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What to Listen to While Traveling in Europe

So here I am, in the midst of a 35-day trip to Europe. I desperately tried to get this Visiting Europe Playlist done before I left, but alas, it was not meant to be.

That’s okay, because it’s allowed me more time to add songs that perfectly fit my trip, while also getting recommendations from friends and the people I meet in each country I visit.

The whole idea for this playlist was to have songs about or by artists from the countries or cities I’m visiting.

This trip I will be visiting Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Switzerland and England for sure. There might be more added in there when it’s all said and done.

However, I also want to include songs that remind me of the friends I’m visiting on this trip.

I also want to include songs that reflect the experiences I’m having out here and the amazing people I meet. There’s something about meeting new, awesome people that really excites me and keeps me moving day in and day out.

This trip so far has been a never-ending wave of awesomeness that I’m gladly surfing.

This has been a pretty tough playlist for me to narrow down. I normally like to make these playlists 10-15 songs.

Honestly, I could easily do that just for the UK and Germany alone.

I’m stretching this playlist out to 20 songs. This includes songs recommended by friends, locals and some personal favorites.

Without further ado, here is my Visiting Europe Playlist!

1) King of the Bongo – Manu Chao

Sure, Manu Chao was born in France. However, his parents and roots are from Spain. The soul of Manu Chao’s music comes from influences spanning the entire globe.

He will sing songs in Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, Arabic and more. I feel super fortunate that I was able to see him perform live 4 times.

Manu Chao’s live performances are a something to behold. He infuses the crowd with sonic energy that will blow the roof off any venue during the over 2-hour dance-fest performance.

The best experience was seeing him perform at the bull fighting ring in Tijuana. My friends and I were dancing and singing along with several thousand Mexican fans in a truly special performance.

2) Uma Casa Portuguesa – Amália Rodrigues

I’m going to be totally honest here, I am not entirely familiar with any musicians from Portugal. However, this song and artist was recommended to me by a few different people, so here she is on the list!

I have no idea what she’s saying in Uma Casa Portuguesa, but I dig it! It has a real sweet and folky feel to it, and Amália Rodrigues sings it really well.

3) Feel it Still – Portugal. The Man

Okay, yeah, not a Portuguese band, nor are any of the band members from Portugal. However, I really like this song and Portugal is in the band’s name, so there you go.

The first time I heard Portugal. The Man was at a music festival several years ago. A friend of mine said we should check them out and so we went. They put on a really great live show and I was hooked instantly.

Did you know they are originally from Alaska? Thanks for the knowledge drop Wikipedia!

4) Du Hast – Rammstein

I remember being in high school, listening to the local Dallas rock station during their late-night heavy metal hour when something I’ve never heard before came on.

The synthesizer intro leading into the heavy crunching guitar had me hooked right from the start. Then the lyrics coming through in German. German? Yes, German on an American radio station. It’s the first time I ever heard that, and it was amazing.

The beat, the heavy-ass guitar riffs and the easy lyrics to sing along to, led Du Hast to be an anthem song for my friends and me. Still to this day, whenever this song comes on my friends and I crank it and start headbanging.

A good friend and I jumped at the chance to go to a music festival that featured Tesla, The Toadies, Staind and Rammstein.

Keep in mind, this was in the late 90s. Everyone there wanted to see The Toadies and Staind, and most left after Staind finished.

All I can say is fuck Staind.

We went to see Rammstein, who closed out the event, and were not disappointed. We sang along to what we thought were the lyrics while flame throwers spewed fire over our heads.

It was honestly one of the best live music experiences of my life. They are a band you have to see live for sure!

5) Alles Neu – Peter Fox

Several years ago I had a couple friends from Germany staying over at my place and asked them to introduce me to some non-Rammstein German music they liked.

Alles Neu by Peter Fox was the first thing they played. I absolutely loved this song and the video.

I don’t know anything about Peter Fox, other than everyone I know in Germany knows this song and happily play it for me whenever I visit. Alles Neu is still a song I play regularly, no matter where I am.

Have a listen to my Visiting Disney World playlist!

6) Metropolis – Kraftwerk

I will be totally honest; I had no idea who Kraftwerk were until a few years ago. This is one where I feel I let myself down.

Fortunately, I have good friends with great music knowledge and taste. Kraftwerk came and played a show in LA that my friend Alex went to and he educated me on them.

