Powersong Ideas

October 5, 2008 1:44 PM

What are some great "powersongs"?

On my Nike+ iPod dongle, I can designate any one song to be a "powersong", where, at any time in my workout, I can hold the center button and it will interrupt my music to play a different track. The idea is that you can put some really awesome inspirational motivational music in there for when you need a little boost.

Right now I have Gonna Fly Now (from, where else, Rocky), because honestly I think that's the song that this feature is designed for. But I'm running my first 10k next weekend and I'm looking for other suggestions for songs that are high energy, particularly at the beginning and end (the end is impotant, since you sort of need to catapult yourself back into your regular running music).

I've read the other running music AskMe question, which was very helpful, but if anyone has any extra special NITRO BOOST songs, let me know...

P.S. Let me note that, although fast is better than slow, I don't need this to be any particular tempo (I don't run to a specific BPM or anything).

posted by rossination to media & arts (43 answers total)

Anberlin - Readyfuels has a pretty good tempo for jogging/running.
posted by DonSlice at 1:51 PM on October 5, 2008

Youtube for said song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPZVCEsJMe4
posted by DonSlice at 1:52 PM on October 5, 2008

Grand National-- Talk Amongst Yourselves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wxpjpgyO0o
great running song.
posted by No New Diamonds Please at 1:52 PM on October 5, 2008

If you're partial to cheese or retro (well, you did say Gonna Fly Now), I would recommend 70s power funk. It's loaded with energy. Try "Changing" (Brass Construction), "Get The Funk Out Of Mah Face" (Brothers Johnson), "Look-Ka Py Py" (The Meters), "Pass The Peas" (The JB's), "The Jam" (Grand Central Station), etc. "More Bounce to the Ounce" (Zapp) is the shiznit.
posted by crapmatic at 1:56 PM on October 5, 2008

"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
posted by sabira at 2:02 PM on October 5, 2008

John Parr- "St Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)."

I'm not even joking a little bit,
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:05 PM on October 5, 2008

Pretty much anything by Andrew W.K. or The Go! Team
posted by 0xFCAF at 2:11 PM on October 5, 2008

Clearly there is no other answer than Through the Fire and the Flames by DragonForce
posted by Carillon at 2:30 PM on October 5, 2008 [3 favorites]

A roommate used to go into power-rage mode with REM's End of the World as We Know it.

Pretty hyper.
posted by rokusan at 2:32 PM on October 5, 2008

DJ Soul Slinger - God is a Lobster

Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honor Or Humanity
posted by sandking at 2:41 PM on October 5, 2008

We used to smash shit to "That's When I Reach for My Revolver".

But that just might be because we are Amurkans living in Texass and have absolutely no sense of irony.

Though if I recall, the full-bore driving part of the song is just that, only a part of the song.
posted by Seamus at 2:41 PM on October 5, 2008

Funny I was just thinking about this on my run today, here's what I came up with:
1) Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
2) Eminem - Lose Yourself
3) AC/DC - Thunderstruck

I'd love to hear more from this list.
posted by ruwan at 2:46 PM on October 5, 2008

Sabotoge - The Beastie Boys
Kick out the James - MC5
Breathe - The Prodigy
Junior Kickstart - The Go! Team
Train Kept A-Rollin' - The Yardbirds

It's all a matter of taste. Maybe some Wagner?
posted by toftflin at 2:54 PM on October 5, 2008

I'm partial to anything by M.I.A. (well, almost anything) for this purpose. Oh, and also "Du Hast" by Rammstein and "Party Up" by DMX. I agree that this is a matter of taste - I'm thinking of songs that come on the car radio when I'm going 65 and when they're over I look down and find I've been going 90.
posted by crinklebat at 3:11 PM on October 5, 2008

Everlong/Foo Fighters
Tubthumper/Chumbawumba
You Shook Me All Night Long/AC/DC
Born to Run/Bruce Springsteen (I realize this is shameful. In fact, I've often noticed a correlation between relative shamefulness and usefulness as running songs. See Rocky and St. Elmo's Fire)
Where the Streets Have No Name/U2
Don't Stop Believin'/Journey
Sloop John B/The Beach Boys
American Girl/Tom Petty
Me in Honey/REM
Just Like Honey/Jesus and Mary Chain
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:26 PM on October 5, 2008

Also, for me, I've noticed familiarity really helps. I'm unlikely to listen to anything for the first time while running.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 3:29 PM on October 5, 2008

Here are too many:

Well, most of Talking Heads Stop Making Sense, but particularly
Life During Wartime
What a Day That Was
Once in a Lifetime
Burning Down the House
Girlfriend is Better
Take Me to the River

