Retro Runners - Forget Blue Monday - today is Wonderful Wednesday

In 2005, British psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall came up with a formula to predict when we feel the post Christmas blues at its worst. It generally falls on the third Monday of January every year - so-called Blue Monday which is 21st January this year.

The formula is: [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA.

Here's what it all means:

W = Weather

d = Debt

T = time since Christmas

Q = time since failing New Year's resolutions

M = low motivational levels

Na = Need to take action

I am suggesting a new day for C25Kers, instead of Blue Monday how about we have Wonderful Wednesday? The day when we create a brand new playlist for running, and hopefully we are so energised by the thought that we are on a musical high and sail through Blue Monday, not noticing it at all....

My Wonderful Wednesday ‘formula’ is

CR X TPL = H

Couch 25K Runners multiplied by tracks on playlist = Happiness.

To all fellow retro runners, we needed a theme that made us feel happy with get up and go,so my proposed theme for all your wonderful ideas is 70s and 80s Dancefloor Anthems. And I’ve started us off with my favourites:-

DISCO - Ottawan

War and Eye To Eye Contact - Edwin Starr

Mighty Real - Sylvester

Stayin’ Alive, Jive Talking’, Saturday Night Fever - Bee Gees

Tainted Love - Soft Cell

Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind and Fire

Hot Stuff - Donna Summer

Le Freak - Chic

Celebration Kool and the Gang

Looking forward to seeing those Wonderful Wednesday song suggestions...

JCR X

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Oh... now you may have me there! Not really my thing... but I went to school next to one of these...

YMCA - Village People

[Hidden in reply to UnfitNoMore]

This is Mr JCR’s Italian cycling group’s anthem at every ‘do' they have, and they have all the moves too...

It’s in, I realise it breaks your thrash street cred, but hey ho, I have to be allowed small victories every now and then

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Hidden]

My other thought may have been even less street cred... Rasputin - Boney M. Not sure Brown Girl in the Ring is PC. I could have gone for some awful 80s ones... I look forward to seeing them from others 😂

[Hidden in reply to UnfitNoMore]

You are a kindred spirit to the Italians - We get YMCA, Rasputin, Ma Baker, Superman and then a whole load of really corny Italian 80s pop. And when its played they will ask us ‘Do you know this famous song/singer’ and to our shame we have to reply no, because of course EuroPop very rarely is successful over here. But they do have a fascination with led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I’m very much in touch with Italy... maybe I can still retire there after Brexit 😂. Love the food and the music. Yes, I like opera... and Lacuna Coil rock!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

I was going to ask for Hot Stuff by Donna Summer when I noticed it was already on the list.

Rhythm is the dancer by Snap another dance favourite of mine BUT that's from 1992, unless you can squeeze that in, otherwise I'll be happy with Donna Summer.

[Hidden in reply to AlMorr]

Hi I’ll save Snap for another one - I think I actually have that on one of our 90s oriented lists, but dance floor anthems I think warrants a nineties and noughties list...

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Yeah... Nu Metal dancfloor anthems coming if you do that one 😂

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Jan, I have found that "Retro Runners - 90s Razour Fish Mix" on Spotify and have added it as a favourite. 😊

[Hidden in reply to AlMorr]

I like that one too!

[Ilminster09 Graduate]

Under Pressure by Queen and Bowie.

[Hidden in reply to Ilminster09]

It’s in

[ButtercupKid Graduate]

I have no idea about any of this: is that Chesney Hawk (?) song about “I am the one and only” eligible ? Because it would definitely be on any triumphant playlist of mine ! As would “Something Inside So Strong”, which is our family anthem, but I think it was maybe late 70s.

[Hidden in reply to ButtercupKid]

Chesney will have to wait - he’s 90s..., but I can't remember which one I’m very certain I have him on another of my playlists. And so too is Labi Siffre. We’ll get them on when I do the 90s and noughts version...

[ButtercupKid Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Excellent !

[mrrun Graduate]

Post xmas blues? Is that what it's called? This is the time of year when l feel alive again, full of hope, happy that all that chaos is behind me. I'm here getting ready for my Wednesday run blasting out Remedy by Black Crowes. You cannot fail with that one.

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

Supposedly so, alternatively it could just have been a marketing con to sell us holidays... I must admit I don’t suffer from it at all, like you it’s a nice clean fresh New Year waiting for fun.

[Irish-John Graduate]

Dang! You must have gone to the same Discos as me Jan

How about "Come up and see me anytime?"

The song - not a hint lol

[Hidden in reply to Irish-John]

Same disco, I think and I was rubbish at dancing, but it didn’t stop me... and the song is in!

