What Makes An Ultimate Pump-Up Song?  

What song do you play when you need to feel like a ferocious animal, ready to attack whatever’s in front of you – a job interview, a 10K, Costco on a Saturday morning? Power songs can change your mood and even your behaviour, giving you the extra juice you need to, as Eminem raps, “find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you.”

During last year’s Olympics, athletes shared the songs they play before they compete. Seventeen-year-old snowboarder Chloe Kim apparently listens to K-pop singer CL as she gets ready to drop into the halfpipe. Figure skater Bradie Tennell has said that “Bohemian Rhapsody” is her ultimate pump-up track. Snowboardcross ripper Faye Gulini shared her entire pump-up playlist with songs ranging from “Slow Motion” by Juvenile and Soulja Slim to “Wait So Long” by indie folk band Trampled By Turtles.

What makes a great power song?

1. It has to have a solid beat.
2. There should be some fierce mantras mixed in (cue Missy Elliott’s “We on fire, we on fire, we on fire, we on fire!”)
3. It should make you feel amped up and ready – whether you need to whoosh down an icy track at 145km per hour or get through that stack of reports.

Is there a pump-up song that always works for you? Share it in the comments, and we’ll create a Spotify playlist from your favourite tracks.