Tag Archives: music

Happy Valentine’s Day.  I’m not sure what this “holiday” celebrates, so I went to Wikipedia, my source of all information.  The entry was long and talked about a lot of dead people … so I quickly lost interest.  The gist of it is that we can blame Chaucer for associating the date with romantic love.  I think we can blame Roman and/or Greek mythology for the creepy naked boy armed with an arrow. 

Today this palooza of heart shaped gift giving is just another excuse for a themed playlist.  The list is not particularly romantic – in song lyrics people tend to run away from love or run around on their partners – but it is about running + love.  With a decidedly dark twist. 

Disclaimer - my playlists are -in a word- embarrassing, but even with my very low standards most of these songs are still too horrible to make my cut.  Download at your own risk.      

Warming Up:

• Billy Ocean – Caribbean Queen.  She dashed by me in painted on jeans.  Perhaps not the recommended attire for running, but at least she’s moving quickly.   No more love on the run. 
• Eddie Rabbitt – You Can’t Run from Love.   In a  song with approximately three different lyrics the message is clear:  you can’t run from love.  But if you need to get in 30K anyway, maybe it’s worth a try.
• The Temptations – Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).   This is sports psychology.  Imagine running.  Or running away with someone.  Either way, you are moving forward in a speedy manner.
• Enrique Iglesias - Escape.  You can run you can hide but you can’t escape my love.  Yikes.  Take up ultramarathons and outlast the stalker.
• Janet Jackson – Runaway.  Runaway with me my love.  She starts out strong, but then goes on to inform, no need to hurry.  Dear Ms. Jackson: running does have an element of hurry.  This isn’t stroll away with me my love.
• Lionel Richie – Running with the Night.  Finally, a couple that enjoys a run together.  We were running with the night, playing in the shadows, just you and I until the morning light.  It’s an odd time for a workout, but I’ve procrastinated my way to a few midnight runs.

Getting the job done:

• Jimmy Buffett – You Call it Jogging, I Call it Running Around.  The soles of your running shoes they ain’t wearing down.  While you’re out running up and down the streets.  Whatever gets your heart rate up.
• Dixie Chicks – Ready to Run.  What’s all this talk about love?  I’m ready to run.  So simple.
• Steve Miller Band – Take the Money and Run.  According to recent news reports, endurance training can take a toll on relationships.  The couple that runs together stays together?  They headed down south and they’re still running today.
• Heart – Who Will You Run To?  I think this is a classic finish line song – who will you run to when it all falls down?  Who’s gonna wipe away the tears when you cry?
• Dion and the Belmonts – Runaround Sue.  She took my love then ran around with every single guy in town.  Paula Radcliffe mostly runs with men.  Like Paula, perhaps Sue is just too fast for the ladies. 
• Justin Bieber – Runaway Love.  You see my baby up and hit the road.  I’m running out of time.  He’s not even old enough to drink in Quebec.  Or run some marathons. 
• Sammy Hagar - The Girl Gets Around.  If you are going to tramp around you might as well log base miles. Good god this girl gets around.
• The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love.  I think the Supremes were endurance athletes.  Or maybe their mammas ran marathons.  Mama said, mama said.  You gotta trust, give it time, no matter how long it takes.  But it ain’t easy.
• Crystals – Da Do Ron Ron.  I know, the word is ron not run but it’s an easy substitution and I’m desperate for songs.  Picked me up at seven and he looks so fine, da do run run run da do run run.  Catchy.
• Martha Reeves and the Vandellas – Nowhere to Run.   Nowhere to run to, baby, nowhere to hide from you baby.  Another ode to stalking.  My earlier advice applies.  Outrun.
• Flock of Seagulls – I Ran.  I ran, I ran so far away. I ran, I ran all night and day.  I couldn’t get away.  Honesty check: this one is on my playlist. 

When I get sad I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

Yes, I still watch How I Met Your Mother even though the characters have evolved into caricatures and the laugh track hurts my ears and seriously, am I the only one who hates Ted?  But once I’m in, I’m in.  I watched 90210 until the bitter end.  Ten long years later.  I gave up CSI slowly, skipping an episode every couple of weeks before finally making the painful break (note: and today I read that Grissom is returning for a guest appearance and this cheap ratings trick will not! lure me back in).   HIMYM has been around long enough to live forever in reruns that air twenty-seven times a day so it is impossible to avoid and I recently re-watched the NYE limo ride with Barney’s “Get Psyched” Mix.  It is so good not-Moby stole it.  I won’t tell you how many of these lendgen-wait for it -dary songs already grace my playlist.  I’m too ashamed. 

Barney’s Get Psyched Mix
I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister
You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi
Lick It Up – Kiss
Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses
Dancing with Myself – Billy Idol
Rock You Like a Hurricane – The Scorpions
Panama – Van Halen
Talk Dirty to Me – Poison
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
Round and Round – Ratt

Title:  Joe Esposito – You’re the Best Around. 1984.

This weekend Summer will strike my fair city my city.  Something about heat alerts, stay inside, don’t move unnecessarily.   I will disobey TV and run.  Even though hot runs leave me feeling nauseated and worrisomely red in the face.  I am troubled that this is a sign of things to come.  Bad things.   Hot things.  It’s still June.  Last summer was fantastic.  For runners.  We had eight months of spring.  I ran at 10 am in August.   Of the four million residents I think I ranked number one on the happiness list.  This spring it has rained fire and brimstone and it’s still spring.  My will to run melts with the weakest of sun rays.  It’s summer.  It’s a concrete jungle.  It’s overheated.  I better learn to like it.  Or tolerate it.  No one wants to listen to me complain about the heat for the next four months.  And by no one I mean Husband.  I need to remember why I love the city. 

Lovin’ Spoonful – Summer in the City.  This song may be my summer anthem.  All around, people looking half dead, walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head.   I kind of want to cry.  What kind of car to I need to buy to kickstart Global Cooling?

Guns N’ Roses – Paradise City.  The surgeon general says it’s hazardous to breathe.  I’m petitioning for traffic free Sundays.  Can I count on your signature?

We Built This City – Starship.  It’s just another Sunday in a tired old street.  During my Sunday long runs I often feel like the street is new and I’m tired and old.  Good thing they built this city on rock and roll! 

Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day.  I walk a lonely road, the only one that I have ever known.  Don’t know where it goes, but it’s home to me and I walk alone.  I run alone, I run alone. 

Downtown – Petula Clark.  This playlist is more depressing than intended.  Time to bring out Petula.  Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city.  Linger on the sidewalk where the neon lights are pretty.   That’s better.

The Sunny Side of the Street – The Pogues.  There’s always a sunny side.  I prefer to run in the shade but I try to keep my attitude on the sunny side of the street. 

Funky Town – Lipps Inc.  A Town to keep me movin’, keep me groovin’ with some energy.  Won’t you take me to Funkeytown.

Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant.  We gonna rock down to Electric Avenue.  I think it’s on the bad side of town, so maybe I’ll just rock out to Electric Avenue.

Hot in the City – Billy Idol.  I’m a-walkin ’til my brain pops.  Hot in the city.  My brain, by the way, pops at 30C.

Where the Streets Have No Name – U2.  I want to run.  I grew up in a village so small the streets had names but no street signs.  I think people stole them.  

King of Spain – Moxy Fruvos.  Ode to my city.  Once I was the king of Spain and now I vacuum the turf at the Skydome.  Now some of you are probably wondering how I came to be living in Canada after being royalty in Spain.   Should I tell them, guys?   Tell us, King.  I guess you need to listen to the song to find out why.