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Ah....the days of wine and dancing on tables....

Numa Numa song - heard that and wouldn't it have gone down a treat at a venue called "Limbo"

[Razouski]

This is a great idea (even though I'm not running at the mo), I will get my thinking cap on.

Le Freak - Chic

Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry

Get Down On It - Cool and The Gang

Get Up Offa That Thing - James Brown

Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind and Fire

You Make Me Feel - Jimmy Somerville (cover) or Sylvester (original)

That's a few to get started.

Once you've got going on this one I want to do a shout out for a Musical Theatre themed playlist. If I leave it a few days I hope you won't mind.

[Hidden in reply to Razouski]

Always reliable in a musical crisis! Brilliant as ever, they’re going in

[Tartancat Graduate]

Well, I don't know that you'd call it a dance floor anthem (though I used to know all the moves) - Making Your Mind Up by Bucks Fizz. And I always got onto the dance floor for Hi Ho Silver Lining when they played it at the Young Farmers dog's.

But I was more of a punk/heavy metal fan, so disco songs passed me by!

[Hidden in reply to Tartancat]

They are in....

[Hidden]

No need to be blue!

My 80's dance floor would include the likes of:-

You spin me round, like a record - Dead and Alive

Pretty in Pink - Psychedelic Furs

About a girl Nirvana

Should I stay or should I go Now

and Rock the Casbah - The Clash

Going Underground - the Jam

Too drunk to F*** - The Dead Kennedys

Come on Eileen- Dexy's Midnight Runners

Two tribes- Frankie goes to Hollywood

Better stop messing about and go and make tea!

H x

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Rock the Casbah - I want that played at my funeral

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

All in, you had me perplexed with Nirvana I really thought it was in the 90s - oh my how time passed it was in the 80s, it’s just my middle aged head gap not realising it

[Kimterry Graduate]

Somebody else’s guy by Jocelyn Brown - only song that gets me on the dance floor with out a drink! And of course...Luther - Never Too Much!👍

[Hidden in reply to Kimterry]

had to go in!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Pump up the volume - MARRS

The Wizard - Paul Hardcastle

Relax - FGTH

Funky Town - Lipps

Groove is in the heart - Dee-lite (Hate this one, but I can prove that 1990 was the last year of the 80s!)

The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

The chicken song - spitting image

Birdie dance - can’t remember and don’t want too!

All the good songs hacked up and ruined - Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers (that bad my dad bought them)

[Hidden in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Ok editorial hat coming into play - hate, loathe detest Men without hats, no way Jose to Spitting Image, Birdie songs or Jive Bunny. It’s taken me almost 3 decades to forgive Paul Hardcastle for 19, so I’ll concede on The Wizard, even though I’ll always skip it on my Spotify mix...

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Gotta say there’s some relief in that edit 😂

19 was purely anti-war, so while iconic I didn’t see it as a dance anthem... and I preferred the commentators parody of it anyway. The wizard being a top of the pops theme was more iconic than any of the others of the 80s, whenever I heard it I knew it was time to see what was on ITV!

By the same thinking, and because it caused a bit of controversy with the band labelling, White Lines wasn’t suggested!

I was thinking Mel & Kim, but couldn’t remember the song name... Showing Out springs to mind.

How’s about Push It - Salt N Pepa? Sadly I was also into hip-hop and may have actually had their album!

[Hidden in reply to UnfitNoMore]

M&K in, Salt N Pepa in... you’re getting more mainstream as I wear you down with my editorial spinning

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Must resist...

walk this way - RUN DMC & Aerosmith

Rappers Delight - sugar hill gang

Express yourself - NWA

Paid in Full - Eric B and Rakim

Self Destruction - Stop the Violence movement

Phew... out of the mainstream!

[Jell6 Graduate]

Knock On Wood. Amii Stewart

It's Raining Men. The Weather Girls

I Can't Stand The Rain. Eruption.

I could go on, but had better stop.😊

[Hidden in reply to Jell6]

and they’re in...

[Irish-John Graduate]

Ring my bell ( nope - not a hint again Jan

Electric Avenue.

Taking Care of Business.

We're not going to take it

And the adrenaline pumper that is...My Sharona

God - I'm going to have to organise a Disco Night at the GC025KGCM2020 so I can dance with you lovely ladies

[Hidden in reply to Irish-John]

Bell truly rung!!! And they are ll in, looking forward to the Disco night...

[Irish-John Graduate]

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One from the Heart - Un sogno lungo un giorno - Tango (sub ITA)

May 6, 2014

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