The Run Lola Run Soundtrack

Some U2 stuff:
Elevation
Even Better Than the Real Thing
The Fly
Discotheque
Vertigo
Mofo
Two Hearts Beat as One
Wire
Most of Under a Blood Red Sky

The Who:
5:15

Switchfoot:
Meant to Live
This is Your Life
Dare You to Move
Gone

Something Corporate:
Space
Only Ashes
The Runaway

REM:
Losing My Religion
Orange Crush

Muse:
Hysteria
Stockholm Syndrome

Led Zeppelin:
Rock & Roll
Immigrant Song
Kashmir

Bruce Springsteen:
Born to Run (appropriate!)
Dancing in the Dark
Born in the USA
Glory Days

Alice Cooper:
Lost in America
Hey Stoopid
Under My Wheels

Green Day:
American Idiot
Holiday

Foo Fighters:
The Pretender (but the opening is not so "power"ish)
Cheer Up, Boys (Your Makeup is Running)

Fall out Boy:
Dance, Dance

Deep Purple:
Highway Star
Space Truckin'

David Bowie:
Young Americans (peppy but not heavy)
Rebel Rebel
Suffragette City
Fame
I'm Afraid of Americans (maybe)

Dashboard Confessional:
Vindicated

Angels and Airwaves:
True Love (builds after the intro)

Beck:
E-Pro
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 3:30 PM on October 5, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oh, for sure Carter USM's extremely awesome and cheesy version of The Impossible Dream
posted by SampleSize at 3:43 PM on October 5, 2008

Rebel Yell by Billy Idol

Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
posted by beachhead2 at 4:10 PM on October 5, 2008

Love Rollercoaster by RHCP
posted by beachhead2 at 4:14 PM on October 5, 2008

Iggy Pop -- Search & Destroy.
posted by Zonker at 4:20 PM on October 5, 2008

Mine is Kanye West - Touch the Sky. I like listening to it while taking that last sprint to the finish line, then when I finish I do that gesture Usain Bolt does like he's shooting arrows (OK I just imagine doing that part but you get the picture).
posted by drmarcj at 4:51 PM on October 5, 2008

I've Got the Power by Snap
Gonna Make You Sweat by C & C Music Factory
Strong Enough by Cher
posted by NoraCharles at 4:52 PM on October 5, 2008

How is it possible for this thread to have gone for more than zero comments without mention of Europe's "The Final Countdown"? It is the ultimate power song!
posted by DoctorFedora at 5:30 PM on October 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Theme from Mission Impossible (original or by Moby)
Stayin' Alive by the BeeGees
Iko Iko by the Belle Stars
Sandstorm by Darude
Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Danger
Battleflag by Low Fidelity All-Stars
Scatman by Scatman John
Macho Man by the Village People
Bust a Move by Young MC
posted by vytae at 5:37 PM on October 5, 2008

Holy shit, these are great. Keep them coming!
posted by rossination at 5:58 PM on October 5, 2008

Shield For Your Eyes, A Beast in the Well by Melt-Banana is what I would play if the barricades were about to give way and I had to rush into the zombie onslaught with only rusty garden implements and the family dog on between me and the undead tide. Which, now that I've mentioned it, is what I'm going to imagine at the end of my last set next time I'm at the gym. Jesus, just hearing it makes me want to go to the gym.
posted by nímwunnan at 6:15 PM on October 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

Joe Esposito - You're the Best
posted by Midnight Rambler at 6:42 PM on October 5, 2008

if you dig on rocky: victory, which samples "going the distance" from rocky ii... your pick.

moaner has a great crescendo.

run rabbit run is another good high energy song from the 8 mile soundtrack.

wicked, firestarter, absurd and atom bomb all get me going.

clubbed to death and navras (a bit orff-esque) are a couple of great songs from the matrix soundtracks. hey man, nice shot, hold your colour, believe ...

these are all on my workout playlist and they all kick ass.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:46 PM on October 5, 2008

NERD - Rock Star (Jason Nevins remix)
posted by des at 7:11 PM on October 5, 2008

I tried to think of what is on my gym playlist. These are the songs I always put on even when I create a new one to freshen it up.

Drowning Pool - Bodies Hit The Floor
All Basement Jaxx, especially Good Luck
Pretty much anything by Electric Six
Janet Jackson - Don't Stop
N.E.R.D - Rockstar
The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go
Finger Eleven - Paralyzed
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
posted by gwenlister at 7:17 PM on October 5, 2008

When I was in tenth grade, I skipped gym class so often that it looked inevitable that I'd fail. My teacher told me I had to impress him in the year-end 6 kilometer run in order to pass, and actually snorted "Fat chance." I called his bluff, taping Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like A Hole" over and over and running to that. I came in 2nd out of 75 students.

