My Top Ten Running Songs (Volume 2)

More running songs...

10. Bryan Adams - Run To You

If you were 12 in 1984 too, you might just understand...

9. Neil Young - Long May You Run

Maybe The Beach Boys have got you now
With those waves singing "Caroline No"
Rollin' down that empty ocean road
Gettin' to the surf on time.

8. Roy Orbison - Running Scared

Dramatic and ominous, The Big O sang like a desperate ghost.

7. The Steve Miller Band - Take The Money & Run

Where the Rembrandts stole the handclaps for the Friends theme tune?

6. Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Nowhere To Run

5. Blur - No Distance Left To Run

The song's inspired by Justine Frischmann, the video features Blur sleeping. Lazy bastards.

4. Belle & Sebastian - The Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner

3. Spencer Davis Group - Keep On Running

Steve Winwood was 14 when he joined the SDG. 2 years later, this was Number One.

2. Amanda Palmer - Runs In The Family

If wellness is this, what in hell’s name is sickness?

1. Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner

I'm in love with the modern world...

That's got to be enough running songs... unless I've missed one of your favourites? Run to the comments now!

My Top Ten Running Songs (Volume 1)

Still on an Olympics theme...

...but there were far too many good running songs, so look out for volume 2 to follow shortly.

10. Todd Snider - Beer Run

One medal we could all go for. (And I don't even drink.)

9. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run

Say what you like about Paul McCartney...

Like, for example, if you want to say "that bit at the end of the Olympics opening ceremony where they wheeled him on to sing 'Hey Jude' for the four millionth time was like that bit at the end of a wedding where the embarrassing grandad gets up to sing tuneless karaoke"...

No, really, it's a free country. We're all entitled to our opinions. I won't be offended.

8. Moby - Run On

I like the episode of How I Met Your Mother with the Moby lookalike. I'm mad at the episode of How I Met Your Mother that stole a joke I'd written for Too Much Sex & Violence #6 and forced me to rewrite the bugger.

7. Carly Simon - Let The River Run

Forget Working Girl, forget the car advert, just enjoy this for what it is.

Or marvel at how eerily Carly resembles her old beau Mick Jagger in the video...

6. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Run Through The Jungle

Do you find them much, these stolen cars?

Sometimes. Wouldn't hold out much hope for the tape deck though.

Or the Creedence.

5. Paul Simon - Can't Run But

4. Dion - Runaround Sue

Here's my story, it's sad but true...

Memorably used in the best episode of Moonlighting ever (and therefore one of the best episodes of Any TV Show Ever), the unforgettable Blonde On Blonde.

3. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

Peerless, of course. Although the Kate / Pet Shop Boys / Placebo mash-up Love Comes Running Up That Hill Quickly is worth a listen too.

2. Jarvis Cocker - Running The World

This week's "not for the easily offended" track. Otherwise: essential.

1. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run

I'll love you with all the madness in my soul...

More running songs to follow... can you guess what'll be included?

My Top Ten Olympic Songs

So the Olympics are here, and even I can't avoid them...

But I promise, you won't find any songs specifically written for the Games here... because songs written for sporting events are usually pretty dreadful. As Muse have confirmed.

I'll get onto songs about specific sports - running, jumping, Top Ten Songs About The Shot Put, et al. - in the next few posts. First though, a random smattering of Olympic themed tunes...

10. Green Day - Nice Guys Finish Last

Green Day finish last... could this be the nicest song of the ten?

9. The Hives - Dead Quote Olympics

Yes they were smart but they're dead
And you're repeating all that they said
You know it don't make you clever like you thought it would

8. The Donnas - The Gold Medal

7. Lush - Olympia

Will I ever be Olympia?

6. Soft Cell - Torch

5. Kurt Vile - Runner Ups

If it ain’t workin’, take a whiz on the world

Come on, Kurt - have some dignity in defeat.

4. Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush) - Games Without Frontiers

And the medal for whistling tunes and kissing baboons in the jungle goes to...

3. The Decemberists - The Sporting Life

Everyone had hopes for Colin Meloy's sporting prowess... his dad, his coach, his girlfriend... but he lets them all down in championship style here. An anthem for those of us who were always last to be chosen for the team. (See also Billy Bragg's The Boy Done Good, though I'm saving that for if I ever do a football Top Ten. However unlikely that may be.)

2. Belle & Sebastian - The Stars of Track and Field

Could I write a piece about you now that you've made it?
About the hours spent, the wilderness in your training
You only did it so that you could wear
Your terry underwear
And feel the city air
Run past your body

1. Gene - Olympian

If they were handing out medals for underrated bands, Gene would get the gold.



Which Olympic tune gets your gold medal?

My Top Ten Start Songs

This is my new Top Ten blog. There will be very little waffle, just ten songs on a given subject. If you'd like to leave comments or suggestions, they're always appreciated.

Let's get started...

10. Seasick Steve - I Started Out With Nothin'...

...and I still got most of it left.

9. Los Campesinos! - It Started With A Mixx

8. They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start

No one in the world
Ever gets what they want
And that is beautiful
Everybody dies
Frustrated and sad
And that is beautiful

7. Spearmint - Start Again

Contains the best final line of any song on this list... but don't listen if you're offended by foul language.

6. The Tindersticks - Can We Start Again?

Drips into your ear like evil treacle.

5. Dexys Midnight Runners - Let's Get This Straight From The Start

This is classic Dexys, from the days when they dressed as ragamuffins. That new Dexys album, One Day I'm Going To Soar, is really quite wonderful too. If you like mad, mad things.

4. The Lemonheads - Alison's Starting To Happen

She's getting her tit pierced and growing a mohawk...I guess there's someone for everyone.

3. The Rolling Stones - Start Me Up

2. The Jam - Start!

Knowing that someone in this world feels as desperate as me...

1. The Smiths - I Started Something I Couldn't Finish

Typical me!



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