Some of my all-time favorite running songs came from the 1980s. There are so many high-energy, fast-tempo rock and metal 80s running songs to add to your next workout. I sorted the songs by genre and by pace to help you get what you’re looking for.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Click the links to take you to your desired section.
80s running songs by genre:
80s running songs by BPM / exercise type:
- Fast running (sprints, HIIT, etc.) – 140+ BPM
- Endurance running – 120 – 140 BPM
- Cool down, stretching, etc. – Less than 120 BPM
Enjoy!
80s Heavy Metal Running Music
- “Cult of Personality,” Living Colour (92 BPM)
- “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” Poison (129 BPM)
- “Home Sweet Home,” Motley Crue (66 BPM)
- “Round and Round,” Ratt (127 BPM)
- “Kickstart My Heart,” Motley Crue (179 BPM)
- “Lick It Up,” KISS (138 BPM)
- “The Trooper,” Iron Maiden (160 BPM)
- “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” Scorpions (126 BPM)
- “Master of Puppets,” Metallica (220 BPM)
- “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Twisted Sister (148 BPM)
- “Trashed,” Black Sabbath (175 BPM)
- “Rainbow in the Dark,” Dio (117 BPM)
- “Dr. Feelgood,” Motley Crue (171 BPM)
- “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” Def Leppard (85 BPM)
Listen to the songs in my Spotify playlist here.
80s New Wave Running Songs
- “Kids in America,” Kim Wilde (160 BPM)
- “Call Me,” Blondie (132 BPM)
- “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart (125 BPM)
- “Whip It,” DEVO (142 BPM)
- “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” The Police (140 BPM)
- “Take on Me,” a-ha (85 BPM)
- “Our Lips Are Sealed,” The Go-Go’s (152 BPM)
- “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record),” Dead Or Alive (128 BPM)
- “Always Something There to Remind Me,” Naked Eyes (119 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “We Got The Beat,” The Go-Go’s (151 BPM)
- “Hungry Like the Wolf,” Duran Duran (127 BPM)
- “Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League (118 BPM)
- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police (137 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “Relax,” Frankie Goes To Hollywood (115 BPM)
You can find all these songs on my Spotify playlist.
80s Hard Rock Running Playlist
- “You Shook Me All Night Long,” AC/DC (127 BPM)
- “Lick It Up,” KISS (138 BPM)
- “Bad Medicine,” Bon Jovi (119 BPM)
- “I Love Rock ‘N Roll,” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (96 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” Scorpions (126 BPM)
- “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” ZZ Top (120 BPM)
- “Welcome To The Jungle,” Guns N’ Roses (124 BPM)
- “Panama,” Van Halen (110 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Pat Benatar (127 BPM)
- “No One Like You,” Scorpions (112 BPM)
- “Sharp Dressed Man,” ZZ Top (125 BPM)
- “Round and Round,” Ratt (127 BPM)
- “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (125 BPM)
- “The Final Countdown,” Europe (117 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” Def Leppard (85 BPM)
Want to hear the songs? I’ve added all these songs and more to my Spotify playlist here.
80s Classic Rock Running Songs
- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Queen (77 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “All She Wants To Do Is Dance,” Don Henley (116 BPM)
- “Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield (132 BPM)
- “Bad Reputation,” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (110 BPM)
- “Addicted To Love,” Robert Palmer (117 BPM)
- “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne (138 BPM)
- “Hot for Teacher,” Van Halen (142 BPM)
- “Hurts So Good,” John Mellencamp (128 BPM)
- “Livin’ On A Prayer,” Bon Jovi (123 BPM)
- “Another One Bites The Dust,” Queen (109 BPM)
- “You Give Love A Bad Name,” Bon Jovi (123 BPM)
- “Got My Mind Set on You,” George Harrison (157 BPM)
- “Dr. Feelgood,” Motley Crue (171 BPM)
- “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey (119 BPM)
Want to hear the songs? I’ve added all these songs to my Spotify playlist here.
80s Pop Running Music
- “Straight Up,” Paula Abdul (114 BPM)
- “Like a Virgin,” Madonna (116 BPM)
- “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes (109 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “I’m Still Standing,” Elton John (174 BPM)
- “Manic Monday,” The Bangles (109 BPM)
- “Kiss On My List,” Hall & Oates (110 BPM; could go faster than BPM)
- “Maneater,” Hall & Oates (174 BPM)
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” Whitney Houston (120 BPM)
- “Love Shack,” The B-52’s (134 BPM)
- “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins (170 BPM)
- “Physical,” Olivia Newton John (122 BPM)
Want to hear the songs? I’ve added all these songs and more to my Spotify playlist here.
80s Hip-hop and R&B Running Songs
- “Celebration,” Kool & The Gang (122 BPM)
- “Let’s Groove,” Earth, Wind & Fire (125 BPM)
- “Push It,” Salt-N-Pepa (127 BPM)
- “Rock Steady,” The Whispers (116 BPM)
- “Wipeout,” Fat Boys, The Beach Boys (129 BPM)
- “Wild Thing,” Tone-Loc (126 BPM)
- “Funky Cold Medina,” Tone-Loc (117 BPM)
- “I’m Coming Out,” Diana Ross (110 BPM)
- “Bust A Move,” Young MC (117 BPM)
- “It’s Tricky,” Run-D.M.C. (128 BPM)
- “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” Deneice Williams (123 BPM)
- “Get Down On It,” Kool & The Gang (111 BPM)
- “Fight For Your Right,” Beastie Boys (134 BPM)
- “Walk This Way,” Run-D.M.C., Aerosmith (105 BPM)
Want to hear the songs? I’ve added all these songs and more to my Spotify playlist here.