The German group were pioneers of electropop and were at the forefront of pushing electronic music into the mainstream with their innovative techniques. Metropolis is probably my favorite song by them.

7) The Space Between Us – Dominik Eulberg

If there’s one thing I know about Germany, and Berlin in particular, it’s that they bring out the most talented DJs I’ve seen.

No, they aren’t all the big-name mainstream DJs. However, they are all super talented and put on amazing shows.

Every trip to Germany for me must include a stop at a club to hear some of the amazing DJs to dance the night away.

The Space Between Us by Dominik Eulberg comes on a direct recommendation from one of my good friends in Germany. This song has an infectious beat and that you would be hard-pressed not to start dancing to.

If you see that Dominik Eulberg is playing somewhere, do yourself a favor and go see him.

8) Dead End – The Whitest Boy Alive

I have to thank my good friend Bobby for introducing me to The Whitest Boy Alive.

We were at Coachella several years ago and he mentioned we should go see this band on one of the side stages. I’m so glad we went to see them.

It was only their second appearance in the US, and they crushed it.

Although the German-Norwegian group are no longer together, they created some outstanding music. Their songs are really groovy, great to dance to, and you will get hooked on them instantly.

While I was at a café in Gdańsk, Poland, they were playing The Whitest Boy Alive and I was ecstatic.

I went up to the barista and asked how he knew about this group and he said one of the members was Polish and they love them.

We had a great conversation about the band and our favorite songs. It was a really great random experience.

I highly recommend everyone check out their albums Dreams and Rules – you will love them!

9) Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 2 – Frédéric Chopin

Chopin is probably the most famous musician to come out of Poland.

They have daily Chopin performances, benches that play his music and a huge Chopin statue in Warsaw.

The benches were a really nice touch, with each one located in an area he used to visit and each one played a different song.

I really enjoy Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 2; however, all his Nocturnes pieces are really nice to listen to.

10) Tear Up the Red Sky – The Young Gods

I asked my friends in Switzerland to name their favorite Swiss bands and The Young Gods came back as the overwhelming favorites.

The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg.

Their music has influenced several other big musical acts, such as Sepultura, The Edge (from U2), David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails.

Their influence alone is more than enough to land them on this playlist.

When you listen to the music, you can definitely hear some similarities with Nine Inch Nails.

11) Give Us a Reason – Death by Chocolate

Death by Chocolate are another Swiss band recommended to me by one of my close friends, Angie. They actually happen to be friends of hers based out of Bern.

Death by Chocolate are an indie band that want to stay independent. According to Angie, they did not want to sell out and make music just to be on the radio, they play for the love of the music and their fans.

I will always go out and support my friends in their artistic endeavors, and I will gladly do the same for my friends’ friends.

12) Hardwired – Metallica

I know, Metallica are not from any of the countries I’m visiting. However, I am seeing them in Zurich on this trip.

Going to see Metallica with my friends is actually what spurred on this trip. It’s also the 1-year anniversary of the last time I saw the band with my friends in Geneva.

If you haven’t listened to their latest album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct you are missing out. The album is a triumph and a true return to form.

Hardwired is the opening song on the album and really sets the tone.

I don’t think I need to really sell the band on anyone. They’ve been around for almost 40 years, are currently selling out massive stadium shows all around the world and are in the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.

Oh, and they put on the best live shows.

If you do see them live, hold on to your tickets because you can use the barcode to download the show you went to from their live music database (they record every concert they perform and release them on the website for purchase)!

13) Wannabe – Spice Girls

Tell me you don’t like this song. If it comes on, I know you’re going to sing along to it.

The Spice Girls were a 90s phenomenon and this was their biggest song. It’s also one of my favorites to sing for karaoke.

While I was in Berlin, there was a karaoke booth (like a photo booth – so rad) and my 3 friends and I wedged ourselves inside and rocked Wannabe hard.

Back when their movie Spice World came out, I was working at a movie theater at the time. The various movie theaters around the country always do competitions for the best promotion for new movies.

My coworkers and I decided the best way to promote Spice World was to dress up in drag, give ourselves Spice Girls names and lip sing and dance to Wannabe.

It was a lot of fun and we ended up winning the national competition. So yeah, I have deep roots with this song.

