Dear listeners,
I have heard some truly horrific music at the gym.
I am loathe to even tell you about it, but if I must: I have been subjected to an EDM remix of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and a clubby re-imagination of Aerosmith’s “Dream On.” I have heard Iggy Azalea songs that are not “Fancy.” I have experienced things I have had to purge from my memory in order to carry on.
The pandemic forced me, like so many of us, to find ways to work out at home. This was sometimes difficult, and once involved lugging a 20-pound kettlebell nearly a mile home from Target — do not recommend — but it also meant I had much more freedom to determine what I listened to while swinging my new gear around. I started seeking out YouTube workouts without background music, or ones I could do with the sound off. And, naturally, I started making playlists. A bunch of them, actually.
For me, a successful exercise playlist combines novelty and familiarity. It mostly functions to distract my brain from the fact that I am exerting myself and sweating profusely and would much rather not be doing those things, so ideally I want to switch things up to help the time pass. But I also appreciate when a song I know and love comes on when I need some extra motivation. Whether dancing or working out, sometimes moving your body to a song you already know can make you appreciate it in new ways.
I’ve been fine-tuning this playlist for a while, rotating songs out when I get tired of them, or tinkering with the sequencing. I like the way it combines some more recent artists with their influences and forebears (a dynamic explicitly captured by Daft Punk’s great, shouted-out homage to its heroes, “Teachers,” from what itself is now a dance music landmark, “Homework,” from 1997). This is not the playlist I go to for my most high-intensity workouts or runs, though I’ll definitely share one of those in a future Amplifier. This is instead something slightly more sustained and intermittently low-key — a playlist I’d listen to when doing a strength-training routine, a jog or a very brisk walk.
Rest assured, you are not required to move a muscle while listening to it. Maybe you just need an energetic, gradually crescendoing pick-me-up in the middle of a long workday. But be forewarned: There’s always a chance these songs will inspire a spontaneous dance party.
Listen along here on Spotify as you read.
1. Caroline Polachek: “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings (A.G. Cook Remix)”
A.G. Cook, one of the wily masterminds behind the PC Music collective, reworked this dreamy version of a fun, flirty Caroline Polachek single from her 2019 album, “Pang.” (Listen on YouTube)
2. Jessie Ware: “Free Yourself”
The British pop musician Jessie Ware — my personal favorite instigator of a recent disco revival — found a new groove with her great 2020 album, “What’s Your Pleasure?” She released this thumping, house-inflected jam last year as what seemed like a one-off single, but it will also appear on her next album, “That! Feels Good!,” which comes out later this month. (Listen on YouTube)
More on N.Y.C. Theater, Music and Dance This Spring
3. Anita Ward: “Ring My Bell”
Speaking of disco, why not go straight to the source with this blissful, weightless 1979 hit? I’m a fan of the eight-minute extended mix myself, but in the interest of keeping things moving, I opted for the three-and-a-half-minute single edit here. (Listen on YouTube)
4. Giorgio Moroder: “From Here to Eternity”
The ascending synthesizer arpeggios make this title track from Giorgio Moroder’s landmark 1977 album feel truly heavenly. (The opening vocoder line is a little callback to that A.G. Cook remix earlier in the playlist, too.) (Listen on YouTube)
5. Yaeji: “Raingurl”
The New York-born songwriter and D.J. Yaeji strays from her dance-music roots a bit on “With a Hammer,” the eclectic debut album she put out earlier this month. But for the purposes of this playlist, I prefer this playful and pulsating cult favorite from 2017. (Listen on YouTube)
6. Daft Punk: “Teachers”
The iconic French duo nods to the artists who inspire them on this fluid and funky cut from the group’s 1997 breakout album, “Homework.” (Listen on YouTube)
7. Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique featuring Maluca: “Love Is Free”
The euphoric 2015 EP “Love Is Free” marked the final collaboration between Swedish pop star Robyn and her longtime friend, the late producer and D.J. Christian Falk. This kinetic, house-inspired title track is the project’s undeniable highlight. (Listen on YouTube)
8. Alicia Keys: “In Common (Xpect Remix)”
A minor Alicia Keys hit that should have been a massive one, “In Common” inspired its own remix EP featuring re-workings by four different producers. I like this one by Xpect, which dials up the original’s Afrobeats sound. (Listen on YouTube)
9. Todd Edwards: “Shall Go”
The garage pioneer Todd Edwards got a shout-out from Daft Punk on the aforementioned “Teachers” — and then he started working with the group on later albums “Discovery” and “Random Access Memories.” I love this transcendent title track from his 2012 EP “Shall Go.” (Listen on YouTube)
10. Daphni: “Yes, I Know”
Also from 2012, here’s a soulful and transfixing track from the dance project of Dan Snaith (who also records as Caribou), centered around a memorable sample from Buddy Miles’s 1971 song “The Segment.” (Listen on YouTube)
11. Britney Spears: “Stronger”
Oops! I just couldn’t resist. (Listen on YouTube)
Pump it up,
Lindsay
The Amplifier Playlist
Listen on Spotify. We update this playlist with each new newsletter.
“11 Songs That Will Make You Want to Move” track list
Track 1: Caroline Polachek, “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings (A.G. Cook Remix)”
Track 2: Jessie Ware, “Free Yourself”
Track 3: Anita Ward, “Ring My Bell”
Track 4: Giorgio Moroder, “From Here to Eternity”
Track 5: Yaeji, “Raingurl”
Track 6: Daft Punk, “Teachers”
Track 7: Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique featuring Maluca, “Love Is Free”
Track 8: Alicia Keys, “In Common (Xpect Remix)”
Track 9: Todd Edwards, “Shall Go”
Track 10: Daphni, “Yes, I Know”
Track 11: Britney Spears, “Stronger”
Your workout mix
I’m always looking for new additions to my workout playlist, and would love to know the songs that help you forget the pain of a squat or push you through an extra mile.
So tell me: What’s a song that never fails to pump you up? And what is it about the song that motivates you?
