Music Gets Me Moving

I had to be quite strict that my five favorite songs met the criteria for creating a spring in my step or a faster pace, getting me off the couch, or even dancing while chopping vegetables.

QUEEN is my go-to rock band, with Radio Gaga topping the charts. I used that song to teach 7th grade students a line dance to get them ready for their end of year party; years later whenever that tune comes on I just gotta have some space to move.

I Go Wild by the ROLLING STONES makes me go a bit wild. If this song comes on while I’m on a treadmill or elliptical apparatus, my pace doesn’t just increase—my hips, shoulders, neck and head all get into the rhythm. Being wild comes with a lack of inhibition.

MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS created a monster of a song when they came up with Dancing in the Street. I believe this song goes back to the sixties—as I recall getting my dance on in a school gym, surrounded by my peers who had the same reaction—get your body moving to that beat: the one that gets right into your heart and takes over. Unfortunately, the teachers were so concerned that things were getting out of control, that they turned it off to put something on which was more sedate. I don’t turn it off; I turn it UP.

This list would not be complete without ARETHA FRANKLIN’S Respect. I can dance AND sing along with the words to this tune, which not only provides just the right juicy rhythm, but the words still have great meaning, especially ‘Sock it to me’.

And now for a leap to a band that’s not been around for decades: TRAIN. One of their songs just grabs me, gets me up, moving, smiling, and dancing until my knees start to cry: Save Me, San Francisco. Usually, one time is not enough and I’ve got to play it again, just to keep the energy flowing and going.

So far on my walks into town, I’ve not worn my iPod. Now I’m wondering what would happen to my goal of increasing my pace if I plugged some tunes into my head. Next time I make the trip, I’ll find out just how the beat will increase my pace—or add new moves to the art of walking.

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