Like many other people, I love to listen to music while I run. I only have one playlist on my beloved iPod that I update from time to time. About once every other month I add new songs to it that I’m currently loving and remove songs that I’m getting tired of (the ones I find myself constantly skipping while I’m out). My playlist is a mish-mush of music, everything from classic oldies to current popular music to unknown artists my husband likes to add on for me. I know some people like to keep their playlist to one genre – fast-tempo, soothing, inspirational – but I like to mix it up!
These are my favorite songs to run to:
- The entire No Need to Argue album by the Cranberries. I LOVE this album.
- Any song that talks about running or walking, or where the music video has running or walking in it:
- “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” – The Proclaimers
- “Canned Heat” – Jamiroquai
- “Bitter Sweet Symphony” – The Verve
- “Girl on Fire” – Alicia Keys (I like to imagine I’m so fast I’m on fire while I’m running. I know, it’s dumb. But it works.)
- “Desperately Wanting” – Better Than Ezra
- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – The Police
- I Go Walking – Megan Joy
- “Runaround Sue” – Dion
- “Stand” – REM (I know this sounds counterproductive, but they sing about directions. I know it’s strange.)
- Most anything by Jars of Clay
- Songs that I just LOVE – I would choose any of these to take with me on a 3-hour tour (if you get my drift):
- “A Thousand Years” – Christina Perri
- “SMS (Shine)” – David Crowder Band
- Hey! Baby – Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
- “Wholly Yours” – David Crowder Band
- “Pray For Rain” – PFR
- I’m really into Fun. right now
- Some classic 80’s music:
- “Come On Eileen” – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
- “Take On Me” – A-Ha
- “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
- “Sledgehammer” – Peter Gabriel
- “Cherish” – Madonna
- “The Way You Make Me Feel” – Michael Jackson
- Random stuff I hear on the radio and have to use my Shazam app to figure out who is singing:
- “Chasing Cars” – Snow Patrol
- “New Soul” – Yael Naim
- “Say Hey (I Love You)” – Michael Franti
- “Locked Out Of Heaven” – Bruno Mars (Yes, I know who he is now).
- And finally, random music that my music-loving-junkie hubby has downloaded for me:
- “Settle Down” – Kimbra
- “1234” – Feist
- “My Mathematical Mind” – Spoon
There are quite a few more songs on the playlist (I hardly touched my PFR and Phil Collins addictions), but these are the songs that are pretty much going to stay on the playlist forever because I never get tired of hearing them when I run. All of them get me moving one way or another – sometimes I try to run to the beat, sometimes I zone out and get lost in the music, and sometimes the perfect song comes on to get me through the home stretch of my run.
Gotta love a good tune.
Frozen Coke Fridays 