I don’t know, maybe it’s because the song just takes me back. But hey, The Goonies, that lovable band of never-give-up underdogs, they didn’t just save the girl… they saved the whole damn town! I say the song by Cyndi Lauper is more than good enough.
Music
I’ve been playing around with my Running playlist, and I never delete this song. I don’t ever get sick of it when it cycles through, even if I’ve gone on an especially long run and it’s the third time I am hearing the song. And this has nothing to do with the fact that the very first concert I ever attended was a Scandal show (at the time, “The Warrior” was the big hit — I think they played that song twice).
“Goodbye To You” by Scandal is just an all around great running song that does exactly what a tried and true running song should do — it makes you want to straighten up your back, kick up your knees, pick up your pace, and most of all, just enjoy the fuck out of a good, long, hard run. Getting to that place is pretty easy at mile 3, but at mile 9, or 12, or 15, it can feel downright impossible.
The lyrics can be taken literally given your quick paced, forward movement — you can see yourself pass by mental images of the things that are dragging you down and bugging the shit out of you. One by one you pick off these annoying elements carrying too much weight in your thoughts, and as you run by them, you can say, or sing, “Goodbye to you.” The combined lack of oxygen, sore muscles and back, and adrenaline rush you are experiencing as you put one step in front of the other leads to some rather ridiculous visualizations.
That cinnamon roll I ate for breakfast yesterday, the one with all that frosting — goodbye to you.
That shithead(s) co-worker at work who doesn’t know jackshit and has no problem wasting all my time — goodbye to you.
Those four slices of pizza I ate for lunch the other day — goodbye to you.
That fucking idiot runner who just spit without looking to see if anyone was coming up behind him and almost hit my leg — goodbye to you.
That minor, insignificant squabble that happened years ago but nonetheless pops into my head every once in a while and sidetracks my whole thought process — goodbye to you.
That project at work that is making me grind my teeth — goodbye to you.
Those five miles I have left to run — goodbye to you (I wish!)
That novel I’m supposedly writing that I haven’t done anything on — goodbye to you.
That rude person that just did that really rude thing and was so rude they thought I was the one being rude — goodbye to you.
That whole facebook thing — goodbye to you.
Those five (or seven?) beers I drank the other night — goodbye to you. (or perhaps, hello to you, after I finish the run).
Discovered this song at Rakesh Satyal’s amazingly wonderful performance of amazingly wonderful Glee songs at Don’t Tell Mama cabaret bar. I must have missed the episode where the Glee cast sang it, because I would have definitely added it to my running playlist right after the show ended. Now this is one hell of a running song. Kelly Clarkson’s got some great people writing her pop candy music.
Is Debbie Gibson’s “Only In My Dreams” a good running song? I haven’t quite decided. Added the song to my playlist, and on the first listen, thought I had made a big mistake. But later, after about mile 8, when my old man bones were having a hard time moving along at a velocity that would keep me upright (meaning, not laying flat on my back, whimpering for medical assistance), I heard the song cycle through again and definitely felt myself perk up, even quickening my pace from mach-snail 1 to mach-snail 2.
Before you scoff at my terrible musical taste, for even daring to add the song to my shuffle, understand that when running, a fast-paced pop candy song that in other circumstances might cause you to walk over to a sound system and slam it into the ground is just what you need on a run — it can really wake you up when your entire body is telling your oxygen deprived brain to stop… just stop… (See Touching the Void for an extreme example of this).
Who would have thought that “We Belong” by Pat Benatar, yes, the song that has the video where she is signing amidst torn sheets and terrycloth bathrobe straps, would be such a great running song? I have to give credit to the movie Talladega Nights for putting it in my head to add to my running songs playlist, specifically that scene at the end of the movie after Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) and Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen) crash as they’re on the final lap of the race. They climb out of their wrecked cars, do a dazed stare down, and just as they take off, on foot, towards the finish line, Pat Benatar’s classic jam begins to play. Pure genius to use that song in that scene. And pure running inspiration when you’re out there trying to cover more miles than you want to.
Tom’s Diner, DNA & Suzanne Vega
Mondo ’77, Looper
Rapture, Blondie
The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough, Cyndi Lauper
Paradise City, Guns N’ Roses
Forever Young, Audra Mae & The Forest Rangers
Halo / Walking On Sunshine, Glee Cast
Extreme Ways, Moby
Jai Ho!, A.R. Rahman & The Pussycat Dolls
Not Ready to Make Nice, Dixie Chicks
Handle With Care, Traveling Wilburys
Stray Paper, Tift Merritt
Let My Love Open the Door, Pete Townshend
Never Win, Fischerspooner
The Warrior, Scandal
Where Do I Begin, The Chemical Brothers
I don’t currently run with headphones, but I’m gearing up for some longer races, so I’ve been re-thinking my position on listening to music when I run.
There’s something very meditative about just taking in the natural sights and sounds when you’re out there running for a few miles, but it’s another thing when you’re doing 10 or 20 mile stretches. You need to mix it up, and you also need something to keep your ass motivated when your brain isn’t doing anything but telling you how thirsty you are and how much your knees hurt and how much further you have to go.
