Stick to the beat

"Every breath you take" and 10 other songs that can save lives

When someone needs CPR, rhythm matters. A steady beat between 100 and 120 BPM (beats per minute) helps keep compressions at the right pace. Many people remember that the Bee Gees’ hit "Stayin’ Alive" is one of those anthems that lives in that sweet BPM spot. But here is a list of 11 songs that are iconic, catchy, and, yes, can help save a life.

This is the CPR anthem for a reason. Not only does the beat sit perfectly in the recommended range per the American Heart Association (100-120 bpm), but the song actually became part of CPR training after doctors realized its tempo matched ideal compressions per minute.

Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb wrote "Stayin' Alive" in a matter of days. The song was written in 1977 specifically for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and the Bee Gees wrote a total of four tracks for the film. It hit number one around the world and has never really left. But its second life as a CPR tool may be its greatest legacy.

This 80s anthem became one of the most played songs in radio history. Its minimalist guitar pattern and calm, deliberate tempo make it especially easy to follow during CPR; steady, predictable, unhurried.

Author Sting, who composed it while on holiday in Jamaica in 1982, says that he woke up one night with the first three lines in his mind and sat down at the piano to write it; half an hour later, the best-selling single of 1983 was finished. It has been called "the most played song in radio history."

"Respect" was written and originally recorded by Otis Redding, released in 1965 as a single.

When Aretha Franklin reimagined it, she showed up at the New York studio with the arrangement worked out in her head, including the iconic spelling of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, which she developed with her sisters Carolyn and Erma.

When her version was released in 1967, it was a statement of independence. It topped the Billboard charts and won Franklin two Grammy Awards. But perhaps its biggest pride was being ranked number one in the 2021 Rolling Stone list of "Greatest Songs of All Time."

A beat that can save lives, or at the very least have everyone nodding along. Bassist John Deacon came up with that iconic bass line after getting inspired by funk and disco, especially the band Chic’s "Good Times." The groove was so good that Michael Jackson approached Queen and said to them, "You guys are mad if you don't release it as a single." The band wasn’t convinced, but followed the advice.

Michael Jackson was right. The song became Queen's best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies, and stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for almost a year. Silvester Stallone, creator and star of Rocky, wanted to use the song in the first installment of the boxer’s movie. The band declined, and he turned to Survivor, who created "Eye of the Tiger."

When Gloria Gaynor recorded this anthem, she was wearing a back brace from her hips to her underarms. She had suffered a serious fall on stage in New York, had undergone spinal surgery, and was recovering.

But producers Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris insisted that this new song be recorded. It was released in 1978 and quickly became people’s favorite. Gaynor later said that when she sang "I will survive," she was thinking about surviving her surgery. This song is a universal anthem of resilience and empowerment; It’s only proper that we should remember that it can help others survive, too!

In 1982, Queen rejected Sylvester Stallone’s request to use "Another One Bites the Dust" for Rocky III. So the star called Survivor’s songwriters Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan, who sat down to record a demo for him.

Stallone liked the demo very much that he used that very version in the film, without waiting for the studio re-recording. This song is now synonymous with motivation and dedication. That punchy opening guitar riff is one of the most famous intros in rock.

Michael Jackson didn't write this one. It was written by singer Siedah Garrett and composer Glen Ballard, after Quincy Jones invited a group of songwriters to his home and told them simply: "I just want hits."

It peaked at No. 1 in 1988 and remains one of Jackson’s most socially conscious recordings. The slow and steady tempo is right at the bottom of CPR’s rhythm sweet spot.

You can dance, you can jive… And, yes, you can use it to keep your tempo. ABBA’s only No. 1 hit in the United States, and arguably the happiest three minutes in ’70s pop. The group reportedly knew it was special the moment they recorded it.

"Dancing Queen" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who originally titled it "Boogaloo." ABBA performed the song in 1976 in a televised gala celebrating the wedding of the Swedish King and Queen, the night before their actual wedding. It very quickly became the group’s biggest international hit.

Fun fact: this was originally written by a Philadelphia musician named Robert Hazard in 1979. So, it was sung from a male perspective, explaining to his parents why girls just wanted to have fun.

When producers brought the song to Cindy Lauper, however, she found the original lyrics unacceptable: she agreed to rewrite it into a feminist party anthem. The result became one of the defining songs of the 1980s. Today, Cindy Lauper’s classic is high-energy, bright, and reliable, another well-known song to give CPR to, right at the top of the ideal range at 120 BPM.

This song was born as a direct response to Neil Young's songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama," which Ronnie Van Zant felt unfairly painted the entire South as racist. It was published in 1974 and became the band’s highest-charting single. Young later said that he respected the shot the band had thrown at him, because he later found his own song "Alabama" condescending and accusatory.

Through the years, "Sweet Home Alabama" became a stadium staple, a movie soundtrack regular, and a symbol of classic Southern rock. Plus, now you know that that strong mid-tempo groove is a CPR metronome in disguise.

Craig Reid, who wrote the song in the 80s, said about it, "I knew it was a good song, maybe even a single, but I had no idea how popular it would become." For some years, it had modest success in the UK. Then, it appeared on the soundtrack of the 1993 Johnny Depp film Benny & Joon, which skyrocketed its fame.

The march-like beat at 116 BPM is practically designed to keep you on pace, which, when you're performing CPR, is exactly what you need.

LESS IS MORE

10 Of The Best Six-Word Stories Out There

Image: Etienne Girardet

They say that brevity is the soul of wit, and when the complex art of storytelling is distilled into only six words, you end up with some fascinating literary artifacts. An example of a curious genre called flash fiction, these minimalist tales offer brief glimpses into all kinds of worlds and situations.

Kindred to short-form poetry, popular jokes, and other types of oral literature, six-word stories can be truly enthralling. But crafting a narrative with such limited space requires a masterful touch. Here we gathered some of the best for your enjoyment. Maybe it will even inspire you to write your own!

Image: Unsplash

A mother's worst nightmare. Many times erroneously attributed to Ernest Hemingway (another master of succinctness in his own way), this brief masterclass in storytelling only needs six words to indirectly imply a heartbreaking story of loss and unrealized dreams.

Image: Austin Neill

A story of betrayal. You know what they would say about jumping off a cliff with your friends. And it doesn’t need to be a real cliff even, because what actually hurts the most is trusting someone to stay by your side, only to find out in the worst possible moment that they weren’t truthful.

Image: Zach Lucero

Authored by award-winning sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card, better known for his 1985 novel Ender's Game. Blending humor with an ominous theme, this intriguing short story leaves us thinking in what kind of world such a phrase could be uttered and pondering about what makes us human.

Image: John Hernandez

Kind of bragging, really, but goes to show that it is even possible to write a romantic comedy—sort of—in this very limited space. Or a crime thriller, perhaps, if you take the metaphor literally. This one also serves as an example of a telegram-style narrative, using very few words per sentence.

Image: Charles DeLoye

Another tearjerker, and even without knowing anything about the two main characters of the story, you can feel the pain of losing a brother or sister. On the other hand, you could certainly argue that this one is not entirely grammatically correct—and you would be right—but part of the fun in this type of short story is to let go of the usual rigidness of language and convention.

Image: Hasnain Sikora

A playful sci-fi parody of the classic "baby shoes" story, it gives us a different perspective from the usual science-fiction cliches. It leaves readers to wonder what could have happened to prevent someone from trying such an amazing scientific discovery. Maybe a time machine is not really worth it, after all. Or maybe it just doesn't work.

Image: John Schnobrich

Why is this genre so full of heart-wrenching stories? This one could be a lone entry in a personal diary or a whispered confession to a worried friend. It manages to condense the myriad of tragic details and everyday actions that can remind us of a person who, for whatever reason, is gone from our lives.

Image: Chris Briggs

Another story set in the realm of speculative fiction, this one introduces us to a classic trope of the genre: Teleportation. But have you ever thought about how the machine actually works? Maybe it is just destroying you and making an exact replica somewhere else, with all your memories and thoughts. But it just isn’t you anymore, because the original was vaporized instantly. And even if that existential problem is out of the way, what happens if it malfunctions? Well, I’m not buying a teleporter any time soon. Beware, early adopters!

Image: Yuvraj Singh

From strangers to lovers, then strangers again? Sadly, an almost universal experience! This six-word narrative traces the arc of a relationship with an economy of words that's as powerful as it is poignant. And while a bit depressing, it can be an honest timeline of how most human relationships go.

Image: Geetanjal Khanna

This one could work great as the ending of a noir fiction novel or as the departing words of an antihero protagonist who ultimately decides to sacrifice himself for the greater good. It’s no wonder this is the tone that this short story conveys because its author is none other than comic book wizard Frank Miller, known for his dark stories and brooding characters.