The Collaborative Swimmer Playlist

Courtesy of Claire Forrest

I belong to the generation that has always been able to make our own playlists. Music has been an important cultural touchstone for every generation, but millennials are able to access pretty much any song we want, the second we want to listen to it. Playlists have never been more customizable, and we use them to craft personal soundtracks to many moments in our lives.

I didn’t understand the point of listening to music before my swim races until I got to college. I battled some pretty significant performance anxiety that led me to engage in some pretty negative self-talk before every race. I decided to try replacing the words in my head with music, and it worked. I credit my pre-race playlist for getting me through the last years of my swimming career.

I was meticulous about putting together my playlist, and each song was chosen with care and for different reasons. I always listened to the same three songs before every race in order: I’mma Shine by Youngbloodz, Eminem’s ‘Till I Collapse, and finally, Lil Wayne’s I’m A Go Getta.

Were all my swimmer friends’ playlists as deliberate as mine? What were they hiding behind those earbuds? I decided to ask. What I found was that we swimmers choose our pre-race songs for a variety of reasons: serious, silly, memory-based, or just because.

Songs like Taio Cruz’s Dynamite, Pound the Alarm by Nicki Minaj, or Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger quickly emerged as classic pump-up songs. But there are also swimmers who aim for the opposite, and choose to calm their nerves with songs like James Taylor’s Fire and Rain before a big event.

“I have a tradition for large stage meets,” said Cortney Jordan, eight-time Paralympic medalist. “Before I get to the ready room, I listen to Miranda Lambert’s Makin’ Plans. I do this because it calms me down, both the beat, and it reminds me of the fact that swimming is great, but my relationships with my loved ones are more important.”

Timing and rhythm was a consideration for some, too. American Pie by Don McLean made one swimmer’s playlist because its 8-minute running time meant finishing the 500 free before she finished singing along in her head. Others just flip through songs until they find a rad beat—either fast or slow—that appeals to them in the moment.

And then there is the category of ‘whatever works’: “Always has been my pre-race song, always will be my pre-race song”, said a friend of the Space Jam theme.

I once got a best time in the 800-meter freestyle that I attribute entirely to me upping my pace in accordance to the vocal riffs of Beyoncé’s Love On Top.

But it gets weirder. “I once swam an entire 400 I.M. singing a song called Ice Cream Man by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers in my head,” someone recalled. “I got a best time, and it was the only 400 I.M. I ever enjoyed.” How do our brains recall random things like this at the most interesting of times? But if it works this well, do we really care?

Need to spice up your pre-race playlist? Here’s the full list:

• Kiss From a Rose, Seal
• Everytime We Touch, Cascada
• Beam Me Up, Cazzette
• Fire and Rain, James Taylor
• Sexy and I Know It, LMFAO
• Bootylicious, Destiny’s Child
• Talk Dirty to Me, Jason Derulo
• Another One Bites the Dust, Queen
• Swim, Jack’s Mannequin
• Fly, Nicki Minaj ft. Rihanna
• My Time, Fabulous ft. Jeremih
• Monster, Kanye West
• Fighter, Christina Aguilera
• Circus, Britney Spears
• I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), The Proclaimers
• Back to You, The Victory Lap
• Count It, The Victory Lap
• American Pie, Don McLean
• Dynamite, Taio Cruz
• Makin’ Plans, Miranda Lambert
• The Rock Show, blink-182
• Cyclone, Baby Bash ft. T-Pain
• Pound the Alarm, Nicki Minaj
• Walking on a Dream, Empire of the Sun
• Son’s Gonna Rise, Citizen Cope
• Move Along, The All-American Rejects
• Levels, Avicci
• Ever After, Marianas Trench
• Fallout, Marianas Trench
• Desperate Measures, Marianas Trench
• I’m A Go Getta, Lil Wayne
• Space Jam Theme, Quad City D.J.
• Kryptonite, 3 Doors Down
• Love On Top, Beyoncé
• Part of Me, Katy Perry
• Ice Cream Man, Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers
• The Fighter, Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder
• Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), Kelly Clarkson
• Swim Good, Frank Ocean

What songs grace your pre-race playlist and why? Sound off (pun absolutely intended) in the comments below!