Izzy,
Would Shakira or ZZ Top be any good?

been cooling down to lenny kravitz "it ain't over til it's over." and "I belong to you" and melissa etheridge "this is not goodbye" (per sheri) very nice mellow stuff!

THE GYM BLUES: (it is 109 degrees here in NC, and my gym will not kick up the AC> it was 80 degrees and humid in the gym the other day. (cheap cheap cheap!!!) the cardio machine are on the second floor (heat rises) and i could not make it thru my workout even with drinking a ton of water. our whole area is under an excessive heat advisory! it will be nice when it cools down a bit.thinking cool thoughts...iz)

thanks D!

by the way, i do love "I run for life"..love it, love it. i play it over and over again and it makes me run faster. wow...

Don't kill me if you get this tune stuck in your head.

The same Lil Mama who's in the "Girlfriend" song has a rap called "Lip Gloss." Now...I tend to prefer a little depth or at least some rockin' and guitarin' in my music. But she (Lil Mama) is a teenager. And does a song about how awesome her lip gloss is. I LOVE IT. Periodically, when someone gives a vague, "You look nice" compliment, I reply with, "My lip gloss is poppin." It has a good beat. And it's such a refreshing song. It's a teenaged girl who loves her lip gloss, as opposed to acting skanky or drinking or breaking rules. Lip gloss!

thanks everyone! my iPod is happy and full of new songs!
here are some of my faves:
"absolutely Not" deborah cox (very good for running. cool lyrics also, ie, "just because i wear a skirt does not give you the right to flirt!")
"let's get loud" jennifer lopez (sheri--this is 100% latin "shake what yo mamma gave you" stuff)
"girlfriend" Lil Mamma and Avril Lavigne (gets the heart pumpin)
"irreplaceable" by beyonce--fast walk, or warm up, or cooldown.
"One" by U2 (Paula, good yoga rock here)
almost anything by Sting (good yoga rock, smooth grooves)
"It ain't over til it's over" lenny kravitz (smooth, cooldown, or doing slower reps with weight training)
I am with Brie--I love all reggae--i want to be a member of the Marley family!

keep adding to the list if you guys can think of more inspiring songs! thanks! iz

I don't even <gasp!> have an MP3 player, but...

The last CD I bought was Cat Steven's "Teaser and the Fircat".

I find myself playing his "Peace Train" over, and over, and over again -- a very happy, very catchy tune.

He has numerous excellent songs, but that's his most famous.

A few weeks ago, I saw him perform the tune on television, for some United Nations function.

My "Walking" (workout) list favorites:
"Hazy Shade of Winter", The Bangles
"You Give Love a Bad Name", the Blake Lewis from American Idol version (Brie--you HAVE to hear this one, the full-length has an awesome beat.)
"I Remember", Chris Brokaw (heavy guitars and a driving beat without being a headbanger song; a really, really good song)
"Candyman", Christina Aguilera (though it's definitely a Mature Audiences Only song, IMO)
"Criminal", Fiona Apple
"Remember the Name", Fort Minor (it has some profanity, but it's not egregious; this is the song with "10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will; 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name" chorus)
"Since U Been Gone", "Never Again (Club Remix)", "Miss Independent"; all Kelly Clarkson
"Trouble", P!nk

I currently love the song "Buttons" (as in "Loosen up my buttons, babe...") from the Pussycat Dolls CD in terms of rhythm but, while it is an uptempo song, it is probably too slow for fast cardio. Would probably be a good warm up or cool down, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Melstruck:
"I Run for Life" - Melissa Etheridge (it's her song that she used for breast cancer awareness). This one always makes me think that I'm lucky to be healthy enought to workout, so I better get going!

That whole CD ("The Road Less Traveled") is amazing. There is also a song called "This Is Not Goodbye" that is absolutely heart-breaking but beautiful.

I do a lot of 80s techno stuff for cardio - technotronic, c & c music factory, etc...

I also really like Sean Paul, Rhianna (sp ?), Black Eyed Peas, etc....

Reggae makes for a pretty good cool down.

For cool down, I love "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera - it's got just a good message for the end of the workout and if you are not feeling that great about your body. It's good for stretching.

"Switch" by Will Smith gets me moving every time!

Some other good ones:

"I Run for Life" - Melissa Etheridge (it's her song that she used for breast cancer awareness). This one always makes me think that I'm lucky to be healthy enought to workout, so I better get going!

"Right Place, Wrong Time" - Screaming Cheetah Wheelies - a great beat!

"Wear My Hat" - Phil Collins - another great beat!

"Happy" - Sister Hazel - it makes me happy.

Mel