In my previous running blog (Running: Getting Started), I hinted that a set of good running songs can make running more fun. I am providing the list of songs I've considered along with other information about that music.
Running: Music
1. Introduction
2. Mood
3. Beat
4. Song Suggestions
5. My lists
6. Summary
1. Introduction
How difficult could it be to pick some up-beat music and running to it?
Depending upon your preferences, it can possibly be quite difficult!
Some people like running to uplifting music, others prefer music with a good beat, and others require the beat to exactly match their stride. I've included a short bit about different things to consider when selecting running music and I've included a list of music that I have considered or am considering using. For the music that I have additional information, I have included that too.
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2. Mood
Imagine that you are running along, you are tired, you hurt, and you are less than half way done with today's work out - then an upbeat song comes on that you really like. It has an upbeat tempo and makes you feel good emotionally.
Having a running song come on that you really like is a great way to get through the runner's "wall" or get through a tough patch of your run. By the time that your favorite song ends, you will often find that you have passed through the emotional, mental, or physical tough part and you can keep going.
So the first piece of advice that I can give you, is pick uplifting music. Even better, pick uplifting music with a faster beat. It doesn't matter how bad I feel, when I hear "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" I kick up my heels and run faster. By the end of the song I feel great!
For my playlist, I put songs I really love in the list more than once. Usually this works great but occasionally I hear the same song 3 times in a row!
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3. Beat
My wife and I disagree on this one.
My wife includes any song that makes her feel better emotionally.
I insist that my running songs match my stride frequency (This reduces the number of songs that are eligible for my running list).
I have found that a beat of around 120 beats per minute (BPM) matches my stride for a fast walk - one suitable for a warm-up walk.
I have found that a beat of around 150 bpm (or faster) matches my stride for running (faster beats for faster running). To an extent I can take shorter + faster strides to match the speed I want and still keep my strides to the beat of the music.
Furthermore, if a song is especially fast, you can match your stride to 1/2s the bpm.
Alternatively, if a song is very slow, you can match your stride to 2x the bpm.
Be aware I use the terms spm, bpm, & duration in the table.
spmstrides per minute (this will be a multiple of bpm)
bpmbeats per minute
durationlength of the song on my playlist - your version should have a similar although not identical length
Back to the top
4. Song Suggestions
Back to the top
5. My Lists
I'll update this periodically. I actually keep multiple different playlists depending upon the type of run I am doing.
Long Run
6. Summary
Various running books and magazines provide a varied suggestions when it comes to running playlists. I'll try to condense their wisdom and include a couple of tidbits I have read and learned for myself.
Proceed to the next Running blog.
Return to the previous Running: Getting Started blog.
Running: Music
1. Introduction
2. Mood
3. Beat
4. Song Suggestions
5. My lists
6. Summary
1. Introduction
How difficult could it be to pick some up-beat music and running to it?
Depending upon your preferences, it can possibly be quite difficult!
Some people like running to uplifting music, others prefer music with a good beat, and others require the beat to exactly match their stride. I've included a short bit about different things to consider when selecting running music and I've included a list of music that I have considered or am considering using. For the music that I have additional information, I have included that too.
Back to the top
2. Mood
Imagine that you are running along, you are tired, you hurt, and you are less than half way done with today's work out - then an upbeat song comes on that you really like. It has an upbeat tempo and makes you feel good emotionally.
Having a running song come on that you really like is a great way to get through the runner's "wall" or get through a tough patch of your run. By the time that your favorite song ends, you will often find that you have passed through the emotional, mental, or physical tough part and you can keep going.
So the first piece of advice that I can give you, is pick uplifting music. Even better, pick uplifting music with a faster beat. It doesn't matter how bad I feel, when I hear "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" I kick up my heels and run faster. By the end of the song I feel great!
For my playlist, I put songs I really love in the list more than once. Usually this works great but occasionally I hear the same song 3 times in a row!
Back to the top
3. Beat
My wife and I disagree on this one.
My wife includes any song that makes her feel better emotionally.
I insist that my running songs match my stride frequency (This reduces the number of songs that are eligible for my running list).
I have found that a beat of around 120 beats per minute (BPM) matches my stride for a fast walk - one suitable for a warm-up walk.
I have found that a beat of around 150 bpm (or faster) matches my stride for running (faster beats for faster running). To an extent I can take shorter + faster strides to match the speed I want and still keep my strides to the beat of the music.
Furthermore, if a song is especially fast, you can match your stride to 1/2s the bpm.
Alternatively, if a song is very slow, you can match your stride to 2x the bpm.
