Beyond The Top 40: 10 Upbeat Songs To Add To Your Workout Playlist
Don't rely on the Top 40 charts alone for your workout tunes. This 10-track playlist will keep you motivated through every step of your run.
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Beyond The Charts
The best thing about Top 40 radio is that it does a relatively good job of distilling a huge volume of new releases down to just the highlights. By that same token, the worst thing about Top 40 radio is that, once these marquee tracks have been isolated, you tend to hear the same few tracks over and over. This is particularly tough when it comes time for a run, since it’ll be tough to get inspired by a song you’ve already heard a couple times earlier in the day. To that end, we’ve compiled a selection of tunes from beyond the pop charts to pick up where the hits leave off.
Tracks that don’t make it into heavy rotation tend to fall into two categories: songs from acts who operate in worlds beyond the Top 40 and songs from former residents of the charts on a temporary hiatus from making hits. In the first camp, you’ll find girl group magic from the Regrettes, the first single from the latest Queens of the Stone Age album and a club collaboration from Skrillex and Poo Bear. In the latter camp, there’s an impossibly catchy number from Walk the Moon, a duet between DNCE and Nicki Minaj and a DJ Khaled track featuring Jay-Z, Future and Beyoncé.
As noted above, the Top 40 charts generally excel at representing our collective interest in current trends. To that end, some of the fun in reviewing tracks like those below is wondering how tunes with such abundant charm or a surplus of star power managed to stay off the radio in spite of these merits. Whether they represent missteps on the parts of the talent involved or oversights by radio programmers, let the Top 40’s loss be your gain as you score your next run with the biggest hits of an alternate pop universe.
The Regrettes – Hey Now – 91 BPM
Walk the Moon – One Foot – 100 BPM
Wyclef Jean, LunchMoney Lewis & The Knocks – What Happened to Love – 116 BPM
DJ Khaled, JAY Z, Future & Beyoncé – Top Off – 130 BPM
Blue October – I Hope You’re Happy – 175 BPM
Skrillex & Poo Bear – Would You Ever – 126 BPM
Pearl Jam – Can’t Deny Me – 120 BPM
DNCE & Nicki Minaj – Kissing Strangers – 120 BPM
Q-Tip & Demi Lovato – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart – 106 BPM
Queens of the Stone Age – The Way You Used To Do – 100 BPM
To find more workout songs, folks can check out the free database at Run Hundred. Visitors can browse song selections there by genre, tempo and era to find the music that best fits their particular workout routines.
Related:
10 One-Hit Wonders From The 2000s For Your Next Run
John Hancock Releases Pro Athletes’ Running Playlists On Spotify