You know the saying—April showers bring May flowers. For some of you, spring has already sprung; for others it feels like it will never arrive. Seasonal transitions are rarely smooth, and more than likely your forecast will be calling for rain this month. Rather than hanging out on the gloomier, moody side of the rain, get excited with this playlist and a profile to celebrate it.
And so, this one goes out to you, April showers. Thanks for abolishing the long, cold winter and ushering in springtime and all its glory.
We’ve got two profiles for you on this theme! The April Showers profile below by Karen Varecka Cruz contains moderate- to high-intensity climbs both in and out of the saddle, followed by active recovery periods. All songs follow a storm or rain theme.
Jennifer’s profile called “Riding the Storm Out” can be found here.
The bucket playlist below contains almost 270 songs in case you want to change a few tunes in either of these profiles or create several rain- or storm-themed rides throughout the year.
Am I losing my mind or are the songs on the profile different from the songs on the playlist?
not completely losing your mind…I just double checked and there is an additional pre-class song before the warm-up song (“No Rain” by Blind Melon) and for some reason, the cool-down song “November Rain” by G&R was missing, so I just added that back in. All the other songs for the rest of the profile were correct, though. Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention!
As usual, they are just suggestions; feel free to use the bucket playlist to find alternative songs.
I know it’s kind of late for this, but I just
discovered the song “April Showers’ by Natey G. Super fun and all about, well, April showers!
thanks, I just added that. While searching for that, I found a few more titled April Showers and added those too. Including one by Judy Garland. Next time I teach an April Showers ride I might add that as a pre- or post-class track.
My class loved this last night – I added It’s Raining Men!! Your cueing and descriptions made it very easy to follow. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks, Patricia! So glad you liked it.
This has been inspiring: teaching my first class in rainy Oregon tonight!
2nd theme: playlist builds from ’70’s songs to 2017 Thunder Imagine Dragons. (Obvious and hidden themes)
I use Rain in the Summertime by the Alarm (108 bpm) as my warm-up and I Wish It Would Rain Down by Phil Collins (126 bpm) as a cool down.
Two other great additions:
You Make the Rain Fall – Kevin Rudolf, Flo Rida (135 bpm)
A Year Without Rain (Dave Aude Radio Remix) – Selena Gomez (128 bpm)
Thanks, Susan! I’ve switched the songs in the profile up many times now and really enjoy I Wish It Would Rain Down by Phil Collins as a cool down, too. It’s perfect at the end of the ride. We’ll add your suggestions, too! Keep them coming.
From my Rainy Day Endurance Profile;
Hard Rain – Lynn Callihan
Silver, Blue and Gold – Bad Company
I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptation
When Will It Rain? – Jackyl
Through The Rain – Cinderella
Great playlist and Purple Rain is now available on Spotify.
yes! That’s an awesome recent change!
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head – B.J. Thomas. Likely best used for a cooldown.
Love this theme! Two more:
It’s Raining Men, The Weather Girls, 5:30, 137 bpm’s
Ridin’ The Storm Out, REO Speedwagon, 4:12, 135 bpm’s
Thanks Lisa! I just added them to the Spotify playlist. LMK if you have more!
A year without rain (Alias club mix) – Selena Gomez
Kiss the rain (TP2K club remix) – Billie Myers
I can see clearly now – Jimmy Cliff
Thanks Carmen! Just added them to the Spotify playlist. Appreciate your input!
Bill, I would like some snow songs! I have spent about an hour looking and I got…nothing!
Karen, I love this! My favorite part is the cues…really appreciate getting some new ways to say the same things. THANK YOU!
Megan, here’s one for you: Snow on the Sahara by Anggun.
Or, the French version La Neige au Sahara.
Phenomenal cool down song!
I was kidding about songs with snow sounds because snow doesn’t make any sounds. However, occasionally snow storms can be windy. Some of the songs that I’ve used with embedded wind sound effects include:
Bridge of Sighs – Robin Trower
Holy Diver – Dio
One Of These Days – Pink Floyd
Pyramid Song – Radiohead
I specialize in songs with embedded sound effects There are many that include the sound of rain, which include:
Rain Dance by The Very Best (featuring MIA)
The Rain Falls And The Sky Shudders by Moby
African Rain by DJ Quicksilver
10,000 Days (Wings Pt 2) by Tool
Storm 3000 by Leftfield
Please feel free to consult with me in the future if you’re in need of songs with embedded wind or hail sounds. I’m working on my songs with snow sounds collection.
Hi Bill! I added the ones I could find to the Spotify playlist. I’ll make sure to reach out for our next theme ride, too. Sounds like a winter themed ride is on the docket in Q4!