raindrops keep Falling on my Head. He also does some fancy Aerobics while Holding the Handlebars and Stretching out in the Horizontal Defying Gravity.
Bicycle – The Jellydots
“My White Bicycle” (gee, that would mean Bianchi in Italian – coincidence?) by the 60’s/70’s band Tomorrow. A certain guitar player in that band went on to be a member of a successful prog rock band called ‘YES’ – Steve Howe. Incidentally, the song was also covered by the Scottish band Nazareth and was a big hit for them.
Bicycle Race by Queen
“Roll Me Away” by Bob Seger
Ride – By Pretty & Twisted!
When I listen to that song it inspires me to go those extra miles with a smile on my face!
How about-
Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild
Willie Nelsons On the road again
Midnight Oil’s Gunbarrel Highway
Here in Brazil, kids have a fun song in “Bicicleta” by music great Toquinho. But I wish there were more songs that would evoke the grown-up freedom and toughness of cycling.
I like “Titanium” from the Kraftwerk album mentioned by barry. But to get my rhythm going, I listen to non-cycling-themed music like “Temple of Love” by Sisters of Mercy.;)
“Bicycle”, Livingston Taylor
I ride my bicycle to work each day
It’s not so far
It’s better for me than my car.
I wear a helmet that is made of
Rigid Styrofoam
Inspected by a French guy named Guillaume.
I downshift my Shimanno gears
I pedal hard and I’m out of here
Glad I am that the coast is clear
Glad I am to be
My bicycle and me.
Some Saturdays at six a.m. I get up
With Bill and Flo
In the parking lot of Ho Jo’s west of town
We ride light bikes that cost big bucks
We curse at smelly trucks
Mile after mile ’til the sun is almost down.
What a ride, what a life
Maybe I’m crazy, don’t ask my wife
I’ve been in love with these spinning wheels
Since I was maybe three
My bicycle and me.
Pedal that bike, pedal that bike
Don’t open that door ’til I go by.
Pedal that bike, pedal that bike
That little old lady in the Dodge Diplomat
I don’t think she sees me
I hope she don’t teach me how to fly.
I wear Lycra, it fits really closely to my skin
White to purple is the place where it begins
I pad my butt and I’m careful
To stay out of ruts
Wrap around sunglasses, I’m an alien
Feel my heart go pit-a-pat
Hello big hill good-bye fat
Life goes by just like that
A forty something spree is
My bicycle and me.
Some days, “Slow Ride” by Foghat!
“To Get There” by one of the members of Jesus Jones. It was used in (and written especially for??) the TV coverage of the 2000 TdF. There was also the 2001 ESPN theme song about the Tour, though it wasn’t nearly as good…
Melanie – Brand from 1971.
Great song about bicycles and rollerskattes and more.
hey, look at this blog about music and bicycle
From Australia. I’m with you Diana?
I used Englebert’s song on a home movie I made for our Rottnest Island holiday spot where there are hundreds of special bikes provided and no cars. Super!
there is a song i like called “nine million bicycles” by katie melua about bicycles in Beijing from what i understood, it’s very romantic:)
Swollen Members feat Nelly Furtado – Breath
MUSE – Assassian
Flobots – Handlebars
MSTRKRFT feat John Ledgend – Heartbreaker
^^^^^^^^^^
Those are my personal favourites to shred the trail too
“Ride My Bike”, by Tom Paxton. Makes we want to jump on the bike and ride!
Cracker “I Ride My Bike” – lyrics are a little racy and/or controversial but the song gets me goin’…
O Fortuna by Orff. Play it on the last hill, and crest at the final trill.
There are over 1,500 songs about bicycling… no, not millions, but a rather substantial number.
I discuss this in the appendix of my book on bicycling culture…
http://web.mac.com/labann/Bike_%26_Chain/The_ultimate_guide_to_bicycling_culture_files/Appendix%20-%20Bike%20Culture.pdf
For further discussion, also see
http://rockandbike.blogspot.com/
Hawkwind: Silver Machine
It flies sideways through time….
let not forget some folk punk: Bikes and bridges-Defiance Ohio and a wonderful lyric by Ghost mice-Boy meets girl !!
Ive actually made a playlist! And other than what has already been mentioned Ive got: Bicycle Song: Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Bike Song: Mark Ronson, My Bike: Kimya Dawson, Bike Scene: Taking back Sunday, Cycling Trivialities: Jose Gonzalez, and Tricycle Jaune: Saez. Enjoy!
