If you’re an athlete, there’s nothing like music to pump you up before a competition. And if your sport is sledding down ice on your back at 90 mph, it’s even more important.
American Luge Team member Christian Niccum explains how just the right music helped him break the record on one of the world’s most difficult luge tracks.
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| Song | Artist |
| Destiny | Zero 7 |
| Heart of Gold | Neil Young |
| Four Leaf Clover | Badly Drawn Boy |
| Superman (jungle remix) | Aphrodite |
| Under The Milky Way Tonight | The Church |
| Oceanside | The Decemberists |
| Lullaby | _ghost |
| Love Will Tear Us Apart | Joy Division |
| Gentle Moon | Sun Kill Moon |
| Wild Horses | The Sundays |
| Heroin | Velvet Underground |
| Set Yourself On Fire | Stars |
For a taste of the action, you can watch a video of the American Luge Team training in Lake Placid, NY:
Music used in this piece: “Heroin” by The Velvet Underground.
Want to learn more about the music in this piece? KEXP documentaries looks into the stories behind the music of the Velvet Underground, and Nico with the Velvet Underground.
Watch out! More stories in the Why Music Matters series comin’ atcha!
Produced by Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, 2010 AIR Live Interactive Resident. Editorial oversight by Kevin Cole. Mastered by Matt Ogaz. Live Interactive is a collaboration of KEXP and AIR, the Association of Independents in Radio with financial support from AIR members worldwide, Recovery.gov, and the National Endowment for the Arts which believe a great nation deserves great art.
