The Bee Gees Weren’t Kidding When They Called That Song “Stayin’ Alive”

noah | October 16, 2008 5:00 am
Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a mother performing CPR, if you just remember to time your compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever-soundtracking disco anthem, you’ll have a much higher chance of saving the person who’s dying, according to a team of doctors. That’s because the tempo of the song is 103 BPM, which almost matches the ideal cardio-pulmonary resuscitation rate of 100 BPM. But what if you’re trying to save the life of someone who isn’t a disco fan? What other songs could help you remember the ideal heartbeat?

My metronome’s in the shop, so all I could find was Yael Naim’s “New Soul” (100 BPM–for the dying Apple diehard) and Jordin Sparks’ “One Step At A Time” (102 BPM — for the champion of “modesty”). If we put together a genre-spanning list of appropriately tempered songs, we can all help save a life maybe someday! (By the way, the Fray’s “How To Save A Life” is apparently 122 BPM. Nice to know that it’s still completely useless.)

[Reuters; HT Andy Beta / YouTube]