Hello 2014! It was another great year over here at Spinning Music, holding steady at 870,000 views (the blog passed the 3,000,000 view mark on January 6, 2014) and collecting visitors from 189 countries in 2013. (I love hearing from you!) Nearly half the traffic (426,774 views) came from the USA, 97,883 views from the UK, and 68,614 from Canada (my home). In South America, Brazil leads with 7,087 views; in Africa, South Africa takes it with 6,659 views. In continental Europe, Germany leads with 35,547 views, and in Asia (the continent with the least number of views) India leads with 1,380 views. Hey, the blog even got 7 views from tiny Liechtenstein.
The top rides of 2013 were: Work Hard Play Hard Cycling Mix (2013 – 6,439 views), Gonna Make You Sweat Cycling Mix (a perennial fave) (2008 – 6,230 views), Rock ‘n Roll Cycling Mix (2009 – 4,961 views), Best of 2012 Cycling Mix (2012 – 4,941 views) and Rumour Has It Cycling Mix (2012 – 4,803 views). I think my personal favourite rides of the year were Lisa Goldman’s S**tload of Climbing ride and my Mortal Kombat HIIT ride, which for me, will always be the ride that brought my mojo back.
Top referring sites (thank you!) were YouTube (I was initially confused about this, since I don’t post there. Where are thousands of hits coming from? The vast majority of the traffic comes from folks who watch Workout Music Service (not affiliated with me) but I couldn’t find a link). The other top referrers are The Sufferfest, ActiveGeek.nl (the blog of Dutch cyclist Pierre Gorissen), Spinning Mixes (awesome, because J.R. Atwood retired his blog in 2009 – I love that it’s as relevant as it ever was), and Pinterest (also not somewhere I post, but more understandable than YouTube). YouTube and ActiveGeek are both new; the others are repeat top-referrers. Dave McQuillen over at the Sufferfest has been so successful with his site (he produces awesome training rides with music, cues, and video of races) he actually quit his day job in 2012 to devote himself to suffering full-time. (Congratulations, Dave!)
Props and a huge thank you to the top five commenters who shared their indoor cycling experience and fantastic taste in music this year: Lisa Goldman (who has also become a friend off-blog notwithstanding that we live 6,000 km apart), Judy, Kelly, BAR, and SteveSpinList. You rock. Steve heads up a blog with the catchy title For The Ride Inside (dammit, why didn’t I think of that one?) and he’s prolific, too – he’s already added six posts in 2014. Go check it out.
2013 was the year that Spotify took over (check out their Ultimate Workout Playlist), but we sad Spotify-less Canadians have to resort to Mozilla plug-ins to even be able to sample Spotify songs. (Hey, at least I’m not sitting on the sidelines anymore, frantically switching from a Spotify playlist in my browser window to iTunes to check out new music.)
2013 also happened to be a GREAT year for indoor cycling music (dare I say, the best year since I started teaching in 2008?) I had a heck of a time choosing my top 25 indoor cycling songs of the year. I’ve been writing and re-writing and scribbling my list since late December 2013.
1. Wake Me Up – Avicii (4:10): Far and away my favourite cycling song of the year for its four big, juicy, happy, sprint intervals. (I’m not alone here – it went to #1 in 22 countries.) In fact, I’ll come out and say Avicii’s True album is the best album of the year for indoor cycling music. Buy it.
2. Best I Ever Had – Gavin DeGraw (3:46): Four sprint intervals, a great seated flat, high energy blue-eyed soul, I am all about this Gavin DeGraw hit.
3. Counting Stars – OneRepublic (4:17): A seated flat from heaven.
4. How I Feel – Flo Rida (2:50): Darn, Flo Rida keeps coming up with these great beats. I used this one for a climb but it would also be a killer song for jumps.
5. Timber (feat. Ke$ha) – Pitbull (3:24): I am pretty sure this ear-worm is not actually about trees, or lumber, or forestry.
6. Heart Upon My Sleeve – Avicii (4:40): Dare ya not to climb to this one. There’s a soft, slow bit from 2:19 – 3:30 where I often get my riders to dig even deeper and focus for the minute where the music doesn’t support their work.
7. Let Her Go – Passenger (4:13): Sweet, sweet, poignant cool down music. My absolute favourite cool down song of the year. Yes. Just yes. (Purists will point out this song was released in 2012 but I am including it on a technicality because it didn’t get released in Canada until 2013.)
8. Blurred Lines (feat. T.I. and Pharrell) – Robin Thicke (4:23): Thicke had a massive #1 hit with this song of summer 2013 that sparked a discussion about consent (“good girls… I know you want it…” “the way you grab me, must want to get nasty”) and woke up a lot of folks to the fact that many teens and 20-somethings don’t really understand what consent is. Just. Don’t. Watch. The. Uncensored. Video.
9. Get Lucky (Joe Max Remix) v2.0 – Daft Punk (5:28): I use this remix of the other “song of 2013” as a warm-up.
10. The Monster (feat. Rihanna) – Eminem (4:10): Okay, yeah, Eminem is hard core and I know not everyone appreciates his music, but there’s something about an angry man that makes me want to climb a hill. Plus, I dare you to listen without tapping a foot, even if you loathe the guy’s music.
