Sporting Playlist: Top Ten Changing Room Tracks

Music is ever present in sport, be it The Stone Roses ‘This Is The One’ ringing out around Old Trafford before kick-off or the fairground inspired themes playing throughout an NBA fixture. In the changing room it’s about finding that happy medium, something everyone can listen to, both Fatman Scoop and The Smiths lovers will have to leave their iPods in their bags.

Most teams have a set of speakers at the ready, because let’s be honest you’re not going to get an Al Pacino Any Given Sunday style team talk from your coach in the Colney Lane changing rooms on a Wednesday afternoon in January.

Here are ten songs which hit the right notes.

1. Right Here Right Now, Fatboy Slim: The beat builds in intensity and the melody has a trance like quality you can lose yourself in to combat the pre-match nerves. The lyrics of the song are simply a repeat of the title but at least it puts you in the moment.

2. Battle Without Honor Or Humanity, Tomoyasu Hotei: Made famous in Kill Bill when Uma Thurman is making light work of her opponents, the song kicks into the famous frantic melody 20 seconds in and doesn’t let up. It installs a belief that you can go and win, whoever the opponent.

3. Sixteen Saltines, Jack White: Arguably containing the catchiest rift of 2012, Sixteen Saltines will get you pumped up in the changing rooms before kick-off. You’ll probably have the guitar lover getting overexcited in the corner too.

4. Numb/Encore- Jay Z/Linkin Park: Putting an aggressive, anger fuelled song and one of the best rappers around together was a good call. It’s hard to put your finger on why it works but it certainly gets you in the mood to put your body on the line.

5. Lightning Bolt, Jake Bugg: Bugg is at UEA in February and his main single is a prompt, addictive number which sets you up well before the heavier tracks.

6. Harder Than You Think, Public Enemy: A great song to play if you’re the underdogs or need to install some belief and confidence. It has a feel good mentality and is a riot of a track which wouldn’t sound out of place at the Super Bowl.

7. Club Foot, Kasabian: Club Foot must have been written as a pre-match appetiser because it sounds just right. The opening rift is dramatic and the lyrics can be interpreted in a sporting sense if you allow them to be.

8. Warrior’s Dance, Prodigy: You could listen to the band’s greatest hits and that would probably suffice. Warrior’s Dance is one of the best for galvanizing everybody.

9. Intro, XX: The XX are masters at finding really simple melodies that sound epic. Intro is a short track but builds really well and is a good ‘calm before the storm’ number to get you in the right mindset.

10. Jerk It Out, Caesars: Not the most glamorous of titles. Some might remember this track off of the beloved Fifa 04 playlist. It’s a real get up and go song and the lyrics, ‘wind me up put me down start me off and watch me go, I’ll be running circles around you sooner then you know’ are appropriate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an6A-Wu6-B4