Clearly, I find angry music more physically galvanizing than inspirational music. So if you want something to turn your body into a juggernaut but, being a grown-up, can't stomach Trent Reznor's lyrics, you could do worse than TV On The Radio's "Wolf Like Me."
posted by Beardman at 7:17 PM on October 5, 2008 [1 favorite]

A few from my own "Running Music" playlist before I go to bed:

Jessica -- Allman Brothers (nice rolling beat)
Castanets -- Alejandro Escovedo
Coulibaly -- Amadou and Mariam
Can't Stop -- Ozomatli
Jane -- Dan Bern
I Got It (What You Need) -- Galactic
Mambo Caliente -- Arturo Sandoval
Burn Baby Burn -- Ash
My Baby's Gone -- Backsliders
Sabotage -- Beastie Boys
Time To Start -- Blue Man Group
300 Pounds of Heavenly Joy -- Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows
Accident Waiting To Happen -- Billy Bragg
Litany (Life Goes On) -- Guadalcanal Diary
Zak and Sara -- Ben Folds
Song #2 -- Blur (obvious but still great, like the aforementioned Tubthumping)

All manner of zydeco will also work, and of course it all depends on your musical tastes as to what you'll like. But it doesn't matter as long as the beat grabs you.
posted by Shotgun Shakespeare at 7:19 PM on October 5, 2008

AC/DC - Shake Your Foundations
posted by MikeMc at 7:19 PM on October 5, 2008

Powerman 5000 - When Worlds Collide
posted by MikeMc at 7:21 PM on October 5, 2008

Slipknot - Before I Forget
posted by cyanide at 8:52 PM on October 5, 2008

Gonna Make You Sweat - Everybody Dance Now

posted by watercarrier at 1:47 AM on October 6, 2008

Chemical Brothers - Hold Tight London. Wait for the guitar to start about 45 seconds in. I used to love this one for the gym.
posted by Happy Dave at 3:41 AM on October 6, 2008

Keep Hope Alive - Crystal Method

sidenote: this served as the soundtrack for the truly awesome opening scene of the Replacement Killers
posted by jammy at 4:28 AM on October 6, 2008

Whenever I get under the bar for a heavy squat, it has to be:

Sleipnir -- Manowar

Pretty much any thing by Dragon Force is good too.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 9:57 AM on October 6, 2008

Fort Minor -- Remember the Name
posted by lunchbox at 2:31 AM on October 10, 2008

Great collection here, just tossing a few more onto the heap:

On the happy/bright side, i think Daft Punk does a pretty good job of being motivating. the first four songs of Discovery make for a strong suite.

On the more tough/rough side, metal-type stuff, especially songs that pound out a strong beat for a long period of time, can be like a Metronome of Power for me. Take, for example, Om, esp. a song like 'Bhima's Theme.'

Finally, a good complement to the American funk and Afro Beat arsenal described above (actually, Afro Beat wasn't so much - Fela Kuti is definitely up there with James Brown), I really dig Afro-Brazilian funk for running as well - it's often jazzier, more melodic. This track done by Gilberto Gil is a good example. (It's also on a collection by Soul Jazz with a lot of other hot stuff that you can find more info about here.)
posted by LoneWolfMcQuade at 7:54 PM on October 12, 2008

Smashing Pumpkins - The End is the Beginning is the End ... the energy of this song is so infectious, and the drum solos toward the end really get me going all out.

Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad ... this song has already been mentioned a bunch of times, and for damn good reason. If this song doesn't get you pumped up, someone should check you for a pulse.

Dope - You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) ... a heavy metal version of the original by Dead or Alive.

Rock Star - N.E.R.D. (Jason Nevins remix) ... another great one that has already been mentioned.

The Veronicas - Untouched ... this song gets my girly heart racing. :) Maybe not so great for you, but as a suggestion for any women reading this thread. In the same vein, there's also Paramore - Misery Business

Daft Punk - Aerodynamic ... this song makes me feel like I'm piloting a fighter jet through space!

Green Day - 86 ... an old favorite with a fast pace. Green Day - Westbound Sign is another.

Eric B & Rakim - Don't Sweat The Technique ... if you feel like something a little more funky!
posted by keep it under cover at 12:37 AM on March 30, 2009 [1 favorite]