11. Burn – Ellie Goulding (3:51): The jumps will nearly kill you. My quads get sore just thinking about it.
12. Dear Boy – Avicii (7:59): This long song offers both climbing and seated flats.
13. Royals – Lorde (3:1): Entrancing cool down music from this precocious New Zealander (seriously: she just turned 17).
14. Work Work – Britney Spears (4:08): Spears’ “You want a hot body? You want a Maserati? You better work work…” reminds us that the only way we’re going to progress is with, well, work. Jumps or climbing; your pick.
15. My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light ‘Em Up) – Fall Out Boy (3:09): A relentless climb. Every time I listen to it, I think: what the heck is this song about? It makes no sense.
16. This is What it Feels Like (feat. Trevor Guthrie) – Armin Van Buuren (3:23): A sweet seated flat. I always try to work in Van Buuren’s inspiring story about following your dreams: he swapped law school for DJ work (how’d you want to be in the room for THAT conversation with his parents) but it took off almost immediately. He’s been voted the #1 DJ in the world five separate times and word has it, he commands more than $100,000 per gig. Not bad for a guy who initially dropped out of law school (he completed his degree in 2003).
17. Animals – Martin Garrix (5:04): Another Dutch wonder-kid, Garrix is only 17 and wanted to be a DJ from the age of 8. This single didn’t do much in the USA (peaked at #51) but went to #1 in the UK and Belgium, and #2 in France and Switzerland. I use it as a warm up. Watch this guy – he’s going to do some cool things.
18. Applause – Lady Gaga (3:32): I am a huge Gaga fan (still kicking myself for not driving the 3 hours from Prince Edward Island to come home mid-vacation to catch her 2008 show in my home town. (She was mid-list on a full day music festival.) Folks who’ve been hanging around Spinning Music for a while will know I played The Edge of Glory until I wore it out and tagged it the #1 indoor cycling tune of 2011. But ARTPOP? Meh. This is the only song from the album that has made its way to my iPhone.
19. Gone Gone Gone – Phillip Phillips (3:30): I gave Phillips a nod in the Top 25 of 2012 with Home. This one has great cool down energy.
20. Mermaid of Salinas – Basement Jaxx (5:46): “Give me a shimmy shimmy!” I hadn’t even heard of this song until Rolling Stone tapped it as one of the best of the year. It’s got a sunny Miami vibe, which is ironic, considering the band hails from gritty Brixton, South London.
21. Hey Porsche – Nelly (3:29): Apparently, I was the only person who liked the lead song from Nelly’s most recent album (it peaked at #42 on the Billboard Chart). Equating a sports car with a woman isn’t exactly original, but darnit, I like this song about a guy and his car.
22. We Own It (Fast and Furious) – 2Chainz and Wiz Khalifa (3:48): Inspiring lyrics for a grind of a hill.
23. Woman’s World – Cher (3:41): Her voice is unmistakable and you know what? She’s 67 and she’s still got it.
24. Mind Your Manners – Pearl Jam (2:40): 2013 gave us a dearth of sprinting songs for some reason, and this Motorhead-lite tune from Pearl Jam is just the thing.
25. Roar – Katy Perry (3:44): An inspiring message, perfect for the cool down.
Songs that were oh-so-close: I Need Your Love (feat. Ellie Goulding) – Calvin Harris, Feel This Moment (feat. Christina Aguilera) – Pitbull, Just Give Me a Reason (feat. Nate Ruess) – P!nk, Radioactive – Imagine Dragons (would have been higher but never quite figured out what to do with it), Pompeii – Bastille (bet we hear a lot more from these guys), Clarity (feat. Foxes) – Zedd and Stay the Night (feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore) – Zedd
Songs I wish had made the list, but were released in 2012: Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert) by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, for it’s message of support for equal marriage, Play Hard (feat. Ne-Yo and Akon) by David Guetta, Inner Ninja (feat. David Myles) by local guy Classified (3:22): (I think of it as gateway hip hop, for folks who aren’t sure if they like the genre). Inspiring message and awesome video, too.
Songs I never want to hear again: Gentleman – PSY, The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) – Ylvis (which at least started as a joke).
So what do you think? Did I get it right? Overlook one of your favourites?
S p i n n i n g M u s i c 
Let both of these phrases sink in together: avian flu and weakened
immune systems. We reproduce everyday in the cellular level,
which means that within a few years, we’ve a new
body. But with all the advancement of technology and
science many latest devices and machines have invented to provide good news
on every happening instantly.
Hey Cynthia!
I’m back posting spinning playlists on my blog. Got out the habit, but making an effort to post one a month :) Up last week was my summer themed playlist http://www.workoutwithdi.com/spinning-playlist-summer-2014/
Scheduled for Friday is a fitness/workout themed playlist in honor of the IDEA world fitness convention. Are you going this year? I’ll be there!!!
