Running songs for marathon

This Sunday 30th September 2018, my ukulele group in West London will be playing for two hours at UK’s number one half-marathon — Ealing Half-Marathon. We will be at the corner of Cuckoo Lane and Greenford Avenue in Hanwell. I missed it last year while transiting in Dublin. What songs will we sing to cheer them on?

Here are songs from our songbook that I think is appropriate for the occasion, in alphabetical order:

1. Da Do Run Run – The Crystals
2. Down Down – Status Quo
3. Five Hundred Miles  – The Proclaimers
4. Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
5. Hit the Road, Jack – Ray Charles
6. Ride On – Christy Moore
7. Runaway – Del Shannon
8. Take It On the Run – REO Speedwagon
9. Viva La Vida – Coldplay
10. Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
11. When the Saints Go Marching In
12. You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry & the Pacemakers

Are we playing for the runners who will pass by us in seconds and not really hear us or are we playing for the spectators?

For the occasion, I’d like to hear the following songs (in addition to some from the above list), but they are not in our song sheet folder. Lots by Queen, … and most are eighties hits that I know. I might interest my ukulele friends in Boston, as we will have enough time to prepare for the Boston Marathon in April. But we will need bass, lead guitar, and percussion!

50 Songs to Run a Marathon

1. A Little Respect – Erasure
2. Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
3. Band on the Run – Paul McCartney & Wings
4. Born to Be Alive – Patrick Hernandez
5. Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
6. Celebration – Kool and the Gang
7. Dancing Queen – ABBA
8. Don’t Give Up – Bruno Mars
9. Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
10. Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
11. End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys
12. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
13. Footloose – Kenny Loggins
14. Heat is On – Glenn Frey
15. Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira
16. Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar
17. Hold the Line – Toto
18. Hot Blooded – Foreigner
19. Hungry Like the Wolf – Duran Duran
20. Hurts So Good – John Mellencamp
21. I Gotta Feelin’ – Black Eyed Peas
22. I Ran – A Flock of Seagulls
23. I Want It All – Queen
24. I Want to Break Free – Queen
25. I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
26. Legs – ZZ Top
27. Life is Live – Opus
28. Livin’ On a Prayer – Bon Jovi
29. Love Runs Out – OneRepublic
30. Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now – Starship
31. Ready to Run – One Direction
32. Run – Snow Patrol
33. Run-Around – Blues Traveler
34. Run Away – Bon Jovi
35. Run to You – Bryan Adams
36. Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
37. Runnin’ with the Devil – Van Halen
38. Running on Empty – Jackson Browne
39. Shake It Off – Taylor Swift
40. Tainted Love – Soft Cell
41. Take On Me – A Ha
42. The Final Countdown – Europe
43. The Long Run – Eagles
44. Thorn in My Side – Eurhythmics
45. Under Pressure – Queen
46. Wake Me Up – Avicii
47. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go – Wham
48. Walk of Life – Dire Straits
49. Wavin’ Flag – K’naan
50. We Got the Beat – Go Go’s
51. Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
52. You Better Run – Pat Benatar