When it comes to sports, whether watching or playing, there’s nothing like a good hype song to get you going. From baseball’s walk-up songs to the background music used in gymnastics floor routines, music plays a big part in sports—and not just for pro athletes.
Indeed, a review published in the Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology determined that the research on music and fitness has widely shown that the two are intertwined.
According to researchers, listening to music has been shown to improve performance in multiple types of workouts; the distraction it provides can make you feel less tired; synchronizing your music with your running can boost your running efficiency and overall performance; and more.
Perhaps most exciting? There’s a scientific reason we love hype songs for sports so much: The same review found that listening to music prior to (and during) exercise has been shown to increase motivation and effort, leading to better performance.
So take it from the pros, many of whom are competing a the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team USA, and crank up these songs the next time you need a powerful workout boost.
1. “Saturn” by SZA
Suni Lee, gymnast for Team USA, says that this is her current favorite song, from SZA’s newest album. This will be Lee’s second Olympic Games after winning gold, silver, and bronze medals in Tokyo, an impressive feat after bing diagnosed with two kidney diseases and eczema in the last couple of years.
2. “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + The Machine
This favorite celebratory tune helped get Nia Akins, runner, to her first Olympics this year after an impressive win in the 800-meter Olympic Trials for Team USA. This is also a truly excellent choice for shaking off a bad workout.
3. “Glide” by Jords
Sprinter Kendall Ellis, after nabbing bronze and gold medals in 2021, is using this song from British rapper Jords to help her glide into Paris. This upbeat tune feels like waking up on the right side of the bed in the best way.
4. “Defying Gravity” from Wicked
Taryn Kloth and Kristin Nuss, beach volleyball partners since 2021, made their first Team USA this year. Arguably the most popular Wicked song (it’s in the new movie trailer!), “Defying Gravity,” the showtune all about going out on your own, is one of their picks for a great hype-up song.
5. “Champagne Clouds” by Malia Civetz
Another selection from Kloth and Nuss, this groovy, re-affirming song is great for when you need a positivity boost.
6. “Dreams” by The Cranberries
Bryce Wettstein, the ultimate California girl and 20-year-old skateboarding phenom headed to her second Olympics this year, loves this classic, uplifting anthem from Irish rock band The Cranberries.
7. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston
Another classic choice from Wettstein, this is perhaps a surprising hype song for sports, but when you need a little extra something to get you moving, turn on this Whitney song.
8. “Halo” by Beyoncé
Wettstein’s third pick is Beyoncé’s power ballad on heavenly love, sure to uplift you during even the toughest workout.
9. “Diamonds” by Rihanna
Oksana Masters, 17-time Paralympic medalist (yes, you read that right, 17), has used this song to inspire her to shine bright like a diamond in her lead-up to Paris. It’s an energetic, inspiring reminder of your own worth (remember when Rihanna still made music?!).
10. “Enough (Miami),” Cardi B
Okay, we don’t really know Sha’Carri Richardon’s fave pre-competition listen, but we bet it’s something from Cardi B after this video came out from NBC where the two are cheering each other on and connecting while getting their nails done (learn more about Richardson’s nails directly from her nail tech). This is Cardi B’s latest solo release and it’s got a classic let-me-run-like-the-lightning Cardi beat to it.
11. “No Worries” by Lil Wayne
First-time Olympian Courtney Wayment, a 25-year-old steeplechaser, cite’s Lil Wayne’s super-hype chart-topper from 2012 as her go-to pump-up jam. We’ll be putting this on next time we need to tackle hurdles and water traps.
12. “Paper Thin” by MC Lyte
Logan Edra, aka Logistx, is on Team USA’s first-ever breaking (aka breakdancing) team. She loves “old-school breaks,” like this ’80s jam from MC Lyte, one of the pioneers for female rap.
13. “Head and Heart (feat. MNEK)” by Joel Corry
Pro triathlete Grace Norman, who is competing in the Paralympic Games in Paris this year after getting silver in Tokyo, loves this dance/electronic track from DJ Joel Corry—and at 123 BPM, this is a great song for when you’re ready to pick up the pace.
14. “Harder Than You Think” by Public Enemy
Before Flavor Flav was practicing with the Team USA water polo team, he was a rapper in Public Enemy. Payton Jacobson, who’s headed to Paris to compete in wrestling for his first Olympics, cites this 2007 release as his go-to.
15. “Invincible” by Pop Smoke
Nikita Ducarroz, a BMXer competing for Switzerland in Paris after winning bronze in the last Olympics, chooses this intense rap song to get pumped up.
16. “The Star-Spangled Banner”
When asked for his favorite hype song, Mitchell Saron, a fencer on the men’s saber squad for the 2024 Games, said “The National Anthem, of course,” with a smile. We can’t argue with that.
17. “Pursuit of Happiness (feat. MGMT & Ratatat)” by Kid Cudi
Jaime Czarkowski, an artistic swimming athlete competing for Team USA in the 2024 Games, puts on this version of “Pursuit of Happiness” as a pre-workout jam.
18. “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
This absolute banger, recently inducted in the Guinness World Records as the song with the longest stay on the UK singles chart by a group and the most cumulative weeks on the UK singles chart for one song, is also near the top of Czarkowski’s hype playlist.
19. “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie, Q-Tip, and GoonRock
When it’s time to have fun, crank up this party anthem chosen by Czarkowski that was originally recorded for the The Great Gatsby movie soundtrack.
20. “The Champion (feat. Ludacris)” by Carrie Underwood
MyKayla Skinner, U.S. Olympic silver medalist in gymnastics, utilizes visualization when she competes. Listening to this Carrie Underwood fight song before a competition couldn’t be better for visualizing success.
21. “Change the Game (feat. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek)” by Jay-Z
This hype song is perfectly appropriate as a top choice from Cullen Jones, Olympic gold medalist in swimming, who truly changed the game as the first African-American to hold a world record in swimming.
22. “Nonstop” by Drake
Ready to flip the switch? This bass-heavy pick from Jones has become the background sound for tons of sports videos on social.
23. “Stay Schemin’ (feat. Drake)” by Rick Ross
Before his beef with Kendrick Lamar, Drake had a feud with Common and released this track (with Rick Ross), directed at Common. Jones lists it among his faves, and Complex named it the best song of 2012.
—additional reporting by Ciara Lucas, Tonya Russell, and Kelsey Kloss
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- Ballmann CG. The Influence of Music Preference on Exercise Responses and Performance: A Review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2021 Apr 8;6(2):33. doi: 10.3390/jfmk6020033. PMID: 33917781; PMCID: PMC8167645.
