Comments on: Stayin' Alive. Literally.

Stayin' Alive. Literally.

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:41:09 -0800

The Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive can be used as a training tool for CPR, because it has a near-perfect rhythm for timing compressions, it's well-known and it has a tendency to get stuck in your head. Unfortunately, another song useful for training, with a similar rhythm, isn't quite so uplifting.

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:45:21 -0800

I always use Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." Seeing as no-one I've ever performed CPR on has ever "come back" it seems more fitting.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:45:41 -0800

I'll add that my grandfather, the retired Marine colonel, always swore that the Marine Corps Hymn was the proper rhythm for soothing a cranky baby by patting him on the back to the beat.

By: ALongDecember

ALongDecember — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:55:29 -0800

Words cannot describe how great it feels to strut to this song. About a year ago a car, with windows down, was playing it as I walked to an intersection. It was incredible.

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:56:12 -0800

Wow, related!

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:57:16 -0800

"This video is not available in your country" So, what is this song that works, but is less uplifting? Why do they call it the "world wide web" if stuff isn't really world wide?

By: troybob

troybob — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:58:30 -0800

I always use Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." Seeing as no-one I've ever performed CPR on has ever "come back" it seems more fitting. This implies a causal relationship.

By: Ljubljana

Ljubljana — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:59:55 -0800

I got the same error as Goofyy. When did this nonsense start?

By: yhbc

yhbc — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:00:05 -0800

Goofyy (and Baby_Balrog too, I suppose) - it is "Another One Bites the Dust".

By: mandal

mandal — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:00:33 -0800

When they get the defibrillator paddles out you should remember to use some Grease.

By: ijsbrand

ijsbrand — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:01:00 -0800

'Take my breath away' works as well. As do several other thousand songs.

By: filthy light thief

filthy light thief — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:04:55 -0800

Seeing as no-one I've ever performed CPR on has ever "come back" it seems more fitting. How often have you attempted to perform CPR? I haven't heard their rhythm (I'm at work on break), but I wonder if the the greatest heavy metal Bee Gees cover band's version of Stayin' Alive would also work. As long as there's no "heavy metal tonguing" with the breathing part, I'd be OK with it. (my knowledge of this band is thanks to a timely QC comment)

By: chillmost

chillmost — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:08:45 -0800

Like Sandy, Oh my Gad, dat's like, so weird!

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:11:51 -0800

Wow, so now I know that I like working out to about 130 BPM (I really go nuts on that elliptical when Gloria comes on. Or Mony Mony.) Yeah, I know, too fast probably. When I have a heart attack from the 80's music you can come do disco on me.

By: swift

swift — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:16:11 -0800

Someone should use this technique on her.

By: philip-random

philip-random — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:31:28 -0800

given that "Stayin Alive" (the Bee Gees version) pleases me about as much as Karl Rove, I suspect that I will be non-responsive if such is playing when they try to revive me. I did hear a pretty cool (extremely drunken) country + western version once though.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:33:09 -0800

Title notwithstanding, this probably isn't a good choice.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:34:35 -0800

How's about Wham!'s "Wake Me Up (before you go go)? Nobody? Nothing? Sheesh!

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:45:49 -0800

I don't know about people, but Stayin' Alive certainly has the power to bring dance floors back to life. My friends, I have seen it happen.

By: doctorschlock

doctorschlock — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:56:32 -0800

I wonder what beat 'Taps' is in?

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:58:29 -0800

Words cannot describe how great it feels to strut to this song [Stayin' Alive]. I watched that clip, and couldn't help wondering if he has some kind of early stages of Parkinsons or something, and then felt sorry for him because he couldn't afford a cab.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:14:17 -0800

The Burhanistan Gibbeth, and the Burhanistan shaketh away.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:41:02 -0800

Other 100-bpm songs (according to the database ijsbrand linked): Kickstart My Heart, Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Dagger Through The Heart, Heartbreaker, Strong Heart, This Is Your Life, Die Now Live Later, Take My Breath Away, and I'm Back.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:44:46 -0800

Bitch does a soulful ukulele version of Stayin' Alive.

By: batou_

batou_ — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:46:06 -0800

No tonguing anymore, as it is recommended you use a barrier (clothing, ect) between mouths for breathing.

By: pellucid

pellucid — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:18:27 -0800

Some trivia - the beat from that song was actually a tape loop - a snippet from their tune "Jive Talking", which they had also just recorded (their drummer's father died half-way through recording "Staying Alive", and he left - leaving them drummer-less, in their remote studio in France.) The "drummer" on that song was credited as "Bernard Loupee". The song's producer said that for months later, other record labels would contact him because they wanted to book "Bernard Loupee", as his timing was so tight...

By: straight

straight — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:24:58 -0800

Wasn't that part of the alleged appeal of disco music? That the typical "disco tempo" was the same speed as your heartbeat?

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:49:36 -0800

doctorschlock: "I wonder what beat 'Taps' is in?" 4/4.

By: Cool Papa Bell

Cool Papa Bell — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:50:24 -0800

Wasn't that part of the alleged appeal of disco music? That the typical "disco tempo" was the same speed as your heartbeat? Take your pulse right now. Now think about this rumor you heard. If you want, you can go run around the block, take your pulse again, compare the two figures, and think some more about the rumor. 100 compressions per minute is just a nice round number fairly close to the mean adult heart rate that's good to have during a medical emergency. There's no one-size-fits-all figure.

By: No-sword

No-sword — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:54:43 -0800

If I ever need CPR performed I want it done in time to Larry Levan's remix of Taana Gardner's Heartbeat. I don't care if it's too slow and kills me. Come to think of it I want that song playing pretty much all the time.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:40:19 -0800

il Travatore? No?

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:02:52 -0800

Sure, but it's Singin' in the Rain if you do it with your feet. (hell, meet handbasket. handbasket...)

By: kozad

kozad — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:18:32 -0800

Please. My heartbeat (and I tested it) matches that of this song: Please, Please, Please, a song I would much rather hear in my last moments than those of the travesty bands Queen or the Bee Gees.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:59:15 -0800

Calling Queen a travesty is a good way to get yourself closer to those last moments.

By: basilwhite

basilwhite — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:13:36 -0800

This one works too, and the title's appropriate. Baby Bash - Don't Stop

By: Baby_Balrog

Baby_Balrog — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 09:13:00 -0800

filthy light thief: I'm an EMT with the red cross - I think I've performed CPR a couple dozen times, at least. By "come back" - I mean that they've been able to sit up, smile, and say - "Oh hi, thank you for doing that CPR on me the other day." A few of them made it to the hospital and are healthy pieces of furniture to this very day. But something like less that 3 or 4% of people generally actually recover to a neurologically favorable degree after CPR. Chest compression accomplishes only about 20% arterial blood-pressure (as compared to a beating heart) - no matter what, stuff is shutting down. Nevertheless - 3% is still a TON of people in the general population and lives are saved daily with proper CPR. So it's hugely important. I've just never been blessed to see it. I did, however, save a baby once by clearing its airway - and I understand that it was pretty statistically miraculous how it happened so I'm happy and content with that.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:00:59 -0800

Related. It's both a travesty and a fair homage.