What music was played in gyms in the '80s?

[CharlieGlide]

I was faking a workout at the gym today and the music was actually not half bad today. Usually, it's really annoying uptempo remixes of top 40 stuff which really does sound all the same.

It got me to thinking, what would be common music played in gyms in the 1980s?  Top 40? 12" re-mixes?  There wasn't satellite radio then which my gym uses now.  If a gym were to have music it would have to be an over the air radio station (with commercials) or a mixed tape, or a purchased tape.

Can anyone remember what they heard or listened to in the gym?

[ArtieRollins]

I'm much to young to remember anything from the 80s but when I was at elementary school and had gym classes my teacher used to play all the time an "best of" the 80s mix tape with everything from new wave, disco, heavy metal, glam metal, synthpop, italo disco, pop and even some ballads. The funny thing is that this was around 1992-93 (the hype of grunge/alternative music) and we were stuck in the 80s for several years as she continued to play these 80s mix tapes up to around 1996-97. I was pretty tired of hearing The Final Countdown but I guess it could have been much, much worse. My mom also had a couple of 80s training mix tapes that she used to play all the time. 

These are some of the songs that I remember the most:

Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger (1982)

Europe - The Final Countdown (1986)

Foreigner - Say You Will (1987)

a-ha - The Sun Always Shines (1985)

The Alan Parsons Project - May Be A Price To Pay (1982)

Kim Wilde - You Came (1988)

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life (1987)

Dire Straits - Walk Of Life (1985)

 

[Matt5]

Yes I remember most of those - also Heart songs and some Bon Jovi

[summer84]

Well. In the eighties maybe this  I was born in the nineties decade.  And I do remember one song, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" - Cyndi Lauper.

This is actually at the Mutiny hotel in 1986.

[Kavinsky]

17 hours ago, CharlieGlide said:

I was faking a workout at the gym today and the music was actually not half bad today. Usually, it's really annoying uptempo remixes of top 40 stuff which really does sound all the same.

It got me to thinking, what would be common music played in gyms in the 1980s?  Top 40? 12" re-mixes?  There wasn't satellite radio then which my gym uses now.  If a gym were to have music it would have to be an over the air radio station (with commercials) or a mixed tape, or a purchased tape.

Can anyone remember what they heard or listened to in the gym?

well back in the very early 90's I remember the stuff from the 1960's and 1970's getting blasted like crazy all over the place, like this one

 

and the happy days theme and I remember them playing in a very unironic fashion this at the bickford's pancake house

 

I shit you not. thee rick roll troll song,  so I would imagine they would have maybe that with the 50's and 60's like they did with some of the season one episodes, like the one that started out with the animals we gotta get out of this place.

and also I kinda wonder if that's what caused them to do that episode on Petula clarks downtown on Seinfeld, like reverse everything 30 years for the stuff they blasted back then.

actually given his knack for using unexpected but appropriate music in his movies, i wonder what martin Scorsese would say really about that

 

Edited May 4, 2016 by Kavinsky

[Tony D.]

17 hours ago, CharlieGlide said:

I was faking a workout at the gym today and the music was actually not half bad today. Usually, it's really annoying uptempo remixes of top 40 stuff which really does sound all the same.

It got me to thinking, what would be common music played in gyms in the 1980s?  Top 40? 12" re-mixes?  There wasn't satellite radio then which my gym uses now.  If a gym were to have music it would have to be an over the air radio station (with commercials) or a mixed tape, or a purchased tape.

Can anyone remember what they heard or listened to in the gym?

I guess you mean an adult gym, although I first thought of gym class at school. ArtieRollins seems to think so, too.

I don't go to a gym, since I get enough exercise loading my guitar equipment in & out of places.

In High School 1950's, there was no music, just ....haircut check, (too long you got detention), push- ups, rope climbing & then playing basketball to finish off the period.

[CharlieGlide]

INteresting answers.  Yes, I meant an adult, membership type gym.  I blast my headphones with mostly '80s stuff when I go.  I especially use faster tempo music on the treadmill.  "Forever Tonight" by Jan Hammer..."Question of Time" by Depeche Mode (not the most uplifting lyrics but great to run to), a couple songs by Bad Manners, a really cheesy song called "Turn to Gold" by David Austin that I love for whatever reason, but only on the treadmill, "Forever Man" by Eric Clapton..."Wildflower" by the Cult.  Those are but a few.

[Matt5]

Yes I also remember some Cult songs being played !

[TylerDurden389]

A friend of mine who's a total metalhead used to work overnight at a 24 hour gym. During a period in my life when I wasn't working or going to school (still college age at the time so somewhere between 8-10 years ago), there were a few times I went over there and basically hung out for the night. He had control of the music in the place, and it was nothing but heavy metal and 80's AOR rock when he was on duty.

**Edit** Oh and you can bet that if I ever had my own commercial gym business the music would be more of the same, lol. I'd call it "Retro Fitness" but unfortunately that name is already taken.

Edited May 5, 2016 by TylerDurden389

[Stinger390X]

For those of you who remember "the 20 minute workout"  cudos...

For the rest of you...................................too bad!

 

Those who have seen it know what I'm talking about wink wink! Today we have porn. When I was young we had the twenty minute workout!!!