Help me make my workout sound better, please!

February 25, 2015 7:22 PM

What songs sound like That's Not My Name by the Ting Tings and I Don't Care (I Love It) by Iconopop?

I have started going to the gym, and found that listening to music while I am on the exercise bike helps the time pass by faster. Two songs in particular really work to make me motivated to keep pedaling:

-That's Not My Name by the Ting Tings, and
-I Don't Care (I Love It) by Iconopop

Why I think they appeal to me is that that they are fun to sing along to in my head, they are upbeat sounding, and the rhythm is really prominent.

What other songs sound like this? I have tried Songza, but haven't found other songs that I like as much. I am pretty open to genres (except rap and country), but am totally out of touch with popular music.

Other songs that are also on my workout playlist and I like are:
-Common People by Pulp
-Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode
-Around the World by Daft Punk
-Modern Love by David Bowie

posted by just_ducky to Health & Fitness (26 answers total)

Do any of these work for you? "Upbeat and fun to sing along to" is a pretty broad criteria. That's Not My Name and I Don't Care both have a pretty synthy/electronic sound, as well as obviously Around The World, so I've largely tried to stick to that. (Have you tried other Daft Punk Songs? Harder Better Faster Stronger etc?)

Chromeo - Night By Night
Metric - Black Sheep (If you like this, give the other stuff from Metric a try)
La Roux - Bulletproof
Amanda Palmer - Want It Back
CHVRCHES - The Mother We Share
The Naked And Famous - Punching In A Dream
posted by Phire at 7:39 PM on February 25, 2015 [6 favorites]

Off the top of my head...

Move Your Feet, by Jr. Senior

Rill Rill, by Sleighbells

Where's Your Head At, by Basement Jaxx

DARE, by Gorillaz

Hearts on Fire, by Cut Copy

Star Guitar, by Shinchi Osawa

You, by Charlie XCX (who's the other half of that Icona Pop song)

D.A.N.C.E., by Justice (which is an Michael Jackson hook over top of French House)

Jerk, by Muscles

We Found Love (starts at ~1:00, by Rihanna w/ Calvin Harris

I Feel Better, by Hot Chip

Uptown Funk, by Mark Ronson w/ Bruno Mars

Tenderoni, by Kele

One Month Off, by Bloc Party

Make it Funk For Me, by Attaca Pesante
posted by codacorolla at 8:01 PM on February 25, 2015 [4 favorites]

Transvision Vamp - I Want Your Love
posted by Dragonness at 8:03 PM on February 25, 2015

Hey, your gym songs sound like my running songs! Here are a few from my playlist that I think are similar:

Azealia Banks- 212 (although this is rap I guess)
One Direction- Up All Night, Best Song Ever ( don't judge me plz)
Foster the People- Pumped Up Kicks
Icona Pop- All Night
Old 97s- Every Night Is Friday Night (Without You)
Charli XCX- London Queen
Bleachers- Rollercoaster

You should also try earlier Lada Gaga, other stuff from Charli XCX's album Sucker, other songs from Foster the People's album- they all have a fast paced, poppy sound and are fun to sing along to.
posted by MadamM at 8:04 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Republica - Ready To Go
posted by Dragonness at 8:04 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Seconding Bulletproof and Chromeo (although I suggest Momma's Boy).

Other suggestions to try - Tightrope (Janelle Monae); Frozen (Tegan and Sara); ABC (Jackson 5); I Thought You Were My Boyfriend (The Magnetic Fields); And She Was (Talking Heads); I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked (Ida Maria).

These vary in speed and/or how quickly the good part kicks in so may not be suitable for workout music.
posted by hydrobatidae at 8:05 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Untouched by the Veronicas.
posted by hazel79 at 8:07 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Just some general things that come to mind.

The Veronicas (Untouched - Take Me on the Floor)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Heads Will Roll - Gold Lion)

Lady Gaga (Pretty much the entire The Fame album for example Beautiful, Dirty, Rich)

Shiny Toy Guns (Le Disko)

Santigold (You'll Find a Way - Creator - whole album is good)

Basement Jaxx (Make Me Sweat - Where's Your Head At)

Blondie (Call Me)

Britney Spears (Uh, lots of stuff, but Work Bitch gets me through the day...)

Ke$ha (We R Who We R - don't judge, her music is pure pop!)

