A successful road trip requires a few simple components: You'll need car that won't randomly die, a GPS that won't lead you to the middle of nowhere, and a playlist that won't make you toss the driver's iPod out the car window. Music on a lengthy car ride can be contentious territory. You don't want to be trapped in a moving box fighting a battle over the stereo. So, we took care of the music for you, by taking some advice from those who know music (and the road) best: professional musicians. We tasked some of our favorite artists to craft their perfect list of driving songs. So just relax, turn up the volume, roll down the windows, and don't forget to stop and get gas.

Bob Crawford & Seth Avett of the The Avett Brothers

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Characterized by a rich, rustic sound, The Avett Brothers are the modern embodiment of honest American folk rock. Double bass player Bob Crawford and lead singer Seth Avett know the classics to guide you through the heartland of America. And any good road trip starts off with the free-wheeling original hype track "Born to Be Wild."

Jon Batiste

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From leading the band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to serving as a director at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Jon Batiste is one of the hardest working men in the business. As a music intellectual, he's one to put some serious thought into a road trip playlist. The Louisiana native pulls tracks from gospel great Pops Staples alongside Louis Armstrong's famous rendition of "Mack the Knife." Of course, said list couldn't be complete without his infectious track with Stay Human, "Back After the Break." We see you, Jon Batiste.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

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If you consider the rise of EDM evidence of the mass production of art, throw on some Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats to restore your faith in music. Combining throwback big band R&B with vintage rock, the sound is reminiscent of an era when making music was a full-on physical activity. The band's playlist harkens back to a time when music was about the spirit, when a song made you move and kept you going without the help of computers. Do your best to keep both hands on the wheel during Joe Cocker's "Space Captain," (or, you know, don't).

Young the Giant

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You can't point to any one single influence in Young the Giant's music. The band member's tastes are wide-ranging—touching on different places and cultures in the span of one song. It's a lot like traveling, really. Reflective of the band's own sound, the musician's playlist ranges from the stripped-down "If I'm Unworthy" by Blake Mills to the timeless cool of French crooner Serge Gainsbourg. This music will take you places.

Gregory Alan Isakov

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If anyone knows music for the road, it's a folk singer. Some of the greatest tunes come out of being in an unfamiliar place, and singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov has a lifelong relationship with the road. The South African-born musician pulled from various generations of songwriters for his playlist. Beck's "The Golden Age," with its touch of country twang, compliments Simon & Garfunkel's classic travelogue track "America." Throw this playlist on and with each song, drift into a new narrative—just not the shoulder, please.

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