14) Starlight – Muse

Muse is one of my favorite bands and they put on an amazing live show (I don’t know if you’re seeing a trend here or not but get out and see some live music! It’s awesome!).

Starlight is one of my favorite songs by Muse. They are quite impressive as a trio and like experiment and try new things with each album.

You have to respect bands that are constantly pushing forward in their artistry instead of resting on their laurels.

You know the song, you love it, now go see Muse live!

15) Magnetised – Tom Odell

I was watching The Graham Norton Show a couple years back and I had never heard of Tom Odell, the musical act of the night.

He played Magnetised and I was just hooked.

I don’t know what it is about this song, but it just inspires me to think and be creative.

I like listening to it while I’m writing, I like listening to it when I’m thinking, I just like to listen to it.

Magnetised is a great song and introduced me to a really talented artist. Now I’m sharing with you!

16) ‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore – David Bowie

I still can’t believe that David Bowie isn’t with us anymore. He was a powerhouse and left an indelible mark on the music industry and on his fans.

His final album was no exception. It has this real jazz room feel to it and Blackstar is one of my favorite albums of the past 5 years.

‘Tis a Pity She Was a Whore is my favorite song on the album.

HBO also has a really great documentary called David Bowie: The Last Five Years. I highly recommend everyone watch it.

17) New Born – Muse

I think I’m going through a Muse phase right now. However, New Born was the first song I heard from Muse and it really got me hooked on the band.

I’ve still yet to hear it at any of the live shows I’ve been to, so I guess that just means I’ll have to go to more until I do.

The whole Origin of Symmetry album felt like the band was pushing their limits and experimenting with sounds. That experimentation led to the masterful song, New Born.

Bonus Playlist Content – Live Performances

18) Manu Chao – Baionarena (Live)

This is an example of what a force Manu Chao is live.

You can see how he gets the crowd going and dancing throughout the 2-hour performance.

I’m telling you, Manu Chao is the man, and his live shows were unlike any other. It’s impossible not to get energized and want to dance and sing along to Manu Chao live.

That’s why I’m sharing this live show for everyone to see. Baionarena is totally awesome and I highly recommend getting this album to add to your collection.

19) Rammstein Live

In honor of my friends seeing Rammstein live in Bern on June 6, and my love of the group, I present you with one of their live concerts in full.

Rammstein puts on such an entertaining show full of pyrotechnics. The energy is infectious, and the heavy riffs force you to bob your head.

Even if you don’t understand what they are saying, their live shows are a spectacle you do not want to miss.

20) Metallica – Live Shit: Binge & Purge – San Diego Show (1992)

Back in the early 90s my addiction to Metallica was full on.

There was no stopping it, and there hasn’t been any stopping it since. For my 15^th birthday I begged my family to purchase the Live Shit: Binge & Purge box set.

No one would do it, especially since the title had the word, “Shit,” in it.

So I sweet-talked my grandpa into taking me down to Warehouse Music (remember those???) so I could purchase something. I cobbled up all my savings and bought the box set myself.

This turned out to be one of my best purchases yet. The box set included 2 live concerts on video (San Diego and Seattle) and a 3^rd concert from Mexico City on 3 CDs.

I literally wore out the VHS cassettes and the CDs because I listened to them so much.

Here’s the thing, I loved Metallica on their studio albums. However, I had no idea how incredible and fierce their live concerts were.

I can honestly say this is the greatest live compilation Metallica has ever put out.

If you’re a Metallica fan or a fan of heavy metal, you must get Live Shit: Binge & Purge! So for you, here is one of those videos.

Put up your metal fingers and headbang along. You’re welcome world!

Now I’d Like to Hear from You

I hope you enjoyed my Visiting Europe Playlist.

Now I would like to hear from you.

What songs do you listen to when you go to Europe?

What did you think of my Visiting Europe Playlist?

Is there any songs you think I left out?

Let me know by leaving a quick comment below!

Listen to My Other Playlists!

• Creating a Blog Playlist
• Visiting Disney World Playlist

Related Posts

• The Ultimate Backpacking Packing List for Europe in Fall
• Essential Backpacking Gear List for Europe
• The Best Things to Do in Bern, Switzerland
• The Best Things to Do in Old Town Bern
• The Top Museums to Visit in Bern, Switzerland