I want to ride it all night long.
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long.
I heard this song at the supermarket today, and it occurred to me that it's always bothered me, though I can't say I'd really given it much thought. The song kind of sucks. It's a classic case of a song in which the chorus so overshadows the verse, that most people don't even know how the verse goes. (Other songs on this list include "Dude Looks like a Lady" by Aerosmith and "Big Shot" by Billy Joel.) What really bugs me though is the main lyric. Folks, this is not how a metaphor works.
"Life is a highway."
Comparing life to a highway is pretty banal, but basically fine.
"I want to ride it."
So, "riding the highway" is, in this metaphor, just living life. The declaration "I want to live," is obvious to the point of meaninglessness. Also, riding a highway all night long: it sounds kind of exciting on paper, I guess, and it's no doubt given a boost by the upbeat music of the chorus. But honestly, there is nothing exciting about riding a highway all night long. It's lonely and repetitive and just doesn't evoke a life well lived, as I think is the intent.
Also, why "ride" instead of "drive"? (It changes to "drive" in the last line of the chorus, but why not both times?) It's such a passive word. If you're simply along for the ride on the highway that represents your life, does it mean you aren't making decisions for yourself? Does it mean you have no free will?
"All night long."
My biggest problem with this dumb chorus is that the metaphor totally breaks down here. If life is a highway, and riding that highway is living life, then you should be riding it for an entire lifetime. And you'd hope that would be longer than the span of one night, right? All life long admittedly doesn't have the same ring to it, but it would make more sense.
"If you're going my way, I want to drive it all night long."
This line sounds fine, until you think about what it actually means. And what it actually means is anyone's guess. If the guy is talking to the object of his affection, is he saying that he only wants to continue living his life if she is living with him? That makes sense, I guess. But to suggest that he'll live passively ("ride") if left by himself and more actively ("drive") if he's with her? Well... that doesn't sound healthy.
Whatever, though. You're not supposed to think so hard about a song this catchy. You're just supposed to belt out the words - which I'd be happy to do, if the song didn't suck.
