Help the girl run to music!
July 30, 2010 1:53 PM   Subscribe

My girlfriend goes out running now and again, and usually she comes back complaining about the fact that there aren't enough good songs on her ipod with the right kind of beat/rythm. Any suggestions for good running music for my girlfriend?

The only three that have worked for her so far:

Kings of Leon - Sex on fire
Mando Diao - Dance with somebody
Whitest Boy alive - Burning

One she doesn't like musicwise, but does have the right beat:

Black eyed peas - Pump it

Does anybody have any suggestions with the same beat and which she might like?
posted by Sourisnoire to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (34 answers total) 71 users marked this as a favorite
 
I've heard Jogtunes is supposed to help with this.
posted by rewil at 1:55 PM on July 30, 2010


Best answer: Podrunner running mixes are awesome, and have different tracks you can download depending on your pace.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 1:55 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


Here are some of the albums that got me through marathon training:

Girltalk - Nightripper and Feed the Animals
Beck - Modern Guilt
posted by millions of peaches at 1:57 PM on July 30, 2010


I like running to girl groups like the Shangri-las.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:00 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


More ideas from a previous question (which has crummy tags): Suggestions for songs to run to
posted by smackfu at 2:00 PM on July 30, 2010


Soundtrack to Run Lola Run
posted by griphus at 2:01 PM on July 30, 2010 [2 favorites]


And another one: Great music for running?
posted by smackfu at 2:01 PM on July 30, 2010


My ex that was a runner swore by Mezzanine from Massive Attack.

I can vouch for it being a great album but as I don't run unless something scary is chasing me I can't vouch for the great for jogging part.
posted by Babblesort at 2:07 PM on July 30, 2010


How often does she change the tracks on her iPod? I know that when I'm running, once in a while I just decide that I'm bored with absolutely everything on my iPod and every song makes me think, "Not this one AGAIN!!!" so just changing it up more often might help. I also like Podrunner.
posted by kat518 at 2:09 PM on July 30, 2010


Determine her running tempo (BPM) then look up tunes at sites like this or this.
posted by Rash at 2:17 PM on July 30, 2010


An oldie but a goodie: Duck Rock is a great 45 minute run
posted by rtimmel at 2:20 PM on July 30, 2010


I love to run to "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" by LCD Soundsystem - I don't like their other stuff much, but I really love the beat in this one!
posted by firei at 2:21 PM on July 30, 2010


Hey Ya - Outkast
posted by something something at 2:21 PM on July 30, 2010


The very best running song anyone has every made ever is the fine krautrock band Neu!'s premier tune "Hallogallo."

Another very good choice for running is the DJ-Kicks series of DJ mixes by popular tastemakers in the electronica world. I particularly like and can recommend the fantastic one from a few years ago by Hot Chip (which mixes this into this into this in an insane and awesome way, and has lots of other great stuff) and also the one by Henrik Schwarz (if you're into more of a deep soul sort of mood.)

In fact, the more eclectic DJ mixes in general are a great place to look for awesome running mixes. And why pay for them? A lot of people have regular podcasts of mixes. The best one I know of is the weekly Resident Advisor podcast; these are full hourlong mixes by the best and highest-profile electronica artists out there today, and they're absolutely free. As in: you don't have to pay a penny for them. All you have to do is make a free RA account and log in, and you can download them gratis. I have to say that Magda's post-punk-inflected mix from a few weeks ago was insanely good; check it out on Youtube if you want, then log in and download it, because it is awesome, and would be perfect high-energy badassness for running.
posted by koeselitz at 2:22 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


My wife's running mix (heck, my own as well) features a lot of Daft Punk, Beastie Boys and Rob/White Zombie. I also add in Chemical Brothers and the combination keeps me moving. Well, it did, up until I screwed up my foot, and now I am taking some unplanned time off. Grumble grumble.
posted by caution live frogs at 2:26 PM on July 30, 2010


Previously, previously...
posted by Jaltcoh at 2:38 PM on July 30, 2010


Best answer: Kings of Leon - Sex on fire = about 153 bpm
Mando Diao - Dance with somebody = about 151 bpm
Whitest Boy alive - Burning = about 151 bpm
(All of which I worked out by tapping my space bar rhythmically)

So you just want to look at some lists of music in that BPM region and see if there's anything to her taste.

