Open Cord: Pump-up songs

There are many reasons we need to pump ourselves up. Whether it’s a championship intramural ball hockey game with the coveted t-shirt on the line, an intense workout (after repeatedly bailing on the gym for two months), or an exam you just couldn’t quite make yourself study for, the best way most of us find to get pumped up is music. What song is your go-to whenever you need that extra bit of adrenaline?

Justin Fauteux, Editor-in-Chief
My pump-up song has no words. Hell, I don’t even know what it’s actually called, I just found it on YouTube a few years back as “Vancouver Canucks Warm-Up Song” (yeah, all I could find online was a 19-second ringtone clip). I’m not sure why it gets me so pumped, it’s probably because in about the mid-late 90s this song played during just about every hockey team’s warm-up (my own minor hockey team included) and I guess now it brings up memories of when I still had some athletic ability, not to mention the belief that I might go somewhere in sports. Sidenote: I don’t think the Canucks even use this song anymore, which makes me love it even more.

Carly Basch, Life Editor
This song has only been a part of my life for 13 months but M83’s “Midnight City” takes first place for being able to get me pumped up and excited. It’s one of those songs where you want to stop doing your daily errands and just break out dancing on the street. It would be a perfectly choreographed routine in my head (like in 500 Days of Summer) but really it would look something like me aggressively skipping down the street with my arms flailing in the air. I’m also in the process of learning that saxophone solo… it gets me every. single. time.

Justin Smirlies, News Director
Only because I absolutely loved this movie when I was a kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAwWPadFsOA

Shelby Blackley, Sports Editor
I feel as though being the Sports Editor it’s almost imperative for me to have multiple songs for this type of thing. I used to play ball hockey competitively for a national team and every time we had a game, I had an hour-long playlist I would listen to to get myself pumped up. That playlist remains the same to this day. Whether I have a curling match I need to get focused for, a long run I want to complete, or even just a story I am falling behind on, the main songs I listen to stay the same. Titled as “WORKOUT” (Capital letters and all) in my iTunes, on the top of the most played comes this song: Can’t Be Touched by Roy Jones Jr.  Always will be my pump-up song. But slowly, the song “Rollin’” by ISH from the 2012 Olympics is growing on me, so we’ll see.

Elizabeth DiCesare, Campus News Editor
Nothing gets me more pumped than listening to sick beats mixed by Rainbow Stalin: DJ of the People. It’s so bad it’s good.

Marissa Evans, Leader Reporter
For some reason one song that always gets me pumped (or at least puts a smile on my face) is the main theme from Pirates of the Caribbean. Everything by Hans Zimmer is catchy, and his themes always seem to perfectly encapsulate the movie. Pirates has to be one of my favourite movie soundtracks and I usually listen to some of the songs from it before my soccer games.

Alanna Fairey, Lead Reporter
I am one of those people who literally just loves going on runs and going to the gym. Part of that is probably because of my workout playlist on my iPod. Anything that can get me moving is on my playlist. I honestly couldn’t determine one single song that could get me moving, so I’m just going to do a quick list of my best ones: “Club Can’t Handle Me” by Flo Rida, “Hello” by Dragonette, “Tik Tok” by Kesha, “Turn Me On” by Nicki Minaj, “Wild Ones” by Flo Rida and “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. I know that most of these songs are lame, but they are all just so catchy and I can never stay still when I listen to them. And the thing I love too about these songs is they are not only good for working out, but they can alternatively be good songs to listen to to prep for going out and hitting the town.

Cristina Rucchetta, Lead Photographer
“D-D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DROP THE BASS!” *cue transformer noises* As soon as I hear this line in the Skrillex remix of Benny Benassi’s “Cinema”, it immediately gets me hyped up. I can’t help but continuously whip my hair back and forth and stomp around pretending I know how to krump along to the beat.

Nick Lachance, Photography Manager
Without a doubt if I am going out to see a DJ, cruising in the car or just need a little pick me up, putting on BT and Adam K’s “Tomahawk” improves my day. It was the best progressive trance song I discovered last year and I can’t get enough of it.

Jeremy Enns, Lead Videographer 
Any time I need a tasty pump-up tack I always rock some For Today. Nothing like a tasty breakdown to get the blood flowing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJravtChpoU