Tracy’s Spring 2018 Feminist Running Playlist

The other day Sam and I were reflecting on how for some reason our feminism has gone from “rage-y” and ranty to reasonable and moderate. Maybe it’s because we are both university administrators, so we can’t afford to be rage-y and ranty at work (for the most part…), at least not overtly so, if we want to get stuff done. But it’s spilled over into the blog. I can’t remember the last time I unleashed some good old feminist rage about something.

And I’m not about to do it here in this blog post today. But I’m warming myself up to it. This week I put together a new running playlist and I decided to draw the entire thing from Jessica’s feminist playlist, on Spotify as “Handle that Shit (with strength and grace and a well-timed fuck)(explicit).”

Her playlist was a collaborative effort among friends on social media. She put the call out for feminist tunes for cranking and feeling that surge of strength and solidarity. And the suggestions started rolling in, and rolling in, and rolling in. I shared her call on my timeline and again, more ideas. In the end, she put together an amazing and varied 13.5 hour playlist. I highly recommend it.

Not all the tunes are good for running, though many are. I tapped into it when constructing a new playlist for the upcoming season (I say “upcoming” because here it is spring in name only).  As I said the last time I shared a playlist, it’s really idiosyncratic to me. I don’t measure beats per minute. I start off a bit slower and pick up the pace. But I’ve not yet test run it and it’s possible that I will need to double click on my ear bud chord a few times if a tune comes on that is not well-suited to where I’m at in my run. It will take a bit of tweaking for order and adequacy.

Feel free to follow it, suggest additions, or register suggestions and complaints (not promising to honor all of them, since my main goal is to make a playlist that works for me.  I have tried it out at personal training twice this week, and it’s great for that. Paul (my trainer) complained (in jest) that he didn’t feel represented. I take that as a good sign that it’s hitting at least one feminist mark. And when my friend Alison showed up at the tail end of my session, she remarked that the music was fantastic.

Here it is (explicit): “Tracy Running Spring 2018”

1. “Deeper Well,” Emmylou Harris/Wrecking Ball
2. “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves,” Eurythmics/Ultimate Collection
3. “Smile More,” Deep Vally/Femejism
4. “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” Joan Jett, The Blackhearts/Up Your Alley
5. “U + Ur Hand,” Pink/I’m Not Dead
6. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” Kelly Clarkson/Stronger
7. “Fuck Love,” Iggy Azalea/The New Classic
8. “Suddenly I See,” KT Tunstall/Eye to the Telescope
9. “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” The Ting Tings/We Started Nothing
10. “Hot Topic,” Le Tigre/Le Tigre
11. “Hollaback Girl,” Gwen Stefani/Let’s Get It Started
12. “No Man’s Woman,” Sinead O’Connor/Faith and Courage
13. “Run the World (Girls),” Beyonce/4
14. “Fuck You,” Lily Allen/It’s not Me, It’s You
15. “TiK ToK,” Kesha/Animal
16. “Bad Girls,” M.I.A./Matangi
17. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” Nancy Sinatra/Boots
18. “Hung Up,” Madonna/Confessions on a Dance Floor
19. “I Kissed a Girl,” Katy Perry/One of the Boys
20. “Survivor,” Destiny’s Child/Survivor
21. “Look What You Made Me Do,” Taylor Swift/Look What You Made Me Do
22. “Hit ‘Em up Style (Oops!)” Blu Cantrell/Bittersweet
23. “4 Minutes,” Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland/Celebration
24. “Push It,” Salt-N-Pepa/The Best of Salt-N-Pepa
25. “Woman,” Kesha, The Dap-Kings Horns/Rainbow
26. “Shout Out to My Ex,” Little Mix/Glory Days (Deluxe)
27. “Boss Ass Bitch,” Pretty Taking All Fades/Boss Ass Bitch
28. “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor/New In Town
29. “Not Fair,” Lily Allen/It’s Not Me, It’s You
30. “No Scrubs,” TLC/Fanmail
31. “NO,” Meghan Trainer/NO
32. “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift/1989 (Deluxe Edition)
33. “PBNJ,” Patti Cake$/Patti Cake$ (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack”

This post may not be a rage-y feminist rant, but the playlist is warming me up for one! Hope it does the same for you.