The CPR Beat: The songs that save lives
While most of us recognise the transformative power of music to enhance emotional well-being and foster a sense of unity among people, music can also serve another critical function, particularly in high-pressure situations: its ability to provide a consistent rhythm and tempo. Some might use these beats to gear up before high-intensity situations; others might need a sure way to perform an effective CPR session.
While it’s a given that upbeat songs would naturally support these situations better than slower-paced ballads, there’s actually a precise requirement for what makes the best life-saving beat. The power of music can help keep the right rhythm for CPR, but only when it appears between 100 and 120 beats per minute (BPM). While this is one of life’s more necessary skills, these songs yield a certain level of familiarity and comfort that can enhance the effectiveness of re-energising or during a lifesaving process.
For many years, the more obvious choice when referring to the most BPM-appropriate song has been The Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’, and it’s easy to see why. Aside from being one of the biggest earworms in the history of music, this song perfectly adheres to the criteria required to support CPR, sitting at about 103 BPM and enormously referred to during first aid training as a result.
Over the years, however, more organisations and companies have identified additional songs to include in an ever-growing list, making it easy to find tracks that maintain rhythmic precision quickly. While many of these songs may not typically appear on curated favourites lists, some have endured as beloved classics—not only because of their beats but also because of their memorable melodies and meaningful lyrical content.
While many songs, such as Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’, Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’, and Pinkfong’s ‘Baby Shark’, might not be the first to come to mind in fast-paced environments, others—like Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’, Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’—serve a dual purpose of being both good and life-saving.
While music can do wonders for our mental well-being, its function in practical settings like performing first aid can also make a potentially difficult situation less anxiety-inducing. However, understanding its potential to serve this purpose has only begun to emerge in recent times, mainly because of broader health movements but also because more companies are incorporating educational content into their marketing efforts.
Interestingly, it was the effective work of the British Heart Foundation‘s campaign some years back that drew widespread attention to the whole idea. The original ad, which featured Vinnie Jones urging people to call emergency services and perform CPR by pushing “hard and fast to ‘Stayin’ Alive'”, sparked national awareness about how the song could potentially save lives—all because it adopted the perfect beat.
Of course, this “fun way of learning has a serious message,” according to the company’s chief executive, and while there’s a lot of joy to be had when discovering the irony of songs like The Doors’ ‘Riders On The Storm’ during such a crucial moment, learning a handful of these songs provides an easily accessible and engaging way to learn something that someday might come in handy.
A handful of CPR-appropriate songs:
- ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ – Tears For Fears
- ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ – Toploader
- ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ – Simple Minds
- ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ – Kate Bush
- ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ – Stevie Wonder
- ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ – Nirvana
- ‘Everywhere’ – Fleetwood Mac
- ‘9 To 5’ – Dolly Parton
- ‘Super Trouper’ – ABBA
- ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ – U2
- ‘Two Princes’ – Spin Doctors
- ‘Riders On The Storm’ – The Doors
- ‘Stayin’ Alive’ – The Bee Gees
- ‘West End Girls’ – Pet Shop Boys
- ‘Are You Ready For Love’ – Elton John
- ‘Heroes’ – David Bowie
