Last Updated on: 4th December 2024, 03:26 pm
Winner’s Playlist: Top Action Film Songs Scientifically Designed To Energise
- The researchers analyzed the soundtracks from the best-rated action films, specifically their BPM, energy, loudness, valence, lack of acousticness, and play count.
- Battle Without Honor Or Humanity from Kill Bill: Vol. 1’s is the most motivating song featured in some of the greatest action films in history.
- Scarface, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and John Wick produced the most motivating tracks on the “Winner’s Playlist”.
With Spotify Wrapped released on December 4th, music lovers are comparing yearly totals of their top songs and artists. To avoid embarassement next time, music and sports experts joined forces to develop a 30-track “Winner’s Playlist” designed to boost morale and fuel ambition in the gym, heal a heartbreak or hit an end-of-year KPI. Importantly, all the music is from the best action films in history. Songs from Scarface, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and John Wick comprise 18 of the top 30.
This is according to a new study from sports betting site GamingToday.com, which analyzed 1,040 tracks from 56 of the top 100 action films rated highest on IMDb. They considered six audio features through Spotify API and produced a 30-track playlist designed to motivate listeners into achieving their goals. These factors include BPM, energy, loudness, valence, lack of acousticness, and play count.
Winner’s Playlist: Top 30 Most Motivating Songs from the Greatest Action Films Ever
| # | Name | Artist | Film | Total Motivational Score (0-100) |
| 1 | Battle Without Honor Or Humanity | HOTEI | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 85.27 |
| 2 | Scarface (Push It To The Limit) – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Paul Engemann | Scarface | 83.61 |
| 3 | Shots Fired | Le Castle Vania | John Wick | 80.39 |
| 4 | Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood | Santa Esmeralda | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 80.06 |
| 5 | Who You Talkin’ To Man? | Nostalghia | John Wick | 79.78 |
| 6 | Run Fay Run | Isaac Hayes | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 79.35 |
| 7 | The Red Circle | Le Castle Vania | John Wick | 77.73 |
| 8 | She’s On Fire – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Amy Holland | Scarface | 77.31 |
| 9 | The Drowning | Le Castle Vania | John Wick | 77.17 |
| 10 | Warehouse Smack Down | Tyler Bates | John Wick | 76.75 |
| 11 | That Certain Female | Charlie Feathers | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 76.40 |
| 12 | Speed | Billy Idol | Speed | 74.36 |
| 13 | Déterminé | Alonzo | District B13 (Banlieue 13) | 73.93 |
| 14 | The Diva Dance | Éric Serra | The Fifth Element (Le cinquième elément) | 72.55 |
| 15 | Shake It Up – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | E.G. Daily | Scarface | 70.92 |
| 16 | Gonna Fly Now – Theme From “Rocky” | Bill Conti | Rocky | 68.28 |
| 17 | Turn Out The Light – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Amy Holland | Scarface | 67.95 |
| 18 | The Diva Dance – Remix by S.W.O | Éric Serra | The Fifth Element (Le cinquième elément) | 66.72 |
| 19 | Green Hornet | Al Hirt | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 66.12 |
| 20 | Rush Rush – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Debbie Harry | Scarface | 63.78 |
| 21 | Back to the House That Love Built | Tito & Tarantula | Desperado | 62.67 |
| 22 | Dance Dance Dance – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Beth Andersen | Scarface | 61.64 |
| 23 | Butkus – From “Rocky” Soundtrack / Remastered 2006 | Bill Conti | Rocky | 61.53 |
| 24 | I’m Hot Tonight – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | E.G. Daily | Scarface | 61.48 |
| 25 | Theme from Enter the Dragon – Main Title | Lalo Schifrin | Enter the Dragon | 60.43 |
| 26 | Drum And Bass Remix | John Powell | The Bourne Identity | 59.21 |
| 27 | Woo Hoo | The 5.6.7.8’s | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 57.89 |
| 28 | Vamos A Bailar – From “Scarface” Soundtrack | Maria Conchita Alonso | Scarface | 57.65 |
| 29 | Alone In The Dark | John Hiatt | True Lies | 54.95 |
| 30 | Cri de guerre | Jamal | District B13 (Banlieue 13) | 50.82 |
Scarface produced the greatest number of motivating songs in the study. Thanks to their uniquely inspiring audio features, seven of them feature in the top 30 songs on the Winner’s Playlist. Scarface (Push It To The Limit) – From “Scarface” Soundtrack is the highest-ranking of all the songs in the film, coming in at number #2 in the playlist.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is the second most featured film in the study, with six adrenaline-boosting songs, including the #1 spot – Battle Without Honor Or Humanity, by HOTEI. Streamed 32.4 million times on Spotify so far, this song stands out due to its high energy, rated 8.9 out of ten; loudness, which scored 8.97 out of ten; and catchiness, reflected in the high play count compared to other shortlisted tracks included in the study.
John Wick has the third most energising soundtrack. It has five songs on the Winner’s Playlist, however, all of them are in the top ten positions. The highest-rated one from the film – Shots Fired – ranked third in the study. It had little acousticness, which suggests a more synthesized production, with an energy score of 8.35 out of ten and 8.02 out of ten for loudness.
Rocky, The Fifth Element (Le cinquième elément) and District B13 (Banlieue 13) each produced two of the most motivating action film songs in history. Speed, Desperado, Enter the Dragon, The Bourne Identity and True Lies also feature on the Winner’s Playlist, with one song each.
“Soundtracks on an action film are a goldmine for anyone looking for a little pick-me-up,” said a spokesperson for GamingToday.com. “We chose the best of the best specifically to give listeners an uplifting soundtrack to their own day when they need all the motivation they can get to achieve a certain goal.
“We hope our Winner’s Playlist helps gym goers hit their workout targets, office workers on a mission to complete a difficult task, and even someone going through a heartbreak. It has been scientifically proven that music can influence our mood, not necessarily the other way around. So, if you feel demoralized and want something to change, this is the ultimate playlist for you.”