Be aware I use the terms spm, bpm, & duration in the table.
spmstrides per minute (this will be a multiple of bpm)
bpmbeats per minute
durationlength of the song on my playlist - your version should have a similar although not identical length
Back to the top
4. Song Suggestions
Running playlist
| Name | Artist | SPM | BPM | Duration | Like? |
| Take a Chance on Me | ABBA | 210 | 105 | 4:05 | Yes |
| 9 to 5 | Dolly Parton | 210 | 105 | 4:51 | Yes |
| Jack and Diane | John Cougar Mellencamp | 208 | 104 | 4:32 | Yes |
| Always | Erasure | 206 | 103 | 4:03 | |
| Life is a Highway | Rascal Flatts | 206 | 103 | 4:39 | |
| Bad Reputation | Joan Jett | 204 | 204 | 2:48 | Yes |
| Solsbury Hill | Peter Gabriel | 202 | 101 | 4:20 | |
| Baby Baby | Amy Grant | 200 | 100 | 3:57 | |
| Gives you Hell | Glee Cast | 200 | 100 | 3:27 | Yes |
| In Your Eyes | Peter Gabriel | 200 | 100 | 5:29 | |
| Sledgehammer | Peter Gabriel | 200 | 100 | 4:55 | |
| Amie | Pure Prairie League | 200 | 100 | 4:20 | |
| All Star | Smashmouth | 200 | 100 | 3:21 | |
| Gives you Hell | The All-American Rejects | 200 | 100 | ||
| Leave It | Yes | 200 | 100 | 3:18 | |
| Hey, Soul Sister | Train | 194 | 97 | 3:37 | |
| Shine | Collective Soul | 192 | 96 | ||
| Our Song | Taylor Swift | 192 | 96 | 3:23 | |
| Time Warp | Rocky Horror Picture Show | 190 | 95 | 3:19 | |
| We Danced Anyway | Deana Carter | 188 | 94 | 3:19 | |
| Freeze Frame | J Geils Band | 187 | 187 | 3:58 | Yes |
| Lift Me Up | Yes | 186 | 93 | 7:29 | |
| I Want it All | Queen | 284 | 92 | 4:02 | |
| I'm So Excited | Pointer Sisters | 183 | 183 | 4:26 | |
| Love is a Battlefield | Pat Benetar | 182 | 182 | 5:24 | Yes |
| Modern Love | David Bowie | 180 | 180 | 4:48 | |
| Tusk | Fleetwood Mac | 180 | 180 | 3:30 | No |
| Dancing with Myself | Billy Idol | 177 | 177 | 4:51 | |
| You Spin Me Right Round | Billy Idol | 177 | 177 | 2:46 | |
| Last Man Standing | Bon Jovi | 176 | 88 | 4:37 | |
| Big Yellow Taxi | Counting Crows | 176 | 88 | 3:47 | Yes |
| Big Yellow Taxi | Joni Mitchell | 176 | 88 | 4:50 | No |
| Angel | Aerosmith | 172 | 86 | 5:08 | |
| Pink | Aerosmith | 172 | 86 | 3:55 | No |
| Only Human | At Vance | 170 | 85 | 5:16 | |
| For the Longest Time | Billy Joel | 170 | 85 | ||
| Maneater | Hall & Oates | 170 | 170 | 4:34 | |
| Free Falling | Tom Petty | 170 | 85 | ||
| Life is a Highway | Tom Petty | 170 | 85 | ||
| MaryJane's Last Dance | Tom Petty | 170 | 85 | 4:34 | |
| Running Down a Dream | Tom Petty | 170 | 170 | ||
| Take on Me | Aha | 169 | 169 | 3:51 | Favorite |
| Every Little Thing She Does | The Police | 167 | 167 | 4:22 | |
| Message in a Bottle | The Police | 167 | 167 | 4:51 | |
| Calling all Angels | Train | 167 | 167 | 4:00 | |
| Footloose | Kenny Loggins | 165 | 165 | 3:47 | Yes |
| Time Machine | Black Sabbath | 163 | 163 | 4:15 | |
| We Will Rock You | Queen | 163 | 163 | 2:01 | |
| Heartbreaker | Pat Benatar | 160 | 160 | 3:28 | Yes |
| Vacation | 158 | 158 | |||
| Beats so Lonely | 157 | 157 | |||
| Don't Stop me Now (Best song!!) | Queen | 155 | 155 | 3:32 | Yes |
| Animals | Nickelback | 154 | 154 | 3:05 | |
| Crazy Little Thing Called Love | Queen | 153 | 153 | 2:45 | Yes |
| Soul Doctor | Foreigner | 151 | 151 | 4:52 | |
| I'm Yours | Jason Mraz | 150 | 75 | 4:03 | |
| Razed in Black | Motley Crue | 150 | 150 | 4:16 | |
| Empire | Queensryche | 150 | 150 | 5:24 | |
| Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy | The Andrew Sisters | 150 | 150 | 2:46 | Favorite |
| Mickey | Toni Basil | 150 | 150 | 4:14 | Yes |
| The Boys of Summer | Don Henley | 145 | 145 | 4:47 | |
| Rockstar | Nickelback | 144 | 144 | 4:14 | |