Richard Thompson’s classic long story song “Vincent Black Lighting 1952″
Beautiful….and tragic.
Freedom Machine by Matthew Price
Matthew captures the essence of what a bicycle is for me.
You can download his album for free.
Checkout his Freedom Machine video – music and vocals while riding his bike – hilarious fun.
check out the Spokes:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Spokes/137578297969
“Ride of your life”
“I predict a bike ride”
“I see how you ride”
I like this one by the dreamangus it’s called “Bicycle Song”
here’s a link, it’s on Napster
http://music.napster.com/dreamangus-music/album/wake-for-dreams/10824910#playsong=13000751&tm=208
good list guys
My partner and I are putting together a mixed CD of bicycle related tunes. We’ve come up with:
“Apology Song” – The Decemberists (A cute song that the singer (Colin Meloy) wrote for his friend when the bike he was looking after was stolen)
“Busted Bicycle” – Leo Kottke (No lyrics but some amazing 12 string guitar craziness!)
“Let Me Lie” – Trey Anastasio (A song by Phish guitarist/singer which has a vocal round of “Gonna take my bike out, gonna take my bike. Gonna ride it slowly gonna ride it just how I like”)
“Rory Rides Me Raw” – The Vaselines (An ode to one of the songwriter’s (Eugene Kelly) bike that he named Rory
“Fat Bottom Girls” by queen
Cause somewhere in there it says
“get on your bikes and ride” but Im not sure if it’s supposed to be a motorcycle. I’m pretty sure its a bike
pedal your blues away – R. Crumb and the cheapsuit serenaders !!!
Marathon by Rush helps me go the distance on my bike.
serious bike themed tunage here:
http://www.ecohustler.co.uk/2011/07/05/flash-mob-for-fresh-air/
http://www.ecohustler.co.uk/2011/05/11/the-royal-wedding-goes-critical-4/
I Got a Bicycle – Coco Love Alcorn
nothing comes close, not even that song by queen
Bikes & Bridges by Defiance OHIO!
Also, Going the Distance, by CAKE
been putting together some tracks for a ride to work day I am organising – thanks for some of the suggestions here. Also: amazing what you find in itunes by searching bicycle. This is what I selected from about 190 songs – there’s some beauties. From a mini-listen to each I think my favourite is the one by Paul Kotheimer – catchy south african style guitar, and a bit Paul Simonesqe, but he gets away with it
The Mixtures The Pushbike Song
Engelbert Humperdinck Les bicyclettes de Belsize
Luka Bloom The Acoustic Motorbike
Emma Dean Bicycle
Frances England Bicycle
Mal Webb Bike
Steve Dreher and Friends Bike
Heinz Kiessling On Your Bike
Amy Correia The Bike
The Jellydots Bicycle
Kraftwerk Tour de France 03 (Version 1)
Mark Olson & Gary Louris Bicycle
Livingston Taylor Bicycle
Rob Carr and the Lake City Astros Ride My Bicycle
Pfilbryte Bicycle
Red Hot Chili Peppers Bicycle Song (Bonus Track)
Caroline Bicycle
Hal Bicycle
Sonya Hunter Bicycle
Paul Kotheimer Bicycle
Jono Harrison Bicycle
The Swallows Bicycle Tillie (Digitally Remastered)
The Kings of Dixieland Bicycle Built for Two
The White Tornado Bicycle
Dawn Kinnard Bicycle
Apart from the obvious Queen songs already mentioned. What about the equally obvious :- “The Pretenders – Back on the chain gang”
There’s a song by the German pop band Die Prinzen called “Mein Fahrrad,” meaning “My Bicycle.” It’s very cute/fun
Mild the language — but M-f-ing Bike HD is the best bike song next to Bike Song by Mark Ronson
ghoti hook! my bicycle!!!! one of my favorite songs!!!!
or this one that i just found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAO95Q5IiYY
“Ride Your Bike” by Full Service.
In general ALL great bike riding tunes.
This one has one of my favorite biking lyrics:
“Ride your bike, tie your shoes up. Fly towards the sky …try …try”
What about Bouncing Souls?
The BMX song – “If I had money, I’d buy a new BMX!”
East Side Mags – “Ride! Ride! Ride! Ride! Ride!”
Handlebars by Flobots