Nero (Promises)

Peaches (Fuck the Pain Away)

The Subways (Oh Yeah)

Technotronic (Pump Up the Jam)
posted by Crystalinne at 8:09 PM on February 25, 2015 [4 favorites]

I think this might be what Pink is for.
posted by decathecting at 8:13 PM on February 25, 2015

Also, while it's technically a couch-to-5k running podcast, if you don't mind occasionally getting interval training reminder sounds, the Kiss My Black Ass podcast is awesome for this.
posted by decathecting at 8:14 PM on February 25, 2015

Also, although genres are slippery and I'm possibly wrong, if you wanted to classify this stuff then "electropop" might work. If you have spotify, then this playlist matches a lot of artists being recommended in this thread.
posted by codacorolla at 8:15 PM on February 25, 2015

And you should reconsider your aversion to rap. It's basically perfect for this, and a lot of mass-appeal rap designed for radio play, especially by women artists, is very pop-y and instrumental and high energy in a way I think would appeal to you.
posted by decathecting at 8:16 PM on February 25, 2015

Well, pretty much the whole Ting Tings album We Started Nothing is just as catchy as That's Not My Name. (That album was my go-to long walk soundtrack for an entire spring and summer.)

Also, check out Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense. There are a few slower songs, but the vast majority are very upbeat. (This was my go-to treadmill music for quite a while.)
posted by The Deej at 8:37 PM on February 25, 2015

Some suggestions based on the similarity of your songs to my running dancing/mixes:

Remedy by Little Boots
Shampain by Marina and the Diamonds
Anything by Robyn, like Dancing with Myself
Tonight by Saint Etienne
posted by justkevin at 8:50 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

I thought of a few more,

Heartbeats, by The Knife

Standing in the Way of Control, by Gossip

Sing Me Spanish Techno, by New Pornographers

Repetition Kills You, by The Black Ghosts

Help I'm Alive, by Metric

Falling, by Haim

Something Special, by Tough Alliance

Five Seconds, by Twin Shadow

Midnight City, by M83
posted by codacorolla at 9:06 PM on February 25, 2015 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone! I will give these all a try and see what sticks!
posted by just_ducky at 9:16 PM on February 25, 2015

My personal favorite:
It's Alright by Matt and Kim

But also:

Huddle Formation by The Go! Team.

The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani

Let 'Em Say by Lizzo and Caroline Smith

Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub

Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
posted by jaksemas at 9:54 PM on February 25, 2015 [1 favorite]

Lene: It's Your Duty
The Rapture: No Sex For Ben or Whoo Alright Yeah Uh Huh
John Grant: Black Belt
Madison Avenue: Don't Call Me Baby
posted by exceptinsects at 12:43 AM on February 26, 2015

Some of these may fall more on one side or the other of electro-pop but they're all on my electro-pop playlist with Icona Pop and The Ting Tings so you may like them too:
Neon Jungle - Trouble
Ms Mr - Hurricane (CHVRCHES Remix)
Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Hello
Martin Solveig & Dragonette - Boys & Girls
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak remix)
Alphabeat - 10,000 Nights
David Guetta - She Wolf (Falling To Pieces) ft. Sia
Bis - Eurodisco
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:55 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

You might like New Young Pony Club:
Ice Cream
We Want To
posted by billiebee at 5:37 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

My two favourite gym albums are 2 many dj's and Sleater Kinney's The Woods. From what you say, the first of those may work for you.
posted by unless I'm very much mistaken at 7:36 AM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Neon Jungle - Trouble. YES.
posted by josher71 at 8:38 AM on February 26, 2015

Morning Wood - Nth Degree
Rihanna - SOS
Christina Aguilera - Dirty
posted by radioamy at 9:22 AM on February 26, 2015

How about:

Summer Smash by Denim
Fembot, by Robyn (and most of her other stuff too, like someone said)
Suitcase by Standard Fare
Lullaby of Clubland electronica remix by Mr. Suitcase and Sanna Fischer (bonus: it's long!)
Koka Kola Veins by The Tough Alliance
posted by gemmy at 4:25 PM on February 26, 2015

Everytime We Touch - Cascada
Let's Go - Calvin Harris featuring Ne-Yo
Pon De Replay - Rihanna
Jealous Of My Boogie - RuPaul
Main Event (Matt Pop 80s Tribute) - RuPaul
Womanizer - Britney Spears
New York City Boy - Pet Shop Boys
Goldmine - Pointer Sisters
4 Minutes - Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland
Club Can't Handle Me - Flo Rida featuring David Guetta
posted by SisterHavana at 6:13 PM on February 26, 2015 [1 favorite]

Le Tigre - Deceptacon
posted by neushoorn at 5:32 AM on March 2, 2015