| Your Wildest Dreams | The Moody Blues | 142 | 142 | 4:50 | No |
| You Spin me Right Round | Dead or Alive | 140 | 140 | 4:26 | No |
| Owner of a Lonely Heart | Yes | 140 | 140 | 7:04 | |
| Saving my Heart | Yes | 140 | 140 | 4:41 | |
| Viva la Vida | Coldplay | 138 | 138 | ||
| I would Die 4 U | Prince | 136 | 136 | 2:57 | |
| Beat It | Michael Jackson | 135 | 135 | 4:18 | No |
| I'm too Sexy | Right Said Fred | 135 | 135 | 2:53 | |
| Roundabout | Yes | 135 | 135 | 8:35 | |
| I've Seen all Good People | Yes | 134 | 134 | 6:10 | No |
| Don't Stop Believin' | Glee Cast | 132 | 132 | 3:52 | No |
| Jump | Van Halen | 132 | 132 | 4:04 | |
| It's My Life & Confession | Glee Cast | 131 | 131 | ||
| Clocks | Coldplay | 130 | 130 | ||
| I Kissed a Girl | Katy Perry | 130 | 130 | ||
| Immigrant Song | Led Zepplin | 130 | 130 | 2:26 | |
| Dragostea Din Tea (Numa Numa Song) | O-Zone | 130 | 130 | 3:36 | Yes |
| The Boys are Back in Town | Tin Lizzy | 129 | 129 | 4:30 | |
| Welcome to the Jungle | Guns 'n Roses | 124 | 124 | 4:33 | |
| Hit me with your Best Shot | Pat Benatar | 124 | 124 | 2:51 | Yes |
| Don't Stop Believin' | Journey | 121 | 121 | 4:10 | |
| The Caissons go Rolling Along | Band of the Grenadier Guard | 120 | 120 | 3:08 | |
| Wild Blue Yonder | Band of the Grenadier Guard | 120 | 120 | 2:35 | |
| Marine Corps Hymn | Bob Sharples | 120 | 120 | 3:17 | |
| Bad Romance | Glee Cast | 120 | 120 | 4:54 | Yes |
| Battle Hymn of the Republic | John Philips Sousa | 120 | 120 | 2:21 | |
| Stars and Stripes Forever | John Philips Sousa | 120 | 120 | 3:33 | |
| I'm gonna Be (500 Miles) | The Proclaimers | 120 | 120 | 3:36 | |
| Anchors Aweigh | US Navy Band | 120 | 120 | 2:09 | |
| Like a Virgin | Madonna | 118 | 118 | 3:11 | |
| Love will find a Way | Yes | 118 | 118 | 4:50 | Yes |
| Lucky Star | Madonna | 116 | 116 | 3:37 | |
| Fix You | Coldplay | 114 | 114 | 4:55 | No |
| Island in the Sun | Weezer | 114 | 114 | 3:54 | |
| Paralyzer | Finger Eleven | 110 | 110 | 3:30 | |
| Break My Stride | Matthew Wilder | 110 | 110 | 3:01 | Yes |
| Changes | Yes | 110 | 110 | 6:19 | |
| Always | Erasure | 108 | 108 | 4:03 | Yes |
| Come on Eileen | Dexi's Midnight Runner | 107 | 107 | 4:08 | Yes |
| Remember the Words & The Sign | Ace of Base | ||||
| Chattahoochee | Alan Jackson | ||||
| Karma | Alicia Keys | ||||
| I used to Love Someone | Anthony Hamilton | ||||
| Pieces of Me | Ashlee Simpson | ||||
| Boogie Back to Texas | Asleep at the Wheel | ||||
| Show me the Meaning of Being Lonely | Backstreet Boys | ||||
| Chimpanzee (or Another Postcard) | Barenaked Ladies | ||||
| The Metro | Berlin | ||||
| Irreplaceable | Beyonce | ||||
| You Make Me Feel So Good (single remix) | Book of Love | ||||
| Don't you Just Know it | Captain Jack | ||||
| Here Comes My Baby | Cat Stevens | ||||
| Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves | Cher | ||||
| Collection of Goods | Collective Soul | ||||
| Hey You, I'm into Jesus | DC Talk | ||||
| The Girl you Left Me For | Deana Carter | ||||
| the Happening | Diana Ross | ||||
| Runaround Sue | Dion and the Belmonts | ||||
| Let the Beat Go On | Dr. Alban | ||||
| Sylvia's Mother | Dr. Hook | ||||
| Roll Over Beethoven | Electric Light Orchestra | ||||
| Lose Yourself | Eminem | No | |||
| Take me Where You Are (DJ Fluid Mix) | Fiori | ||||
| Why Do Fools Fall in Love | Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers | ||||
| So Like a Rose | Garbage | ||||
| Heat Wave | |||||
| Hit the Road Jack | Hermes House Band | ||||
| Bing Bang Boom | Highway 101 | ||||
| Hope | Jack Johnson | ||||
