I was recently driving on the New York State Northway in Upstate New York, listening to Motörhead’s “Bomber,” when I suddenly realized I was doing 85 mph. I’m not much of a fast driver—my whole family tells me I drive them crazy because I drive too slowly—but there was something about that song that made my right foot forget all about my usual careful driving. Of course, because I’m always thinking about what to write next, the idea for this article popped into my head instantly. There are probably thousands of songs that can make you feel like putting the pedal to the metal, but these ten are some of the worst offenders. Just don’t blame me when a state trooper pulls up behind you and says, “License and registration!”
# 10 – Bomber – Motörhead
We open our 10 Classic Rock Songs That Will Get You A Speeding Ticket list with the song that caused the whole thing. Motörhead’s “Bomber” was released in 1979 on the album of the same name, with Jimmy Miller producing. Lemmy Kilmister handles the vocals and bass, “Fast” Eddie Clarke is on guitar, and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor is on drums. The song comes at you with exactly the kind of relentless speed that can make the scenery outside the windshield start moving a little too quickly. This is where the speeding-ticket idea began for me, so there was no other place to start the countdown.
Read More: Top 10 Motorhead Songs
# 9 – Stone Cold Crazy – Queen
This one will not just make you drive fast; it will rattle your nerves and make you spill your Starbucks latte. “Stone Cold Crazy” appeared on Queen’s 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack and is one of the rare Queen songs credited to all four members. Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon sound like they are trying to finish the whole song before you can catch your breath. It has always been one of our favorite Queen songs. If you put on Metallica’s version instead, you may wind up with two tickets; as my friend Brian, who works for Coke, always says: METAL!
Read More : Brian May of Queen: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
# 8 – Tie – Fireball / Highway Star – Deep Purple
“Highway Star” may be the obvious Deep Purple choice for a list like this, but there is something about the roaring “Fireball” that gets me going even faster. “Fireball” opened Deep Purple’s 1971 album of the same name, with Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover, and Ian Paice operating at full power. Those Ian Paice drums will get the speeding party started before the rest of the band even has a chance to catch up. More than half of the Deep Purple catalog could probably qualify for this article. For me, though, “Fireball” is the one that really makes the road start moving.
“Highway Star” earns the other half of the tie because the title alone sounds like it was written for a speeding-ticket list. The song opened Deep Purple’s 1972 album Machine Head and uses the same Mark II lineup of Gillan, Blackmore, Lord, Glover, and Paice. Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar, Jon Lord’s organ, and that relentless rhythm section make the song feel like a machine built to keep accelerating. There are faster songs in the world, but very few feel more connected to the open road. Put “Fireball” and “Highway Star” back to back and your speedometer is in serious trouble.
Read More: Ian Paice of Deep Purple: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
# 7 – Hit The Lights – Metallica
There is no way to hear “Hit the Lights” without feeling your right foot get a little heavier. This is a guaranteed speeding-ticket song, baby—at least if you forget to keep an eye on the speedometer. “Hit the Lights” opens Metallica’s 1983 debut Kill ‘Em All, recorded at Music America in New York with Paul Curcio producing and Jon Zazula serving as executive producer. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton, and Kirk Hammett sound hungry enough to tear through the speakers. It starts hard and just keeps coming, so you better start checking that rearview mirror.
Read More: Top 10 Covers Of Metallica Songs
# 6 – Go Mental – Ramones
This one is good for speeding and losing your mind at the same time. We could probably pick almost any Ramones song to increase our chances of getting a ticket, but “Go Mental” says everything right in the title. The track appeared on the band’s 1978 album Road to Ruin, the first Ramones studio album to feature Marky Ramone on drums. Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium produced the record, while Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Marky keep the song brutally simple and fast. We are not saying we want a speeding ticket, but hey, it might have made Joey proud.
Read More: 11 Essential Ramones Songs
# 5 – Draw The Line – Aerosmith
At the halfway point is the smoking “Draw the Line,” and something about that bass line makes me feel like running through twenty red lights and smiling at the cameras. The song opens Aerosmith’s 1977 album Draw the Line, the band’s fifth studio record. Jack Douglas produced the album, with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, and Joey Kramer delivering the classic 1970s Aerosmith lineup. The record is dirty, tense, and just unhinged enough to make you forget how fast you are moving. You simply cannot beat 1970s Aerosmith.
