Today’s CarTune is Chuck Berry’s 1964 Billboard top 10 hit, and one of the greatest car songs ever, “No Particular Place to Go.”
John Lennon once observed, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.'” In the eyes and ears of many, such is Berry’s impact on American popular music.
And “No Particular Place to Go” is a seminal car song, celebrating the automobile, freedom, and romance. The first verse:
Ridin’ along in my automobile
My baby beside me at the wheel
I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
My curiosity runnin’ wild
Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio
With no particular place to go
This video version of the tune is from the concert film Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll, which chronicles two concerts organized in 1986 by Keith Richards and friends to honor Berry’s 60th birthday. The band assembled for the epic performances included Richards on guitar, Johnnie Johnson on piano, and Steve Jordan on drums. Enjoy.