| Suzanne | Journey | ||||
| Breaking the Law | Judas Priest | ||||
| Just Don't Happen Twice | Kenny Chesney | ||||
| Tire Swing | Kimya Dawson | ||||
| Rock and Roll | Led Zepplin | ||||
| If There's Any Justice | Lemar | ||||
| Mambo #5 | Lou Bega | ||||
| San Antonio Girl | Lyle Lovett | ||||
| She's Been Good To Me | Marc Anthony | ||||
| Going Through the Big D & It's a Little Too Late | Mark Chestnutt | ||||
| Love you that much | MaryMary | ||||
| Paradise by the Dashboard Light | Meatloaf | No | |||
| Sitting on the Dock of the Bay | Michael Bolton | ||||
| Flower | Moby | ||||
| Bye Bye Bye | N'Sync | ||||
| Wonderwall | Oasis | ||||
| Carry On | Pat Green | ||||
| American Child | Phil Vasser | ||||
| Sadie Hawkins Dance | Relient K | ||||
| Living La Vida Loca | Ricky Martin | ||||
| Under my Umbrella | Rihanna w/ JayZ | ||||
| Don't mess with my Toot Toot | Rockin Sidney | ||||
| Cool Jerk | Sam and Dave | ||||
| Affirmation & Truly, Madly, Deeply | Savage Garden | ||||
| Honky Tonk Twist dance mix 2 | Scooter Lee | ||||
| Me Love | Sean Kingston | ||||
| Oh How Happy You Have Made Me | Shades Of Blue | ||||
| In the Summertime | Shaggy | ||||
| Underneath your Clothes | Shakira | ||||
| I'll Do Anything | Simple Plan | ||||
| I'll Never Be Your Maggie May | Suzanne Vega | ||||
| Oh Darling | The Beatles | ||||
| Zombie | The Cranberries | ||||
| Tell Him | The Exciters | ||||
| Never be Lonely | The Feeling | ||||
| I'm so Excited | The Pointer Sisters | ||||
| Standing Out in a Crowd | Trisha Yearwood | ||||
| Bright Side of the Road | Van Morrison | ||||
| Love is a Contact Sport | Whitney Houston | ||||
| Land of a 1000 Dances | Wilson Pickett | ||||
| I Believe I Can Fly | Yolanda Adams | ||||
| Honey Can you Squeeze Me In | |||||
| Need Someone to Hold | |||||
| '65 Love Affair | Paul Davis | (good beat for running) | Yes | ||
| I Ran (So Far Away) | A Flock of Seagulls | (too slow for my run) | |||
| You Better You Bet | The Who | ||||
| Let My Love Open the Door | Pete Townshend | (good beat for running) | Yes | ||
| Squeeze Box | The Who | (good beat for running) | Yes | ||
| Who Are You | The Who | (good beat for running) | Yes | ||
| Bitter Sweet Symphony | The Verve | too slow to walk | |||
| Back in Black | AC/DC | ||||
| Heavy Metal | Sammy Hagar | (too slow for my run) | |||
| Wake me up before You Go Go | Wham! | ||||
| Under the Boardwalk | Rockapella | ||||
| Under Pressure | David Bowie | ||||
| Tom Sawyer | Rush | ||||
| This Kiss | Faith Hill | ||||
| Things can only get Better | Howard Jones | ||||
| The Way You Love Me | Faith Hill | (too slow for my run) | |||
| The Safety Dance | Men without Hats | ||||
| The Heat is on | Glenn Frey | ||||
| The Dark of the Sun | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | (don't like the beat on this) | |||
| The Blue Danube | Johann Strauss II | (too fast for my long-run) | |||
| Born to be Wild | Steppenwolf | 151 | 151 | Yes | |
| Tubthumping | Chumbawamba | No | |||
| U Can't Touch This | Glee Cast | walking beat | |||
| We Got the Beat | Go-Go's | ||||
| Walk this Way | Aerosmith | too slow to walk | |||
| Uptown Girl | Billy Joel | ||||
| The Countess Cathleen | Bill Whelan | ||||
| Break my Stride | Matthew Wilder | too slow to walk | |||
| Blue Jean | David Bowie | walking beat | |||
| BPM = | beats per minute | ||||
| SPM = | steps per minute | ||||
| Duration = | song length | ||||
| Like = | whether I like it in my playlist. | ||||
Back to the top
5. My Lists
I'll update this periodically. I actually keep multiple different playlists depending upon the type of run I am doing.