A few years back when I did the Chicago Triathlon, I hit the midway point in the last part of the race, which is the running component, and I was feeling pretty damn miserable. Yes, the race was almost over, but the swim, the biking and the running miles before began to take their toll — nothing but negative thoughts were beating inside my head. I remember staring into the distance, and just feeling like the race was never going to end.
But right at that point, I hit a water station that was blaring “Under Pressure.” Totally lifted my spirits, took the weight off, and got me thinking less about the distance left to go, and more about putting one foot in front of the other. That song coursed through my head for the rest of the race. I had promised myself that I would run the last mile of that race faster than all the others, and I believe it was that song that helped me keep that promise.
So I am now compiling running songs that could fill a player for very long runs. Here is my list so far (feel free to make suggestions):
Trash City, Joe Strummer
Don’t Stop Believin’, Glee Cast
We Will Rock You, Queen
Kiss Off, Violent Femmes
Wake Up, Arcade Fire
Money Changes Everything, Cyndi Lauper
Chariots of Fire, from the Soundtrack
Blood Makes Noise, Suzanne Vega
Under Pressure, David Bowie and Queen
Fame, Irene Cara
Standing in the Shower… Thinking, Jane’s Addiction
Against the Wind, Bob Seger
Strangers When We Meet, The Smithereens
I’ll Be You, The Replacements
Modern Love, David Bowie
Baby I’m A Star, Prince & the Revolution
Time Warp, Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
Seasons of Love, Rent
Two Hearts Beat As One, U2
One Headlight, The Wallflowers
Goodbye To You, Scandal
Paper Planes, M.I.A.
Incomplete, ongling list…
Good Feeling – Violent Femmes
A lifetime ago, hours after you said “fuck it,” in terms of making it home in time for curfew. You aren’t drunk anymore. No one is talking, because everyone is too tired to even sleep. Some people are holding hands, some people are not, but everyone is together. And then, there it is, the sunrise. Good feeling.
Eine Kleine Hedmusik – Coldcut
My friend G used to run a magazine about Acid Jazz. He also DJ’d at various clubs. In the DJ booth, girls would occasionally ask him, after grooving to his beats, to massage their feet. Or so he used to tell me. Sticks by the story to this day. Anyway, I wasn’t really getting this whole Acid Jazz scene. I would go to the bars and stand there and most likely get in the way of girls asking him to massage their feet. But then, he played me this song, and it all made sense. Acid Jazz. Oh yes. I GET IT. Acid Jazz, of course.
The Weight – The Band
The title of this song says it all. The music takes the load off.
Sunday Mornin’ Comin Down – Kris Kristofferson
If you’ve drunk too much and just can’t take even one more sip of alcohol, and this song comes on, you know you’re going to crack open another can of beer. And it would definitely be a can of beer, because this is a beer-can-song if there ever was one. Also, if I am ever in a fist fight and it gets captured on video, I’d like this song to be the soundtrack to the slow-motion version.
Night Moves – Bob Seger
“In the summertime… mmmm… In the sweet summertime” – Indeed. No moves, just the summertime, when it’s still blazing hot even though the sun went down hours ago and that cool breeze finally kicks in.
Overkill – Colin Hay
You can’t sleep. You can’t help but think about that fact as you toss and turn. Finally, you get out of bed. Too restless to read, nothing on TV. The Netflix movies have been sitting there for over a month, you clearly don’t want to watch any of those. You drink down a glass of water. You open the fridge and nothing looks good. You pour yourself a real drink. You sit down on the couch. The glass is in your hand, resting on your knee. You bring the glass the glass to your mouth and take a drink, staring straight ahead the whole time. You start thinking – and not about the fact that you can’t get to sleep.
Sparring Partner – Paolo Conte
I Love You – Asie Payton
For that night when you are with just the right person and midnight is just when it’s getting started.
Kid Fears – Indigo Girls
Am I a fan of the Indigo Girls? Hell YES. Mainly because I had their first record in college and I felt like nobody understood me (yes, I was unique even back then), and I felt like if I played the song Closer to Fine really loud, over and over again, people would look at me and think I was cool, and I would therefore be “understood.” I was very popular in my suite, as you can imagine. I’m pretty much over that song now. Well, I shouldn’t say that, because I just played it and I find myself playing it again. But the song that has really stood the test of time is Kid Fears. It’s a little overwrought, to tell the truth, but when Michael Stipe enters into the song, gently at first, and then full throttle just a few moments later, the song goes up to another level.
Who Are You – Tom Waits
I remember the first time I heard this song. I had just moved to San Francisco, was crashing at my friend’s place. She and her boyfriend had CDs strewn all over their house. Tom Waits’ album Bone Machine jumped out at me. I popped it into the player and gave it a listen. I was fascinated by Tom Waits’ voice. I remember discussing with my friend how I couldn’t understand how a guy with a voice like that could “make it.” This is one of those reminders that, yes, I am an idiot. Just listen. Just listen to the music, she told me, and so I did, especially this song. It haunts me to this day.
Mi Sono Innamorato Di Te – Luigi Tenco
Mo Ve’la Bella Mia da la Muntagna – Matteo Salvatore
Great pop version of a great song.