24 songs about (or related to) cycling

It’s always nice to hear your favourite activity referenced in the media. Here are songs in a variety of genres that talk about bikes, talk about cycling or just have a bit of a cycling “vibe”.

RELATED: How to get rid of an earworm on your ride

Bicycle Race – Queen

It’s hard to think of a more iconic song about cycling. The lyrics “I want to ride my bicycle” perfectly encapsulate the emotions of a cyclist stuck inside on sunny summer day.

It’s a Beautiful Day – The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys’ song about “a beautiful day in LA” paints a picture of a car-free city full of people walking rollerblading and riding bikes.

Bike – Pink Floyd

In Bike, Pink Floyd generously offers to give a girl their bike that has “a basket, a bell that rings and things to make it look good.” They can’t give it to her though, because the bike is borrowed.

Bicycle Song – Red Hot Chili Peppers 

“How could I forget to mention, the bicycle is a good invention,” sings Anthony Kiedis. Fortunately he did not forget to mention, as the song was released in 2006 as a bonus track on the iTunes release of the band’s album By the Way.

Broken Bicycles – Tom Waits

Tom Waits’ super depressing song about forgotten and broken bicycles with old chains and rusted handlebars is definitely not a pump-up cycling track.

Biking – Frank Ocean

A nice sequel to Bicycle Race, Frank Ocean’s Biking is perfect for when you are finally biking and can sing to yourself  “I’m bikin’ uphill and it’s burnin’ my quads.” The song also features Ocean’s Odd Future collaborator Tyler, the Creator who has his own song about biking.

Happy Cycling – Boards of Canada

This song is from Boards of Canada’s iconic 1998 electronic album Music Has The Right To Children. The beat lends itself to a nice, steady pedalling cadence and the bird samples that come in later give the song a riding by the ocean feel.

Tour de France – Kraftwerk 

Kraftwerk’s musical dedication to the Tour de France is a testament to the group’s interest in the sport. They were known to have their tour bus drop them off outside of the city they were scheduled to play in so that they could have a chance to cycle before their shows.

RELATED: Remembering Kraftwerk founder and cycling fan Florian Schneider

Bike – Autechre 

Autechre’s first studio album ‘Incunabula’ (released in the UK in 1993), contains a track called Bike, a fan favourite.

Girl With Basket Of Fruit – Xiu Xiu

Xiu Xiu’s Girl With Basket Of Fruit is (vaguely) about a girl who “sits on a bicycle and floats in space.”

Obvious Bicycle – Vampire Weekend

Obvious Bicycle is the first song off of Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City, this track doesn’t actually mention a bicycle (but it’s still a great song.)

Bike Dream – Rostam

Rostam left Vampire Weekend after the release of Modern Vampires of the City, but it’s clear that he was the cyclist of the group. In the video for Bike Dream, he rides a city bike in Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Bicycle – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Some say this song is about Albert Hoffman’s famous ride home on his bike after he invented and ingested the first dose of LSD.

Always Like This – Bombay Bicycle Club

In the late 00’s and early 10’s bikes had a bit of a moment in the indie scene. Bombay Bicycle Club and the rise of fixed-gear bikes and horrible bike-themed tattoos are an example of the trend.

My Bike  -Kimya Dawson

Also from this 2010s era, Kimya Dawson (of Juno soundtrack fame) sings about their broken bike and their brother.

Bike Scene – Taking Back Sunday

Nothing like a little 2007 post-hardcore to remind a millennial about some questionable high school music taste.

Riding to New York – Passenger

This sad song is about a dying man riding his bike from Minnesota to New York to see his family.

To the Guy Who Stole My Bike – The Dirty Nil

This song’s lyrics start as a letter to the guy who stole a bike from one of the bandmates. The group is from Dundas, in Hamilton, On., a city that has produced some of Canada’s best cyclists. Who knows where he could’ve gone if his bike wasn’t stolen.

Bicycle – St. Vincent

From the lyrics of this song it appears Annie Clark also had her bicycle stolen at some point. She seems to have bought a new one, a she was spotted riding this cool Brompton with a cup holder in 2015.

Bicycle – Vybz Kartel

Vybz Kartel actually has a few songs about bicycles, though, lyrically, they generally don’t really touch on cycling.

Side To Side – Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj 

Bikes!

Cycling Is Fun – Shonen Knife 

According to a Youtube comment from a fan, the Japanese alternative rock band used to perform this song with a bell attached to the microphone stand. They sing Cycling Is Fun in English and Japanese.

Peacefall – Purity Ring

The chorus of Edmonton band Purity Ring’s Peacefall continually circles back to cycling. “Peace comes at dawn but yours comes at night, riding your bicycle into the light”

Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)

This song is about riding a tandem bicycle, but fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey will recognize it as the song sung by HAL 9000. Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two) was actually the first song sung by the IBM 7094 using computer speech synthesis, which is why it was used in the movie.