Celebrate U2’s New Album With This “Best Of” Running Mix
In celebration of U2's new album Songs of Experience, Run Hundred shares a 10-track playlist spanning five decades of the band's career.
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It’s A Beautiful Day For A Long Run
At the start of this month, U2 released the bookend to its Songs of Innocence album. (If you’re a fan of the band—or the William Blake poetry collection from which the musicians borrowed the title—you already know what’s in store: Songs of Experience.) While the band members reflect on their own youth and maturity, we’ve prepped a playlist that compiles songs from both eras of the band’s career and all that came between.
Generally when compiling a playlist, one’s inclination is to start with a slower track to get warmed up. We’re making an exception in this case and kicking things off with one of the greatest running songs ever recorded: the aptly-titled “Where the Streets Have No Name.” Epic imagery aside, the song’s gradual build from a ceremonial synthesizer into a wall of ringing guitar notes make it the perfect score for those first few steps out the door.
In line with this opening number, you’ll find subject matter well-suited for running in the raucous “Elevation” and the optimistic “Beautiful Day.” Elsewhere, the list careens between 1980s anthems like “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and millenial highlights like “Vertigo.” Also present are 1990s forays into other genres (like the club inspired “Discotheque”) and new singles (like the emphatic “Get Out of Your Own Way”).
Featuring hits taken from five separate decades, this playlist shows that there’s no question that U2 has endured. The tracks below may help remind you what a mighty force the band remains, all while contributing to your own endurance when out for a run. So, when you’re looking for something to lift you up and push you on, Ireland’s finest are ready for the challenge.
U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name – 125 BPM
U2 – Get Out of Your Own Way – 130 BPM
U2 – You’re the Best Thing About Me – 117 BPM
U2 – Pride (In the Name of Love) – 108 BPM
U2 – Mysterious Ways – 100 BPM
To find more workout songs, folks can check out the free database at Run Hundred. Visitors can browse the song selections there by genre, tempo and era to find the music that best fits their particular workout routines.
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