The Top 15 Songs to Get You Pumped Up

photography by flattop341

There are moments in life when you need to get jacked up. They could be when you’re preparing for a big presentation, going to the gym or for a run, getting ready for a big game or just needing to feel the blood and adrenaline rushing through your veins to remind you that you are alive.

Music consisting of a pattern of sounds and silences constructed into an art form is the most consistent way that I know to get amped up. A top 10 list is too restrictive, so I busted out 15 highly diversified, high-octane gems (in no particular order). Enjoy.

“Killing in the Name of” by Rage Against the Machine

Zach de la Rocha brings an unbridled fire that rages through his lyrics, and his pleas for activism make you want to take on the whole world. With a war waging in Iraq, there is no better time than now to dust off this track and listen to Zach’s poetic guttural overture to think and act for ourselves and not do what we’re told.

“Blood” by Pearl Jam

“Blood” is Eddie Vedder’s punch in a 1-2 combination that knocks you down to the canvas looking for oxygen. If you want to lift a small Volkswagen off the ground or just need to get amped at the gym, this track will get you there. This is one of the craziest songs I’ve seen live in concert. With the combination of a strobe light in the background and Eddie going ballistic, the crowd was worked up into such a frenzy that the riot police subsequently quelled with a pepper bomb (like a stink bomb but filled with OC gas).

“Rock N Roll Star” by Oasis

Oasis bangs out this masterpiece that reminds you what you really wanted to be as a kid. You’ll want to take your car and drive really far but there’s no easy way out.

“For Reasons Unknown” by The Killers

The Killers crank out an anthem of longing for that time when things were right and perfect with that special someone. With one deep breath and one big step, Brandon Flowers will get you up and jumping for when your heart beat like it used too.

“Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2

There is never enough that can be said about this magnum opus. The best is the live version from Boston. You could tear down walls and build and burn down love with this as your soundtrack. Because really, it’s all you can do.

“Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue

Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee created one of the best songs to get you pumped up ever. Their hard-living lifestyle and general decadence was the inspiration for this 80’s anthem.

“In 1987, Sixx suffered a near-fatal heroin overdose. He was declared legally dead on the way to the hospital, but one medic refused to give up and gave Sixx two shots of adrenaline to the heart, bringing him back to life. His few minutes in death were the inspiration for the band’s song “Kickstart My Heart.”

Play it loud enough and you might even be tempted to sky dive naked from an airplane.

“Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin

“Rock and Roll” is how the west was won. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham bust onto the scene in 1968 and we’ve been counting our lucky stars ever since. This should be your first track that you listen to when you get behind the wheel of a Porsche, Ferrari or Lamborghini for the first time. Crank it all the way up, stomp the gas pedal to the floorboard and beg the cops to catch you as you wave them the middle finger. They might carry you back to jail, but you won’t forget about the time you rock and rolled.

“Soldier” by Eminem

Eminem’s “Soldier” is a perfect workout song. You’ll get so jacked up that your shoulders will hold so much, won’t budge, never fall or fold up. Even if your collar bones crush or crumble.

“Hit ‘Em Up” by Tupac

Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” is a lyrical assault on Biggie Smalls. 2Pac accused Biggie of setting him up in regards to his shooting in 1994. What’s better than a revenge song to get you charged up? Nothing because you’re about to feel the wrath of a menace.

“Master of Puppets” by Metallica

“Master of Puppets” is one of the first songs I listened to as a teenager. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield kick off this killer track with what Total Guitar magazine called “the greatest riff of all time.” If it doesn’t get your blood pumping, you’re clinically dead.

“Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses

Gun’s N’ Roses gives Metallica a run for their money with “Welcome to the Jungle.” You know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby. You’re gonna die. There’s not much I can add to top your appetite for destruction.

“Cochise” by Audioslave

“Cochise” can best be illustrated by watching the music video. Fireworks mixed with a devilish bass line and Chris Cornell’s throaty rage to go and save yourself. Can you ask for much more?

“Feeling This” by Blink 182

Tom DeLonge, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker lay all out on “Feeling This.” Show me the bedroom floor. Show me the bathroom mirror. “Feeling This” will show you the way you move. And that I got no regret right now.

“A Decade Under the Influence” by Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday delivers with “A Decade Under the Influence.” Adam Lazzara and John Nolan’s screaming back and forth that they got a bad feeling about this takes angst to the next level. Juices will be sure to be flowing.

“Johnny B. Goode” by Jimi Hendrix

Finally, Jimi Hendrix finishes off with a live rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Asking the crowd if it’s too loud, they respond “No way!” Ranked by Rolling Stone as the 7th greatest song of all time, the guitar licks and driving beat will have you yelling, “Go, go, Johnny, go, go!” It’s literally a rock-and-roll version of the American dream. For that blessing, we can never give Chuck Berry enough praise.

Did I leave something off the list? Feel free to leave a comment with your top 5.