Read More: Joe Perry of Aerosmith Interview: 13 Albums That Changed My Life
# 4 – Smokin’ – Boston
Every song on Boston’s debut album is legendary, but if you are looking for the one that will get you to work on time, “Smokin'” is the track that will get you back. Hey, you were just there yesterday, right? The song comes from Boston’s 1976 debut and is built around Tom Scholz’s guitars and organ, Brad Delp’s voice, Fran Sheehan’s bass, and Sib Hashian’s drums. That organ break alone can add ten miles an hour if you are not paying attention. Boston made studio perfection sound exciting, and “Smokin'” is one of the moments when all that precision still feels completely wild.
Read More: Tommy DeCarlo of Boston: The ClassicRockHistory.Com Interview
# 3 – Gear Jammer – George Thorogood & The Destroyers
“Gear Jammer” pretty much explains the whole premise of this article by itself. The George Thorogood & The Destroyers track opened the 1985 album Maverick, and it has always sounded like it was made for the road. George Thorogood’s guitar and Hank “Hurricane” Carter’s saxophone push the song forward while Billy Blough and Jeff Simon keep the rhythm moving underneath them. That sax line gets me every time. This one is for the truckers, the highway lifers, and everybody who has ever looked down and realized the speedometer was a little farther to the right than expected.
Read More: Jim Suhler of the George Thorogood Band: The ClassicRockHistory.com Interview
# 2 – Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love – Van Halen
It may not be the fastest song on this list, but it has more than enough attitude to make sure you get good use out of that Sunoco Premium. “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” appeared on Van Halen’s groundbreaking 1978 debut album, produced by Ted Templeman. Eddie Van Halen’s opening guitar sound is enough to make almost any driver sit up a little straighter, while David Lee Roth, Michael Anthony, and Alex Van Halen bring the rest of the swagger. The song never has to race because the riff already sounds dangerous standing still. Sometimes attitude is all you need to make that speedometer creep upward.
Read More: Van Halen’s Best Song On Each Of Their Studio Albums
# 1 – Tie – I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar / Drivin’ Wheel – Foghat
We close with the most obvious song anybody could pick for a list called 10 Classic Rock Songs That Will Get You A Speeding Ticket. Sammy Hagar released “I Can’t Drive 55” on his 1984 album VOA, and the entire record sounds like it was designed to make a speed-limit sign feel personal. Hagar turns a traffic stop into one of the great driving anthems of the 1980s, and there was no way I could leave it off this list. The title says everything before the guitar even comes in. If there were ever a song destined to sit at number one here, this is it.
But Sammy does not get the number-one spot alone, because Foghat’s “Drivin’ Wheel” has always been one of our favorite road songs. Released in 1976 as the opening track on Night Shift, it was produced by Dan Hartman and features “Lonesome” Dave Peverett, Rod Price, Craig MacGregor, and Roger Earl. This one sounds like it was made for Interstate 95 with the windows down and the band turned all the way up. It has always been one of our favorite Foghat songs, and the official title really is “Drivin’ Wheel.” You’ll never catch me, coppers!
Read More: Why We Loved Foghat’s Night Shift Album
Updated September 15, 2026
10 Classic Rock Songs That Will Get You A Speeding Ticket article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
Limited to ten in this article, but the following tunes have had my “pedal to the metal” many times over the years:
“Free Bird (“One More From The Road”- Live Version) Lynyrd Skynyrd; particularly the 3-guitar attack and crescendo (after the subdued easy cruising intro) – then starting at the 6:24 minute mark, and continually accelerating.
And the following, because they rev you up, and don’t hold back, and then you realize you are pushing 80-85 m.p.h.:
“Hocus Pocus” – Focus
“Highway Star” – Deep Purple
“Twilight Zone” – Golden Earring
“Roll On Down The Highway” – Bachman-Turner Overdrive