Top 10 Pump-Up Songs of All Time

On the post for the invention bracket final, Sam chose the Chicago Bulls theme song as his lead-in, a classic pump-up song. That got me thinking, is that the best pump-up song of all time? What else is in the running? Well, after several hours of careful deliberation, I have compiled and seeded the definitive list of the best pump up songs ever.

I've listened to every song on my iPod (twice) and elevated YouTube to the home screen of Google Chrome (you know, that page that pops up when you open Google Chrome that shows you the 8 sites you go to most). Pump-up songs can be of any genre as long as they make you want to either a) run around, b) watch Rocky or c) break things. In other words, it can't be this (yes I know, it's a good song but the only thing it makes me want to break is my bad sleeping pattern). Feel free to argue with this list --- but only if you realize you're wrong.


10. Eminem -- Lose Yourself

8 Mile is pump-up movie. This is the defining song of 8 Mile. If it doesn't get you energized or at least thinking about vomiting after eating your mother's spaghetti, you're un-American.

9. Europe -- The Final Countdown

This should make you want to watch Rocky because...it's from Rocky. Rocky IV to be specific, right before Rocky takes down Drago.  (Correction: it was on the Rocky IV soundtrack but never in the actual film.) And who doesn't like Rocky IV?

(Sam's note: On the strength of GOB's magic act alone, it should get the nod.)

8. 7th Floor Crew -- Miami Football Team Rap

"I used a rubber. I ain't tryin' to catch that die slow." PUMP-UP!

7. Guns N' Roses -- Welcome To The Jungle

This song pumps me up. This 80s video doesn't. It actually makes me kind of depressed. So I'm disqualifying it. The real #7 is...

7. Jay-Z -- Dirt Off Your Shoulder

We could fill this list with just Jay-Z songs if we wanted to but The Couchwarmers have a diverse portfolio. This song will be that much better when it's playing as LeBron James struts into Madison Square Garden this fall donning an orange and blue #6 jersey (there were so many jinxes and reverse jinxes in play in the preceding statement that you should just forget what I said and move on to the next song).

6. Hell's Bells -- AC/DC

5. Enter Sandman -- Metallica

Pretty even with "Hell's Bells" but "Enter Sandman" gets the nod because Mariano is way better than Trevor Hoffman. This song makes me want to be a world champion on a franchise that has 27 titles.

4. Lil' Wayne -- The Sky Is The Limit

"Lollipop" makes people wanna fornicate; "The Sky Is The Limit" makes people excited in a different way.


3. Zombie Nation -- Kernkraft 400

I'm not sure this song would be ranked so high if it didn't have an awesome video that accompanied it. Not really SFW but for those who don't work (and you must be REALLY bored if you read us and don't work), watch the video. It's like a mix between "Deal or No Deal" and "MTV Spring Break."


2. Sirius -- Chicago Bulls intro song

Michael Jordan liked it. You should too.

1. Van Halen -- Right Now

I was going to try to justify this as the #1 pump up song ever, but c'mon....this song needs no justification. I'm gonna go listen to it on repeat.

So there we have it. The Chicago Bulls intro song is a worthy pump up song -- a very worthy one, to be sure -- but the best? Nah. What do you guys think?

One quick reminder before I dip out: make sure to check out the Couchwarmers' 1st annual NFL draft liveblog on Thursday night. And if you get tired of listening to Chris Berman's voice during the draft, "Right Now" would make for a great substitute.