80s Running Music for Sprints and HIIT Exercises (140+ BPM)
- “Call Me,” Blondie (143 BPM)
- “You May Be Right,” Billy Joel (151 BPM)
- “Heartbreaker,” Pat Benatar (156 BPM)
- “Queen of Hearts,” Juice Newton (170 BPM)
- “Whip It,” Devo (158 BPM)
- “We Got The Beat,” The Go-Go’s (152 BPM)
- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police (82 BPM; can go “double time” at chorus)
- “Kids in America,” Kim Wilde (160 BPM)
- “Working for the Weekend,” Loverboy (147 BPM)
- “Maneater,” Hall & Oates (178 BPM)
- “She Works Hard For the Money,” Donna Summer (137 BPM; close enough!)
- “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Phil Collins (98 BPM; can go “double time” at chorus)
- “I’m Still Standing,” Elton John (177 BPM)
- “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins (174 BPM)
- “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” John Cougar Mellencamp (164 BPM)
- “Walk Like An Egyptian,” The Bangles (103 BPM; can go “double time” at chorus)
- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” Queen (77 BPM: can go “double time”)
- “It’s Still Rock and Roll To Me,” Billy Joel (141 BPM)
- “You Make My Dreams,” Hall & Oates (167 BPM)
- “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da,” The Police (148 BPM)
- “Tainted Love,” Soft Cell (144 BPM)
- “Mickey,” Toni Basil (150 BPM)
- “Always Something There To Remind Me,” Naked Eyes (149 BPM)
80s Endurance Running Songs (120 – 140 BPM)
- “Stomp!” The Brothers Johnson (120 BPM)
- “Cars,” Gary Numan (128 BPM)
- “Fame,” Irene Cara (131 BPM)
- “Celebration,” Kool & the Gang (122 BPM)
- “Kiss On My List,” Hall & Oates (121 BPM)
- “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” Pat Benatar (127 BPM)
- “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” The Police (140 BPM)
- “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” Deneice Williams (123 BPM)
- “Physical,” Olivia Newton John (124 BPM)
- “Hurts So Good,” John Cougar (125 BPM)
- “Let’s Groove,” Earth, Wind, & Fire (125 BPM)
- “Our Lips Are Sealed,” The Go-Go’s (131 BPM)
- “Oh, Pretty Woman,” Van Halen (128 BPM)
- “Beat It,” Michael Jackson (139 BPM)
- “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Eurythmics (125 BPM)
- “Hungry Like The Wolf,” Duran Duran (128 BPM)
- “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,” Michael Jackson (122 BPM)
- “Jump,” Van Halen (130 BPM)
- “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” Cyndi Lauper (120 BPM)
- “Uptown Girl,” Billy Joel (129 BPM)
- “Love Is a Battlefield,” Pat Benatar
- “Like a Virgin,” Madonna
- “All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” Don Henley
- “Addicted to Love,” Robert Palmer
- “You Give Love a Bad Name,” Bon Jovi
- “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” Janet Jackson
- “Manic Monday,” The Bangles
- “Take Me Home Tonight,” Eddie Money
- “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Whitney Houston
- “Livin’ on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi
- “Open Your Heart,” Madonna
- “(I Just) Died In Your Arms,” Cutting Crew
- “Hip to Be Square,” Huey Lewis and the News
- “Rock Steady,” The Whispers
- “Got My Mind Set on You,” George Harrison
- “Never Gonna Give You Up,” Rick Astley
- “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car,” Billy Ocean
- “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
- “Nothin’ but a Good Time,” Poison
- “My Prerogative,” Bobby Brown
- “Straight Up,” Paula Abdul
- “She Drives Me Crazy,” Fine Young Cannibals
- “Wild Thing,” Tone Loc
- “Bust a Move,” Young MC
- “Love Shack,” The B-52’s
- “Funky Cold Medina,” Tone Loc
80s Running Music for Cool Downs, Stretching, Etc. (Less Than 120 BPM)
- “Don’t Do Me Like That,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (117 BPM)
- “Rock With You,” Michael Jackson (114 BPM)
- “Upside Down,” Diana Ross (108 BPM)
- “Heartache Tonight,” Eagles (113 BPM)
- “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton (105 BPM)
- “Urgent,” Foreigner (115 BPM)
- “Another One Bites The Dust,” Queen (110 BPM)
- “I’m Coming Out,” Diana Ross (110 BPM)
- “Eye Of The Tiger,” Survivor (109 BPM)
- “I Love Rock ‘n Roll,” Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (94 BPM)
- “Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League (118 BPM)
- “Get Down On It,” Kool & The Gang (111 BPM)
- “Billie Jean,” Michael Jackson (117 BPM)
- “Come On Eileen,” Dexys Midnight Runners (107 BPM)
- “1999,” Prince (119 BPM)
- “All Night Long (All Night),” Lionel Richie (109 BPM)
- “Escape (The Pina Colada Song),” Rupert Holmes
- “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” Prince
- “Keep On Loving You,” REO Speedwagon
- “The Tide is High,” Blondie
- “Take It On The Run,” REO Speedwagon
- “Rosanna,” Toto
- “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey
- “Down Under,” Men at Work
- “Africa,” Toto
- “Little Red Corvette,” Prince
- “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” Journey
- “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now),” Phil Collins
- “If This Is It,” Huey Lewis and the News
- “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” REO Speedwagon
- “We Built This City,” Starship
- “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes
- “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” Beastie Boys
- “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” Def Leppard
- “Fast Car,” Tracy Chapman
If you liked this post, you might also like my other curations of workout songs: