I am going to try something new here on Fridays. My half-marathon playlist is getting a little stale and I’m looking for some new tunes. As we head into the weekends, adding a new song for the long run might help us all pick up the pace a little. I was thinking I would introduce one of my new (to me) songs and you could suggest some songs for me too. I have said it before and I will say it again though, if you are going to suggest Lady Gaga, you haven’t been paying attention around here.
As a background to my tastes, I went to high school in the 80s and wore a lot of black and listened to a lot of The Cure. I haven’t changed all that much since then.
I like high energy music, but my playlist also includes songs that are slow and don’t necessarily have a beat (gasp – I know!). A song makes me pick up the pace when it makes me feel something – inspires an emotional reaction of some kind. I also like a wide variety of styles and sounds while I run so that I don’t get bored.
So let’s kick off our weekend run with the oh so sadly recently broken up R.E.M. and The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight.
To me the band seems to be really enjoying themselves in this recording. Listen at 2 min 35 seconds for where it really sounds like they are sharing an inside joke.
I would love to hear what you are running to.
Happy Trails!
Thumbing through the (sadly underused) running playlist…
Well, if you’re *not* concerned about beat, I love listening to Holding Out for a Hero – the version from the Shrek soundtrack, even though it’s a wee bit slow at 145-150bpm. I think it may be a combination of attitude and identifying with the image of Shrek lumbering forward in slow motion :P.
And it sounds weird (but it sounds like you’ll get it), The First Cut is the Deepest has the right cadence for me at (155-160) but has a relaxing feel to it. (That pace is for the Rod Stewart version from his Unplugged album). Same deal for Blue Rodeo’s “Try”.
And finally, a number of BNL tunes seem to hit the right pace, The Old Apartment and Life in a Nutshell are jumping out at me.
Happy running! And NaNoBloPoMing:)
Great suggestions Sasha…thanks!! I LOVE BNL but I may have overlistened to them in the 90s when new music seemed abysmal (was it just me?).
I don’t know how you feel about Van the Man, but I have always found ‘Real Real Gone’ by Van Morrison to be fairly up-beat. I have run to it before. Back in my running days 🙂
I LOVE Van…and I could even rip my old CDs and load em on my iGadget. Thanks!
Speaking of underused playlist…
I love myself today, Bif Naked for sure. Wrong by Depeche Mode.
I’m a huge fan of Show Me How to Live by Audioslave.
Also love songs that have run in them: Running Up that Hill, Kate Bush; Shoot the Runner, Kasabian, Keep the Car Running, Arcade Fire.
Earth Intruders, Bjork; Oooh La La by Goldfrapp, and Deee Lite’s Grove is in the Heart are also musts…
Thanks Nat – I love Kate Bush, Arcade Fire and more. I will check out the ones I haven’t heard before.
I don’t run and I’m generally too embarrassed to admit what I listen to. I’m so appreciating your comments – I was having trouble accessing your blog until today.
Oh – were you having trouble since I moved to wordpress, or before that too? WordPress took a while to kick in properly.
And thanks for popping by!
Hey, Finola, how about the Irish Tenors? Some of their songs are great marching songs, but I’m not sure if that also means that they’re great running songs.
Hi Mom! Thanks for lending me the CD. I will definitely be adding Will Ye Go Lassie Go?!
I’m a punk/rock girl, Rise Against, Rage Against The Machine, The Offspring, etc is my workout music of choice. I like stuff with a hard edge, it keeps me going. Anything too soft just relaxes me, and that’s not the point!
I love it! Tell me you have the Dead Milkmen too! 🙂
Hi Finola. Consider adding Strange Kind of Love by Peter Murphy. It actually kills pain.
I’m not a runner but imagine that the Talking Heads would be fun to run to…Psycho Killer, And she was, Wild Wild Life, etc.. Happy Running! 🙂
Check out Florence + The Machine “Dog Days Are Over” & “CosmicLove.” I’m also liking Foster The People. Very upbeat stuff, fun to run to.
Hi Finola! I’ve been lookin for good workout tunes myself! I like ‘happy’ beats, ones that make me want to dance! hers a couple…. Best friend by The Drums, Colours by Grouplove, Phyllis by Fiction ( a bit the cure I think!! I could be wrong tho lol), Here comes your man and this monkeys gone to heaven by The Pixies, After Hours by We are Scientists, Up Up Up by Givers and Just can’t get enough by Depeche Mode!! Also loving Awolnation right now (thanks Kelley!), check out their song Sail (for working out? I dunno but def worth checkin out anyway if you don’t already know them!!