Driving requires a lot of concentration, but as a solitary activity you need some kind of entertainment. Perhaps this is why music and cars have become so intertwined. Whether you're listening to tunes on an 8-track, tape deck, CD player, iPod dock, or even just humming, Sears Imported Autos considers these some of the best songs about cars.

Madness - Driving In My Car

This slice of 80s Ska from the legendary British band Madness is a hymn to budget motoring. With its opening chorus of ignition keys, car horns, handbrakes, and engine noises, and smooth saxophone bridges, “Driving In My Car” is a hymn to the car that singer Suggs loved, even if it's "not quite a Jaguar." It's not cool, but it's a lot of fun.

Radiohead - Killer Cars

One for the safety conscious, Radiohead's little-known “Killer Cars” is obsessed with the dangers of the road. When gloomy Thom Yorke starts singing "I'm going out for a little drive, and it could be the last time you see me alive," you might be tempted to check your wing mirrors a little more closely. Quite apart from that, it's classic 20th century guitar-based Radiohead, before Kid A and Amnesiac pushed them in cool but weird electronic directions.

The Clash - Brand New Cadillac

Joe Strummer of The Clash is not a happy man – his girlfriend has just dumped him. But even though he's heartbroken, his main concern is her brand new Cadillac. It’s another dose of Ska from the best punk band of the 1980s.

Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild

"Get your motor runnin'. Head out on the highway." Thanks to the immortal association with Easy Rider, Steppenwolf's recording of “Born To Be Wild" is the ultimate musical expression of the freedom provided by the open road. It's impossible to listen to this song without playing a little air guitar though, so make sure you're listening to it on an open stretch of road where you won't need to steer for three minutes or so!

Grease - Greased Lightnin'

The standout song from the inevitable Grease medley that blights any cheap wedding disco, “Greased Lightnin'” is definitely one for the boys, as a bunch of high school kids fantasize about their car winning the girls' hearts. There's a naive conviction to the song that makes it irresistible, even if it is uncool, ridiculous, and sung by John Travolta.

Sheryl Crow - Steve McQueen

There are a lot of cars in Sheryl Crow songs, but they're usually beaten up trucks and Buicks. In one of her better singles, however, Crow evoked Steve McQueen's most memorable action scenes in Bullitt and The Great Escape. "All I need's a fast machine." Well, quite.

REM - Drive

Is “Drive” actually about driving? It's a fair question, as it's one of REM's more impenetrable lyrics. But Michael Stipe croons his way through a quiet little song accompanied by delicate fingerpicking on the guitar, until right at the end when a majestic lead line slams the whole song into top gear. It’s a great number when you're driving at night and want to put a smile on your face.

Ride of the Valkyries

Wagner's most famous tune has nothing to do with cars at all, but thanks to Apocalypse Now, there can be few drivers who haven't hummed it to themselves while speeding down a freeway. So you might as well get the CD and enjoy it in all its operatic glory. Charlie don't surf!