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.

Ye olde!

Wyrd and wonderful: 10 ancient terms that shaped our worldview

When people think about "Old English," they usually picture Shakespeare—all those thees, thous, and haths. But in reality, Shakespeare wrote in Early Modern English, which is practically current compared to the real thing. True Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) was spoken more than a millennium ago. It’s the language of Beowulf, filled with vivid, metaphorical words that describe the world in ways we’ve almost entirely forgotten. To understand the DNA of our modern vocabulary, we have to look back past the Renaissance to a time when the body could be described as a "bone-locker" and destiny was an inescapable force. Here are 10 Old English terms that reveal the epic, haunting roots of some of the words we use today.

In Old English, wyrd wasn't an adjective for something "strange"; it was a powerful noun representing the inescapable force of destiny. The Anglo-Saxons believed that while a person had some agency, the ultimate weaving of their life was handled by forces beyond their control. In that sense, wyrd could be translated as "the way things are meant to be." This is where Shakespeare got the "Weird Sisters" in Macbeth—they weren't just odd; they were the "Fates."

The Anglo-Saxons were masters of the "kenning," a compound expression with metaphorical meaning. Banloca literally translates to "bone-locker." It paints the human body not as a temple, but as a sturdy enclosure designed to keep your skeleton and spirit from wandering off. Interesting, don’t you think?

If you’ve ever woken up at 4:00 a.m. and immediately started stressing about every mistake you’ve made since the third grade, you’ve experienced úhtcearu. Úht refers to the hour just before dawn, and cearu means "care" or "sorrow." In other words, it describes pre-dawn anxiety or what we might jokingly call the "3:00 a.m. scaries."

This is a word you might find in an epic like Beowulf and would have been the ultimate Anglo-Saxon compliment. Beadu means "battle," and rof means "strong" or "valiant." It describes a very specific type of courage, the kind that flourishes only when the swords are drawn. To make it easier for modern readers, today it would translate into "battle-brave." Back then, it was the highest form of social currency.

This is the direct ancestor of our modern word "love." While it sounds cute and fluffy now, the Old English lufu carried a weight of duty, affection, or religious devotion (such as the love of God). It shared roots with the Old High German lubo, emphasizing a deep, enduring bond rather than just a fleeting crush. It really took centuries to evolve into the lighthearted "love" we use today, even for pizza or hobbies.

Another brilliant kenning, heofon-candel, is a very poetic compound word. Heofon means "heaven" and candel, "candle." The Anglo-Saxons saw the sun as a guiding light placed in the sky by a higher power. The phrase suggests that the sun is a gift, a light set out in the house of the world by a divine creator.

Did you ever have a dream that felt ominous or strangely significant? While we use the word "dream" today, the Anglo-Saxons had a more accurate term for those prophetic kinds of dreams, swefn. The word is related to other Germanic terms associated with sleep, such as Old English swefan ("to sleep"). Yet, to them, a swefn wasn't just a random brain-firing; it was often seen as a vision or an omen.

The simple way to translate this term is with the word "family." But back in the Middle Ages, a family wasn’t just your mom, dad, and siblings. In a tribal society, your maegth was everything. It refers to your clan, your bloodline, and your extended family. If you didn't have a maegth, you were essentially a ghost in the eyes of the law. The maegth was actually responsible for paying wergild (blood money) if you committed a crime.

Literally, andsaca translates as "one who speaks against," meaning someone who denies, accuses, or opposes. In other words, it referred to an enemy, an adversary. But it wasn't just someone you disliked; an andsaca was someone who stood in direct opposition to your truth or your faith. In Old English literature, andsaca could describe spiritual enemies as well as literal monsters. In Christian texts, it was even used as a term for Satan, the ultimate adversary.

Wuldor was a word used to express glory, splendor, or honor. It often referred to the radiance of God or the celebrated fame of a great king. In Old English, wuldor was the term for "celestial splendor." The word conveys more than simple praise—it suggests a brilliance of reputation or divine glory so powerful that it seems almost to shine.