What’s the best driving music? Do you have a favourite playlist on your iPod for long car journeys? If Drive My Car by the Beatles and Driving in my Car by Madness put you in a good mood for a road trip, then what would you choose for a cruise down the Cut?

These are my suggestions, counted down in reverse order like any good music chart should be.

3) At the River –Groove Armada

It’s not about a canal but a navigable river counts as an inland waterway. This dreamy electronica tune was released in 1997 and later added to the album Vertigo. The Patti Page sample,

"If you're fond of sand dunes and salty air, quaint little villages here and there…"

is repeated over and over alongside relaxed bass and drums. The laid-back trombone sounds mingle in to create the perfect chill-out tune to accompany a lazy day on the canal.

2) The Erie Canal Song – Bruce Springsteen

Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal was written in 1905 by Thomas S. Allen but I only know and love the Springsteen version. My kids used to sit on the roof of our narrowboat as we approached a canal bridge and sing the chorus. The lyrics refer to passengers in bygone days who would ride on top of the boats and need to get down when approaching a low bridge. The original song tells of a time when engine power replaced mules on the New York canal, and is dedicated to a particular mule named Sal.

“Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge, yeah we're coming to a town,
and you'll always know your neighbour,
and you'll always know your pal,
If ya ever navigated on the Erie Canal.”

1) The Boatman – The Levellers

When I first started living on a boat I loved this song, although it was already nearly ten years old by then. The album Levelling the Land was released in 1991 and eventually went platinum. This Brighton folk band sang,

“If I could choose the life I please, then I would be a boatman,
On the canals and the rivers free, no hasty words are spoken,
My only law is the river breeze, that takes me to the open seas,
If I could choose the life I please, then I would be a boatman.”

Is it true that canal-folk never speak a hasty word? What other easy-going music would you add to the playlist?

If a career on the Cut would be music to your ears have you considered a Boatshed brokerage? A Boatshed business could earn you £80,000+p.a. We’ve made great headway in becoming the world’s largest brokerage, we’re now seeking enterprising people to join our ranks. All business models include training and support, marketing materials and access to the ground breaking Boatshed™ System. Find out more at Boatshed Business.com

Peggy Melmoth

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