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Found some to add to my playlist. Thanks!
Radioactive, rolling hills, in the saddle climbing, sprinting up hill in 3rd for the chorus.
Hi Cynthia! I am so glad I found your blog!! I got my Spinning certification two years ago and never had the guts to apply for a job anywhere. Well I made a promise to myself that I would try to find a job before I spent the money to renew it. I had my first audition last week and was hired (as a sub for now). I’ve renewed my certification and am so excited to start teaching classes. My biggest problem is that I am musically challenged. I always have been. Your site has already been a HUGE help to me. I printed your top 25 from 2013 yesterday and went through it song by song checking to see if I already owned it (bc I would never know off the top of my head) or if I could get it from the library. If not I downloaded it on iTunes. Spotify scares me.
I am a blogger too, but not fitness related. My blog is Smart Girls DIY. I have two posts about visiting Nova Scotia last summer. A friend of mine married a Mi’kmaq and lives there now, in Yarmouth. I drove up for the wedding from New Jersey with my family. It was in Shelburne I hear the ferry is starting up again this spring and if that’s the case we might go back to visit every summer. My kids loved it!
http://smartgirlsdiy.com/2013/08/nova-scotia-wedding-and-camping-out/
http://smartgirlsdiy.com/2013/12/nova-scotia-show-and-tell/
Thanks again for all the great info!
Liz
Liz, huge congratulations on getting your cycling job! How’s the subbing going? I hear you about doing something gutsy. I got certified because I wanted to do something to scare the crap out of myself before I turned 40.
If you find riding with the music hard, check out the Spinning website too – they post a new ride every week (along with a constantly updated list of the Top 25 Spinning songs). The Spinning program de-emphasizes any sort of riding with the music, preferring instead to let the music be a backdrop or set a mood for the class.
I really enjoyed the photos of your Nova Scotia vacation – especially the one of all the kids flamed out in the back seat. Been there. We are very familiar with Shelburne County because my husband was raised there and his parents still live there.
Hey Cynthia,
What I like to do with Radioactive by Imagine Dragons are holds. You spend the whole song in standing and for choruses keep your upper body as stationary as possible and only using your legs to help with the bike. I find it’s better at a higher gear since it’s hard to keep your body still if the bike is moving too easily!
Hope this helps!
Bronwyn
Hi Bronwyn, I recently found a cover of Radioactive by Within Temptation that works as a climb or flat. I wasn’t sure if you were talking about isolations? The thing about isolations is they are hard on the joints and generally contraindicated for that reason. Here’s an explanation from the Spinning program: http://www.spinning.com/en/community/what-s-wrong-with-hovers-and-isolations-free-drill-included
Hi Cynthia,
I’m an instructor in Jerusalem who tries to expose the local Israelis to great music and spinning. I love following your posts. I know you were complaining about the shortage of great sprinting songs. I found One Direction’s “Happily” to work great. I recommend setting riders up by cueing them with, take off when you hear “We’re on fire!”
Tamar
Thanks Tamar! You’re right, I am always looking for new sprint songs. I never get tired of Wake Me Up by Avicii but I worry about overplaying it, especially since I have a few riders who come to all off my classes (so I can’t cheat and use the same playlist). I would love to hear some other songs you’re cycling to in Israel. My classes enjoy it when I play a song and tell them, “This is what they’re cycling to in [country]!”
I noticed you mentioned Lady Gaga, I really enjoy spinning to “Swine” which is from the Artpop album. Basically doing a medium hill in the third position from 00:00 – 00:35, relaxing for about a minute sitting and then the same kind of alternating(standing third – medium/high hill) for 1:37 – 2:37 and 3:40 to the end (and in between those sitting and going fast). Just a thought!
Thanks Claire. I definitely need to get past Applause. I figured this would be the only song with that title but there are actually four others. Who knew?
Thanks for the shout out, my friend. xo
Great list Cynthia! I sat in on the unveiling of some of your top 2014 picks in early January and always enjoy your classes. I love to hate those jumps … but still kind of really love them! Love the blog!
Great list once again, Cynthia! I am stealing Mermaid of Salinas-never heard it!
I LOVE Mermaid! It’s one of my new favorites.
Give me a shimmy shimmy!
You did great last year.
Maybe 2014 will even be a better year. Is that possible? No, I don’t think so.
Thanks for the fun, your enthousiasme and your professionality.
Ruud from IJsselstein (Holland)
Hey Cynthia…Great top 25 for last year!
As usual, you’ve assembled an eclectic mix of music to make for a great workout / ride. A couple tracks that I’d add are Safe and Sound by Capital Cities (a great collection in their first album release) and Can’t Hold Us (Mackelmore). The reality, there’s just too much good music to condense into 20-25 top tracks.
THANKS TOO, for the shout out about http://fortherideinside.com, You and this SPINNING MUSIC site my inspiration about 18 mos. ago…I look forward to each post.
Wishing you continued success in the cycle studio and the world wide web!
Enjoy the Ride