Bordering America Mix Tape

We've loved all the support you've showed us through blog hits, comments, and emails. Truly one of the greatest parts of the adventure have been communicating with some of you throughout. Before we even began to drive we asked for support in several ways. One of the ways we felt support was through responses to the call for roadtripping music. I'd like to provide some conclusion in this area by releasing the Bordering America Top 10 song list:

10. Fetts Vette- MC Chris (Submitted by Isaac)

MC Chris was the fast talker we needed to deliver a loaded song with high relistenability. He gets through so many lyrics in this three and a half minute song, it took us several takes to put together some of the rhymes. Even better, almost all the lyrics are understandable if you take the time to separate them. Andrew's soft spot for Star Wars probably allowed this jam to beat out other MC Chris favorites like Hoodie Ninja. It even provided the opportunity to school me in the highest grossing movie franchise (this stat probably needs to be adjusted for inflation or something).

9. Bonfire- Childish Gambino

While Childish Gambino's lyrics can be inappropriate at times (or all the time), they are also some of the wittiest. I found myself repeating lines long after the song had ended and still getting a laugh. Another benefit of this song is the pacing which seems to will the car forward. By the end of the journey, it was a nighttime 'must play.'

8. Want U Back- Cher Lloyd

This song was introduced to Andrew during pop survivor and it was pretty new to me as well. As soon as the damage done during the early repetition wore off, it reentered our play list as the third song played each morning of heavy travel. Cher's growls and grunts seemed to convey our frustration with ambiguous Spanish directions and her melodic refrain 'want you back' betrayed our eventual homecoming.

7. A Favor House Atlantic- Coheed & Cambria

It is no secret we both love the musical stylings of Coheed & Cambria. I think the opening lyric to "retrace the footsteps that led us this favor," rang particularly true for us as we consistently questioned the combination of luck and skill that brought us to one fantastic destination after another. We also identified with the questioning chorus asking "Are you in or are you out?" as it applied the many friends who feigned interest in joining us only to realize the insanity of our plan and duration of our travels.

6. Highway to Hell- AC/DC (Submitted by Andy Fogel)

This seems like a staple of a good road trip mix. Although we adamantly refuse that our destination was hell (it seemed we arrived at paradise), the route was definitely highways. Additionally, this was one of the better interactive listens on our list. We got rowdy and sang along each time it was played.

5. Barracuda- Heart (Submitted by Andy Fogel)

Barracuda gained immediate support for the lyric "If the real thing don't do the trick No! You better make up something quick." This applied to more than one situation we got ourselves into. The rhythm of the song was also a key selling point. We could play it in heavy Mexico City traffic and still feel as if we were moving forward.

4. She Doesn't Get It- The Format (Stolen from a pirate radio broadcast by Jeremy Vaida)

While I was a 'The Format' fan prior to departure, the band slowly grew on Andrew throughout the travels. This tune headed the list largely due to feel. It was capable of stirring feelings of sadness associated with departure while constantly reminding us that we had one more night to keep pushing and see where the roads would take us.

3. Drive it Like you Stole it- The Glitch Mob (Submitted by Jake Horwath)

This song was the second one played during the beginning of each driving leg of the journey. The mash up featured Drake pumping us up and instructing haters not to play with us. It is probably because we shouted the lyrics loudly that we didn't experience any major run ins with law enforcement or cartels. The song title also lent itself to instant love. Going 130 km/hr in a 80 km/hr zone felt like living up to the charge of driving it like it was stolen.

2. Lazy Sunday- Lonely Island (feat. Chris Parnell)

Andrew and I worked tirelessly to master the give and take Parnell and Samberg demonstrated in this rap. We got pretty good by the end of the trip killing many hours of potentially unexciting car travel and preparing us to the be the main event at our next social event.

1. Panama- Van Halen (Submitted by Andy Fogel)

This seems like no brainer given the intended destination of our trip. It led off each day's driving. It was able to reunite Andrew and I in our main objective, replace breakfast with its rich cries of "Panama," and excite us for the adventure that lay ahead. It continues to play through our heads as a potential destination for future endeavors.