"I watched Transformers and Fast & Furious for the plot."
Uh-huh, and I listen to car engine sounds to study.
Ah yes, the “plot.” The rich, compelling narratives that have absolutely nothing to do with Megan Fox popping a car hood or Devon Aoki’s street-racing aesthetic. But hey, whether you’re here for the horsepower or the eye candy, this playlist will keep those driving fantasies running on premium with your foot on the gas:
- Deftones: Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
Washes of guitar and breathy vocals sedate the chaos, transforming escape into something tender — until Chino Moreno’s chilling refrain “I don’t care where, just far,” reopens the wound.
2. Lana Del Rey: White Mustang
Lana’s vocals on the phrase "White Mustang" subtly evoke "Why am I staying?" with a sense of uncertainty and longing. The haunting delivery of the line also suggests "Wild Mistake," is a reckless love now seen as a misstep, and "You’re Wine, I’m Stained," captures the contrast of an intoxicating, fleeting romance that ultimately leaves her emotionally marked.
3. Charli XCX: Speed Drive
Sugar-rush synths and high-speed energy — this track doesn’t just play, it accelerates, turning reckless nights and neon-lit highways into a fever dream.
4. Lil Peep: Beamer Boy
The musical equivalent of flooring it in a stolen convertible.
5. Deftones: Passenger
Seductive, sinister and cinematic, like a slow burn that never fully ignites, but leaves you sweating anyway. Chino’s breathless pleas and Maynard’s hushed commands pull you into something you can’t control, where pleasure and fear blur together.
6. M.I.A: Bad Girls
A high-octane rush — like a race you never agreed to join, but now you can’t stop. Play it loud and drive like you’ve got somewhere to be.
Fun fact: the music video, shot in Morocco, was even used in a campaign to promote women's right to drive in Saudi Arabia, becoming a symbol of empowerment in a place where women were historically banned from driving. The song’s fierce tone and unapologetic attitude made it the perfect soundtrack for a pivotal moment of change.
7. Lorde: Green Light
The sound of heartbreak turning into motion — dizzy, euphoric and just unhinged enough to feel real. Running in circles, waiting for the light to change, knowing you’ll never be the same.
8. Lana Del Rey: Ride
A slow, cinematic drift through cigarette smoke and motel parking lots, where the open road is both a promise and a curse.
https://open.spotify.com/playl...
Aima Raza is a sophomore in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. She can be reached at ar2548@cornellsun.edu.
‘Solar Flare’ is a weekly playlist column where Sun contributors spotlight a slice of musical taste with the campus community. It runs every Monday.