You can also use the (free, open source) Audacity to change song's tempos without changing their pitch - for example, perhaps convert some 170 bpm Alestorm to 150 bpm.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:50 PM on July 30, 2010 [4 favorites]


101 Running Songs

(also 101 Driving Songs)
posted by K.P. at 2:54 PM on July 30, 2010


One of my bosses claims that Abba is the best bpm for running.
posted by L'Estrange Fruit at 3:34 PM on July 30, 2010


I usually run without music, but I've found Underworld's live album Everything, Everything to be just right when I want music.
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:37 PM on July 30, 2010 [2 favorites]


This Will Destroy You
Explosions in the Sky

Both bands build intensity and are really epic, which can be incredibly dramatic/primal if you're running.
posted by bradly at 3:40 PM on July 30, 2010


Moby, Kinky, New Order, The Urge, Transglobal Underground, Asian Dub Foundation, and Five Eight are all on my running mix (along with a bunch of others). I'll be watching this thread though, as I find most "workout" music nearly unbearable.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 3:55 PM on July 30, 2010


I think Mike1024 has it.
posted by mekily at 4:01 PM on July 30, 2010


The Sunshine Underground by The Chemical Brothers is a track I've used alot when running. It's about 7 minutes, starts slow, builds to an awesome steady beat, gets a bit heavier and then slows down. Tis an adventure unto itself.

Seconding GirlTalk as well.
posted by AzzaMcKazza at 5:51 PM on July 30, 2010


This site has a bunch of music lists that are great for running and gives the bpm.
posted by katinka-katinka at 5:53 PM on July 30, 2010


iTunes has a great 45-minute running song by Aesop Rock.
posted by ThaBombShelterSmith at 6:22 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


I have a variation on Mike1024's suggestion about using audacity to change the beat of your music. I run at a cadence of 180 - 200 footstrikes a minute, at least for tempo runs and race pace. I went through a longish phase of looking for music that fit my running, ending up listening to lots of techno. About two years ago, I started using audacity to overlay a 180 bpm click track on top of music I like (click track = metronome in the background). After some experimentation, I started using a 90 bpm click track, with a pattern that went click-click-click-CLICK. The click track keeps me on pace and running fast, but I can mix in some slower music and still enjoy it.
posted by kovacs at 7:43 PM on July 30, 2010 [1 favorite]


2nding LCD Soundsystem, particularly "Give it Up" and "Disco Infiltrator." How about Daft Punk? "Phoenix" and "High Life" are both pretty high energy. Finally, does anybody remember Propellerheads? Their track "Take California" was an Apple commercial, so that's gotta mean something.
posted by Gilbert at 8:36 PM on July 30, 2010


Hey, don't forget Danger! High Voltage by Electric Six. It's my go to running/cleaning/driving song.
Also perhaps Spaceman by the Killers and even Viva La Vida from Coldplay.
posted by Saebrial at 9:44 PM on July 30, 2010


I think Nike made a bunch of mixes for running available through iTunes. The Crystal Method one is the only one I own. Searching for "Nike+ original run" came back with results from LCD Soundsystem, A Trak and De La Soul. You don't have to own anything Nike+ to use them, just an iPod and an iTunes account. I suppose some of them might be available through other means now.
posted by fiercekitten at 11:43 PM on July 30, 2010


I like some of those Nike+ mixes--there are ones by Aesop Rock, De La Soul and A-Trak, among others.
posted by box at 11:45 AM on July 31, 2010


I really like the indie soup runner mixes (like podrunner, available as free subscription)
posted by Acer_saccharum at 9:21 AM on August 1, 2010 [1 favorite]


So, what's the BPM of the three or four tracks the original poster recommended?
posted by talldean at 5:30 AM on August 2, 2010




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