Music to Pump You Up
JULY 14, 2007 Listen to this Story
Go to a baseball game and often you'll hear a player's "signature" being played as he batters up. In the next installment of our "Listening In" series, Gideon D'Arcangelo visited the Boston Red Sox, to find out how music plays into the game at Fenway Park.
Weekend America's "Get Pumped Up" Listener-Generated Playlist
Last week we asked you, What's your personal anthem? What song do you put on to get pumped up, to get you psyched when it's your "game day?" Here are some of the songs you told us about that get you primed for peak performance:You can buy these songs, individually or as an entire playlist, at the Apple iTunes store.
| Song Title | Artist | Album |
| 1. Kool Thing | Sonic Youth | Goo |
| "The hard driving guitar and Kim Gordon's cooler-than-anybody's voice singing 'I don't think so' transfers into my brain and makes me feel like I can stand up straight and look anyone in the eye with confidence and moxie!" Corrie of Orlando, Fla. | ||
| 2. Destroy Everything You Touch | Ladytron | Witching Hour |
| "Yes, this song is actually as cool as its name. The introduction seethes in anticipation before the song hits like a stampede. It is aggressive and driving, but focused. The singer Helen Marnie's eerie, insistent vocals hit deep. Her cold sincerity and the multi-layered synthesizers penetrate and last in a way that hot-tempered metal, or vapid power-pop don't even come close to." Mark of Boston, Mass. | ||
| 3. Yell Fire | Michael Franti | Yell Fire! |
| "It has such a rebellious yet positive groove that gets me jazzed every time I hear it. Play it when preparing for a situation you're dreading but need to deal with directly and effectively." Meredith of Seattle, Wash. | ||
| 4. Junior Kickstart | The Go! Team | Thunder, Lightning, Strike |
| "It's like being at your own personal pep rally, but one where 70's cops slide across the hoods of cars, and helicopters explode!" Jared of Seattle, Wash. | ||
| 5. Estimated Prophet | Grateful Dead | Terrapin Station |
| "I am particularly fond of late 80's/early 90's live versions of the song, where Bobby tended to lunge on stage and include lots of what I call the 'Nah Nahs.' As in, 'My time comin', any day, don't worry 'bout me no, nah nah don't worry 'bout me no.' This song gets me psyched because it delivers a steady drive for pacing, and really delivers when I am climbing hills. Delusions of athletic grandeur throughout the song generally give way to a solid workout as Garcia moves in with 'Eyes of the World.'" Alison of Baltimore, Md. | ||
| 6. Thunder Road | Bruce Springsteen | Born to Run |
| "You cannot help but get psyched when he finishes singing the last line, 'And I'm pullin' outa here to win.' Then it goes into the sax/guitar/organ/piano/chimes overture! Love it, always have, always will." Keith of Ogdensburg, N.Y. | ||
| 7. Dancing In the Light | Entrain | Can U Get It |
| "There are TONS of drums and horns, and the words are rousing and fun. The song is several years old but I think it's still so fun and it really gets me pumped." Margo of Danvers, Mass. | ||
| 8. Having My Say | Bold | The Search: 1985 - 1989 |
| "I play in an adult recreational ice hockey league and often need motivation to get on the ice at that sometimes ungodly start times of 9 to 11 pm. Being a mild-mannered corporate guy these days, no one would know of hard corecore/punk bands of my youth. I've got a strict no indie-pop rule on game days and will listen to retrospectively hard core bands/songs. The effect is marked on my game, although the downside is getting back in the car near midnight exhausted and trying to unwind, only to hear that same CD blasting from where I left it, an unwanted shock to the system. Nothing that a little NPR jazz or BBC commentary can't take care of." Adrian of Lakewood, Calif. | ||
| 9. Music for 18 Musicians | Steve Reich | Music for 18 Musicians |
| "As a children's book illustrator and author, what I need most for peak performance is concentration, calm, and centering - the three Cs.No one gets me to the place I need to be faster than Steve Reich and his subtly shifting repetition. I call it my power music." Jill of Albuquerque, N.M. | ||
| 9. Thunderstruck | AC/DC | |
| "Perhaps it is my own visualization of Angus shredding and kicking across the stage that gets my blood pumping, but more than likely it is the combination of a trickling guitar riff, a throbbing drum beat, and the sinister chant of the crowd. This song makes every day seem unusually HARD CORE!!!" Elliot of Gold River, Calif. | ||
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