“Times” Discovers Shocking Music/Exercise Connection

The New York Times takes a mildly interesting topic–what people listen to when they work out–and gives it the academic treatment today. It has contributions from several professors (one likes to ice skate to the Buena Vista Social Club! another suggests that “Push It” might be the perfect workout track!), the confusing revelation that Oliver Sacks likes to swim to Wagner, and the assertion that people find music from Rocky encouraging. But there was one sentence that caught my attention.

Haile Gebrselassie, the Olympian from Ethiopia who has won the gold medal at 10,000 meters, often requested that the techno song “Scatman,” which has a B.P.M. of around 135, be played over the sound system during his races.

Huh?

Of all the ’90s technopop tracks, why the Scatman John track “Scatman”? That’s the question your article should have asked, Times. Now we might not ever know. My personal choice would be 2 in a Room’s “Wiggle It” (below), but maybe that wasn’t a big hit in Ethiopia. Either way, next time you hear someone scatting over a techno beat while you’re out running, look and see who might be jogging past you. It’s your chance to see a gold medalist in action!

They’re Playing My Song. Time to Work Out. [New York Times]