I had a hard time only picking five songs to leave behind when you go to the gym when I wrote the post back in April. Some of you had some amazingly bad suggestions in the comment section, the worst of all being “Heal The World” by Michael Jackson.
I stand by my original choices inasmuch as they have not become less terrible since April.
Today I’m adding a few. With your suggestions, we’ll eventually have enough to make a definitive list for a future post.
More songs that don’t belong in your workout
- Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden
- Winter by Tori Amos
- Aida by Sarah Mclachlan
- Any song by Celine Dion
- Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm by Crash Test Dummies
Keep it coming. What else is out there?
Josh
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Muskrat Love
Afternoon Delight
Midnight at the Oasis
Anything by Air Supply
My Humps (I know some people like this one, but as far as I’m concerned it’s the auditory equivalent of waterboarding)
Hollaback Girl (ditto)
The River (great great Springsteen song, but one of the great demotivators of all time. Still, better you should play it at the gym than at, say, your wedding reception.)
@Laura. HAHAHAHA. You just made my day. Does this mean you’re not a Hollaback Girl, Laura?
Everybody Hurts – REM
Pale Blue Eyes – Velvet Underground
Day-O (the banana boat song) – Harry Bellafonte
Mad World – Tears for Fears
Lap Dance is So Much Better (When the stripper is crying) – Bloodhound Gang
@Jake. BRAVO! I was hoping somebody would put REM in there.
Scarborough Fair comes to mind.
@David. Oh, that’s good. Jeez, every comment becomes the new winner for a second. Rosemary. There’s not enough Rosemary in the gym.
Pachelbel Canon in D
Paper Planes by M.I.A.
anything sung by Alison Krauss
Burnin’ Up – Jonas Brothers
ditto on Muskrat Love
Any Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray or Rita MacNiel
How about “Barbie Girl?”
“Cloudburst” by Eric Whittacre and the Nsync Christmas Album are my top choices.
Here’s some more, courtesy of my wife:
Anything by Enya
Julee Cruise (Famous for the Twin Peaks Theme)
Damien Rice
Hallelujah – The Jeff Buckley version…actually any version.
Tom Waits – Bad Liver and Broken Heart
The Verve – Lucky Man
I was actually at the gym one time when Barry Manilow’s Mandy come up on rotation on the old ipod. The thought occurred to me at the time, that if any of these meat heads in the weight room knew what I was listening to they’d probably tear me limb from limb. But it was sort of a surreal experience. Sort of like getting away with something you shouldn’t. “I’m listening to Barry Manilow while doing a manly activity and no one knows it!”
@Mac Now hold on! Maybe Copacabana wouldn’t fit in, but who says Mandy isn’t a testosterone-laced rage anthem and a eulogy for weakness?
Like I said in my tweet, anything by Kenny Chesney but especially the song “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”.
Oddly enough though it’s a great song to programme too, especially when mixed with Finnish fantasy metal
@We Fly Spitfires. I’ll have to take your word for it. Can you recommend a good Finnish fantasy metal band for those of us who don’t move in such exotic and fantastical circles?
I don’t care how much you enjoy musicals, “I Feel Pretty” and “I Enjoy Being A Girl” have no place in a workout playlist.
More bad choices:
Ebony and Ivory
Everybody Have Fun Tonight (“everybody Wang Chung tonight”-need I say more?)
Last Christmas, Wham
Father Figure
Man I feel like a Woman — Shania Twain
November Rain — Guns n’ Roses
Us and Them — Pink Floyd
Together Forever — Rick Astley
Died in Your Arms — Cutting Crew
@David. I wouldn’t mind the final 2 minutes of November Rain. the first 30 minutes, agreed–no place in the workout.