The 155 BPM Project: Help Me Build a “Face-Melter” Playlist for Pittsburgh

Do you run to music? More importantly, do you run with the precision of a Swiss watch?

I have a confession: I don’t just “listen” to music while I run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I use it as a physiological pacer. My natural cadence is 155 steps per minute, so I’ve curated a playlist locked strictly between 155–161 BPM. When the beat drops, my feet have no choice but to follow. It’s not just a playlist; it’s a rhythmic contract between my brain and the pavement.

Below is the current roster. The tracks marked with an asterisk are the Hall of Famers—the ones that never leave the rotation because they are mathematically perfect for my stride. The others? They’re fighting for their lives in the rotation.

I’ve also embedded short voice memos from friends and family into the mix. It’s a virtual cheering squad that kicks in just when the Birmingham Bridge starts talking trash to me.

I’m looking for fresh blood to round out this year’s mix, but I have standards. I need tracks that aren’t just “good”—I need certified heaters.

Drop your suggestions in the comments, but check your math first. If it isn’t 155-161 BPM, it’s a non-starter.

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You get “Elite” status if your suggestion:

• Is in a foreign language (Let’s keep it global).

• Is explicitly about the act of running.

• Is an absolute face-melter (I need main character energy for the final 5K).

Automatic Disqualification:

• Anything by Hanson. (I have limits).

• Polka or Klezmer, unless it somehow meets one of the three criteria above. (Challenge accepted?)

The Permanent Rotation (The Heavy Hitters)

• R.E.M. - 1,000,000

• The Strokes - Reptilia

• Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (Taylor’s Version)

• The B-52’s - Devil in My Car

• The Romantics - What I Like About You

• John Mellencamp - R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.

• Plastic Bertrand - Ca plane pour moi

• R.E.M. - Pretty Persuasion

• Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone

The Contenders

• Vampire Weekend - A-Punk

• R.E.M. - Hyena / Wolves, Lower / Little America

• The New Pornographers - Star Bodies

• George Harrison - Any Road

• Rancid - Ruby Soho

• Dave Edmunds - Queen of Hearts

• George Thorogood - If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ (I’m Gonna Leave)

• Kenny Chesney - Beer Can Chicken

• Jimmy Eat World - The Middle

• Pharrell Williams - Happy

• Moderatto - Ya Lo Veía Venir

• The Smiths - Ask

• Café Tacvba - Las batallas

• Maná - Me Vale

• Midnight Oil - Dreamworld

• Timbuk 3 - The Future’s So Bright...

• April Wine - Say Hello

• John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom

• Little Big Town - Day Drinking

• Dierks Bentley - What Was I Thinkin’

• Bleachers - I Wanna Get Better

• Foo Fighters - Everlong

• Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop

• Nikki Lane - Jackpot

• Prince - I Would Die 4 U

• Nirvana - Breed

• Airbourne - Runnin’ Wild

• Taylor Swift - Holy Ground (Taylor’s Version)

• My Chemical Romance - This Is How I Disappear

• Metro Station - Shake It

• The Clash - Train in Vain

What have you got for me? Drop the BPM and the track below!

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