This Friday night in Ottawa, Tommy Youngsteen will perform the greatest hits of Tom Petty. Looking for fuel for your fire? Alan Snoddy, formerly of the rock band Stars and currently fronting Youngsteen—known fondly for their covers of Bruce Springsteen and featuring members of Serena Ryder’s band, plus guys from Arkells—lays out the ultimate rock playlist. Tommy Youngsteen plays the Best of Tom Petty on May 25 at the 27 Club in Ottawa. Here’s some tunes Alan selected that you can run to this weekend, wherever you may race.
Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
Maybe the the number one running song of all time? “We gotta get out while we’re young, ’cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run.” Getting ahead, goals and getting to where you need to be.
Out in the Street (Bruce Springsteen)
A great sing-along for summer time, being yourself running through a big city is a real trip in itself.
Glory Days (Bruce Springsteen)
Don’t put off ’till tomorrow what you can get done today, no sense looking back one day wondering what you could have a accomplished.
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen)
The synthesizer pulse in this one sounds a bit like a heartbeat. Keeps you going on that last mile.
Night (Bruce Springsteen)
The fast hi-hats on this one make me think of the pistons of a train racing down the track.
Run to You (Bryan Adams)
The ticking rim shot on this one lets you know that slow and steady doesn’t always win the race… and it has “Run” in the title, hah!
Rockin in the Free World (Neil Young)
That chugging fuzz guitar sounds like a muscle car just waiting to take of at the beginning of a street race.
Running Down a Dream (Tom Petty)
This one pretty well speaks for itself. Here’s the video (live!) if you want a jolt.
American Girl (Tom Petty)
Petty is great at painting a picture with just a few lines. You could probably see this story unfold running through any small town in North America.
Won’t Back Down (Tom Petty)
Keeping positive through the tough times is what gets you through everything, like Petty says: “There ain’t no easy way out.”
Up Sister! (Sam Roberts Band)
That pounding double-time beat feels like an uphill battle or a sprint.
Kiss Cam (The Arkells)
This great four-on-the-floor beat sets a really great pace.
Stompa (Serena Ryder)
Great medium tempo track to kick off a run and get up to a good pace.
Alan Snoddy is a Canadian singer, songwriter & guitarist from Toronto. Formerly of the Montreal Indie band Stars, Alan is currently working on a follow up to his 2015 solo EP Shot of Rhythm produced by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel (Steve Earle, Joan Jett). Tommy Youngsteen plays the Best of Tom Petty on May 25 at the 27 Club in Ottawa. For complete dates, see TommyYoungsteen.com.
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