Long Run
| Name | Artist | SPM | BPM | Duration | Like? |
| I'm Yours | Jason Mraz | 150 | 75 | 4:03 | |
| Maniac | Michael Sambello | ||||
| Turning Japanese | The Vapors | ||||
| Queen of Hearts | Juice Newton | ||||
| Crazy Little Thing Called Love | Queen | 153 | 153 | 2:45 | Yes |
| Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy | The Andrew Sisters | 150 | 150 | 2:46 | Favorite |
| Don't Stop me Now (Best song!!) | Queen | 155 | 155 | 3:32 | Yes |
| I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man) | Kenny Loggins | ||||
| Take on Me | Aha | 169 | 169 | 3:51 | Favorite |
| Heartbreaker | Pat Benatar | 160 | 160 | 3:28 | Yes |
| Footloose | Kenny Loggins | 165 | 165 | 3:47 | Yes |
| Danger Zone | Kenny Loggins | ||||
| Crazy Little Thing Called Love | Queen | 153 | 153 | 2:45 | Yes |
| Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy | The Andrew Sisters | 150 | 150 | 2:46 | Favorite |
| Don't Stop me Now (Best song!!) | Queen | 155 | 155 | 3:32 | Yes |
| In the Mood | Glenn Miller | ||||
| We Will Rock You | Queen | 163 | 163 | 2:01 | |
| Amie | Pure Prairie League | 200 | 100 | 4:20 | |
| Danger Zone | Kenny Loggins | ||||
| I'm Yours | Jason Mraz | 150 | 75 | 4:03 | |
| One Way or Another | Blondie | ||||
| Whip It | Devo |
6. Summary
Various running books and magazines provide a varied suggestions when it comes to running playlists. I'll try to condense their wisdom and include a couple of tidbits I have read and learned for myself.
- A good song can make a tough run easier.
- Good music can improve your running performance.
- The effects of music are largest when you do not use it every day.
- I have found that for long duration runs, listening to an audio book works just fine.
- I need a different play list for racing than I do for a training run - because I run faster when racing.
- If using a running play list makes you more likely to do your run - then use it and ignore other advice. :)
Proceed to the next Running blog.
Return to the previous Running: Getting Started blog.
Inserting the tables of music into this blog was a royal biotch. So look for any updates to this topic as *separate* blog entries and not modifications to this one. I hope to never have to edit this particular blog post again!
ReplyDeleteI love running with music. And as he said, we take different approaches on what works for us. Regardless of preference, I have one huge recommendation, especially for female runners, only run with ONE ear bud in. This is a safety issue. Be aware of your surroundings! Cars, bikes, skateboarders, other runners, stray dogs. They can all pose hazards on the road or the trail.
ReplyDeleteJim, how did you figure out which songs are 120 and 150 BPM? Are there websites that list these things? Just curious. I'm like Beth, I need music that makes me sing and even want to dance along. Also, since I'm specifically running to get inside my characters head, and certain songs inspire scenes and ideas for my character, it helps me fulfill that purpose. I took a couple songs off this morning that I found were specifically unhelpful. My mp3 player came with a coupon for $10 of music so I'm going to use that and burn more of my own CDs to my computer to transfer over...I'm thinking Brian Setzer will be heavily in play.
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteI have two ways to figure the songs out. The easiest is to search google for the song name and "BPM" (beats per minute). The problem is some sites aren't correct on their BPM listings or there are variations of the song with different BPM. The second way I tell, is I actually count the beats over a period of time, say 15 - 20 seconds, and apply the correct multiple (e.g. 4 or 3). The second method works better for me but takes a lot longer to do.
Also, once I find a song in the correct BPM range, I put it on my play list and try it. Honestly, some songs that seem like a good idea, just don't work for me when I am running.
My all time favorite running song remains "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." I have had this on my run list since I started C25K in August of 2011.