Weekend Listening: Soundtrack For Bloomsday

Just do it, the ad taunts.

But you can’t. You have the running shoes. You have the legs. But it’s not fun. Bloomsday is hard work. ( And it’s getting greener .) Luckily, there’s Nike’s 45:33 to get you through the race.

Yes, Nike. You can say sell-out. But 45:33 is a mix from LCD Soundsystem commissioned by Nike in 2006 and based on “an arc designed for running,” put together in a way makes you forget Doomsday Hill. It works everytime for me. There are no songs. It lasts 45 minutes and 33 seconds. It doesn’t require a lot of attention which is good since running takes another form of concentration. It builds gradually with a slow piano line and the refrain “Shame On You” and then takes off into a longer instrumental version of the gorgeous Someone Great - released as a single the following year. Then, the bottom drops out. A pulsing disco rythm holds the middle- followed by a shimmering comedown and a soft landing.

After the jump is a sample of the beginning movements. Now get out there and run (or walk) to this mix!

Happy Bloomsday!