Friday Question 247
Do you have a “power” song?
You know, one you play to get pumped up!
I thought about this on Monday, because Jen2 shared this cello rendition of my power song on Facebook. It made me laugh (well, the video is funny, too!) because I had just played my power song the day before, at the Frosty Footrace. I have a 100% record of placing when I play my power song before a race (note: it’s only been my power song since this summer, and I only play it before 5Ks and 10Ks when I am trying to run “fast”).
My current power song is ACDC’s “Thunderstruck”!
Previous power songs have been Van Halen’s “Panama,” Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris,” ZZ Top’s “Got Me Under Pressure,” and The Black Eyed Peas “Pump It.”
I actually don’t listen to music when I run and don’t carry headphones around. I mostly play my music in the car and for class. But back in the day I would play my “power songs” over and over during tough parts of runs or on the way to work (to wake the heck up!).
Themocracy
I’m currently listening to “I can’t stop” by Flux Pavilion. I don’t really listen to music either, not even on the treadmill. I might today, though, with tempo on tap.
Yes! I love that one! I like to play it at the end of a workout. “Don’t stop!!!” 🙂
I think I need to get back to music while I am running, at least until the snow is gone. Something to get me through the run, lol!
“Defy You” by the Offspring. It brings out the rebel in me! I like to run and swim with music. I think music really helps with swimming. Even if I’m swimming with someone else, it’s not like I can chat with them while doing laps. 😉
In high school my power song was “Tubthumping” by Chumbawumba. My girlfriends and I would blast it in the car before bowling matches (I was super cool in HS. Ha!). It came on XM the other day and I was by myself so I blasted it!
Aww man! I forgot about that song!
Going the Distance by Cake is one of them. Also, Kim and I played Thriftshop by Macklemore over and over and over again before we had to give our Dallas speech. 🙂
Thunderstruck is a good one! Kevin would agree with you!
I tend to play Macklemore songs on repeat!!!
Thunderstruck is good 😉
Right now it’s “Can’t hold us” by Macklemore. I’m listening to it now coincidentally and want to go bust out more 3×2’s haha
But “Best day of my life” by American Authors is a close second. 🙂
Do you like the White Walls song, too?
LOL, funny story about that American Authors song! We were in Dallas and Gina and Steve were talking about it and I had never heard it, so they played it for me and now I hear it everywhere! So every time I hear it and text them and ask if they’ve heard of the song. LOL.
I don’t have a power song per se – but whatever song I’m obessing over at the moment (recently Let it Go from Frozen – hah!) will get me through runs. And I will also occasionally sing them aloud to make sure I’m not pushing pace too much, haha!
On another note, someone else who doesn’t listen to music when they run! I thought I was few and far between, my husband tells me I’m weird, lol.
I am excited to see the Frozen movie at some point. I wonder if I will like the music as much as everyone else.
I know quite a lot of people who run without tunes 😉
I’ve come to the conclusion that my husband just likes to tell me I’m weird.
Pump It is one of mine, too! I really need power songs to get me through some of my workouts. I nearly always run or workout on cardio machines at the gym with my music, and have a lot of great, inspiring songs on my player. Today’s power song happened to be Psycho Killer by Talking Heads.
Man! I had not listened to Psycho Killer in a long time!!! I am happy you wrote that so I could give it a listen 🙂
“Thunderstruck” is a good choice for a power song. Would be excellent for 5ks to halfs! For marathons I actually have a few “pace” songs, which I hum in my head – they help me keep a good steady rhythm/pace especially early in the race.
Great topic! I have several power songs and a lot of them relate to the Chicago Blackhawks. Two examples are “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent and “Let It Rock” by Kevin Rudolf. Both are played at the United Center during Hawks games and they always get me fired up!
And don’t laugh, but I’ve always heard that “Living La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin has the perfect 180 bpm rhythm for timing your running cadence. I hum it in my head when I’m trying to get my cadence down pat. =D
Aww, that is fun that you use those songs that you associate with the Blackhawks!!!!
Ha ha ha ha ha. That does sound like it would have a good 180 cadence!!!! Living living living la vida loca!
Love Game by Lady Gaga is my power song, for more than just running 😉 I would looooooooove to perform burlesque to it someday. Or maybe just dance to it and keep my clothes on, haha.
Oh man! I have not heard that Gaga song in forever. She is so fab. You should work on a routine with it!
Great question! I tend to forget my power songs until they come on and then I’m like “OH YEAH!” It has changed over the years but right now it’s “Counting Stars” by One Republic or “Work Bitch” by Britney Spears.
Ooo, Work Bitch is such a good one! I need to remember to add that to a playlist for class soon! The lyrics are too appropriate. Except when there is young people in class and I feel bad for playing a song with the word “bitch” in it.
Haha. At class the other night “She F*ckin’ Hates Me” came up on the instructor’s playlist and he casually walked over to the stereo and changed it because there was someone’s tween daughter taking the class. We all laughed.
Ha ha ha! Last Monday I told a young girl (this lady has to bring her daughter) to cover her ears while I played a song, and her mom was like “it’s ok!” lol
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and Tiesto vs. Busta Rhymes “Come On!” are my go-to’s. They never fail to pump me up!
Ooo, that C’mon song is good! Thanks for telling me about it!
Love Thunderstruck. It was part of the Les Mills Body Pump classes I took a couple years ago at the YMCA. Another one I’m kinda hooked on right not is Saxobeat. I’m saving this post so I can check out everyone’s songs on iTunes to add to my iPod.
Ooo! Saxobeat! YES! That was my jam when I was training for the Milwaukee marathon in 2011 🙂
I think I am going to be adding these songs to iTunes too. So fun to read everyone’s faves!
My power song used to be “Jesus of Suburbia” by Green Day. I’m not sure I currently have one. I really like “Jenny was a Friend of Mine” by the Killers; the rhythm is perfect for me. And “Bleeding Out” by Imagine Dragons.
I always listen to music when I run. It makes it more enjoyable for me. I’ll have to refer to all of these posts for suggestions 🙂
Not sure if it’s really a power song, but my new go-to for a mood picker-upper is “I’m the Man” by Aloe Black. Love it!
Radioactive by Imagine Dragons is the one I ALWAYS listen to before a workout. And I like to listen to Thrift Shop on the way to work because it makes me laugh and puts me in a good mood. 🙂
I have a hard time running without music – especially when running alone. I often wear one earbud when running with someone. Universally Speaking by Red Hot Chili Peppers is my current power song. I loved this post and need to add some of these to my playlist!
I am happy you liked the post! I need to add some of these, too! Your song, too!
I really like “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys. I feel so pumped up on the off times that I listen to it while running. Maybe I’ll start listening to it at work. This past week, I was going a little overboard with “Let it Go” from “Frozen.”
Have you seen Frozen, then? I am yet to watch it. I love musicals but everything I hear about it makes me think, meh. I did watch Rent this week so I could sing along. Ha!
The power song that immediately comes into my head is “Mountain Song” by Jane’s Addiction. Such a powerful song that gets me pumped every time I hear it.