Countless chart smashes have had the ideal tempo of 100-120 BPM over the years.
CPR
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In February, and especially on Valentine’s Day, hearts are on a lot of people’s minds. But while you’re nibbling on heart-shaped chocolates, trading sugary hearts with conversation-starters printed on them or dotting hearts onto your greeting cards for someone special, make sure you’re also taking care of the most important heart of all: the real-life one beating away in your chest right now.
In addition to being home to the Day of Love, the second and shortest month of the year is also National Heart Health Month, meaning that now is the time to read up on your favorite blood-pumping organ and assess whether you’re doing everything you can to keep it healthy. It’s also a good reminder to either learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation — the procedure much more commonly known as CPR — or refresh yourself on how to perform it, so that you can be ready to save someone else’s life if the time ever comes. The American Heart Association has essential video tutorials for administering the technique online, but something Billboard can help you out with specifically is tempo — a crucial element to both music and solid compressions.
According to the AHA, the ideal compression rate for CPR is anywhere between 100 and 120 beats per minute. Conveniently, countless songs also fall into that BPM range, and many of them have been popular enough over the years to grace Billboard‘s charts. That means you’re more likely to be able to remember them at a moment’s notice during high-stakes situations where someone needs help; all you need to do is call 911, get into position, and then give firm compressions to beat of a hit like Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” until help arrives. The most commonly recommended tune for CPR might be the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive” — which, having reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1970s, is definitely on this list — but any of the hits below will do the trick.
In honor of Heart Health Month, Billboard has rounded up 50 Hot 100 smashes that have the perfect tempos for CPR. Keep reading to find your new go-to life-saving song — plus how high they made it on the chart, as of our 2025 Valentine’s Day publishing — below.
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ABBA, “Dancing Queen”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: April 9, 1977
BPM: 101
Listen here.
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Adele, “Rolling in the Deep”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (seven weeks)
Peak date: May 21, 2011
BPM: 105
Listen here.
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Alanis Morrissette, “You Oughta Know”
Hot 100 peak: No. 6
Peak date: July 27, 1996
BPM: 105
Listen here.
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Ariana Grande, “Thank U, Next”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (seven weeks)
Peak date: Nov. 17, 2018
BPM: 107
Listen here.
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Bad Bunny, “Titi Me Pregunto”
Hot 100 peak: No. 5
Peak date: May 21, 2022
BPM: 107
Listen here.
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Backstreet Boys, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”
Hot 100 peak: No. 4
Peak date: May 9, 1998
BPM: 108
Listen here.
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Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)
Peak date: Feb. 4, 1978
BPM: 104
Listen here.
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Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: March 30, 2024
BPM: 105
Listen here.
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Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: March 2, 2024
BPM: 110
Listen here.
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BTS, “Dynamite”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Peak date: Sept. 5, 2020
BPM: 114
Listen here.
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Britney Spears, “Stronger”
Hot 100 peak: No. 11
Peak date: Jan. 27, 2001
BPM: 108
Listen here.
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Chappell Roan, “Pink Pony Club”
Hot 100 peak: No. 18
Peak date: Feb. 15, 2025
BPM: 107
Listen here.
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Ciara feat. Missy Elliott, “1, 2 Step”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: Jan. 8, 2005
BPM: 113
Listen here.
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Daft Punk feat. Pharrell, “Get Lucky”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: Jan. 8, 2005
BPM: 116
Listen here.
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Doja Cat, “Paint the Town Red”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Peak date: Sept. 16, 2023
BPM: 100
Listen here.
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Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
Hot 100 peak: No. 60
Peak date: March 2, 1974
BPM: 111
Listen here.
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Drake, “One Dance”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (10 weeks)
Peak date: May 21, 2016
BPM: 104
Listen here.
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Dua Lipa, “Levitating”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: May 22, 2021
BPM: 103
Listen here.
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Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Peak date: March 10, 1979
BPM: 117
Listen here.
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Jack Harlow, “Lovin on Me”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (six weeks)
Peak date: Dec. 2, 2023
BPM: 105
Listen here.
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Janet Jackson, “Rhythm Nation”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: Jan. 6, 1990
BPM: 109
Listen here.
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Jelly Roll, “Liar”
Hot 100 peak: No. 38
Peak date: Feb. 8, 2025
BPM: 114
Listen here.
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Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop the Feeling!”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1
Peak date: May 28, 2016
BPM: 113
Listen here.
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Katy Perry, “Teenage Dream”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: Sept. 18, 2010
BPM: 120
Listen here.
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Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: May 18, 2024
BPM: 101
Listen here.
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Kesha, “Tik Tok”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (nine weeks)
Peak date: Jan. 2, 2010
BPM: 120
Listen here.
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Lady Gaga, “Just Dance”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Peak date: Jan. 17, 2009
BPM: 119
Listen here.
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Lizzo, “About Damn Time”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: July 30, 2022
BPM: 109
Listen here.
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Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (14 weeks)
Peak date: Jan. 17, 2015
BPM: 115
Listen here.
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Maroon 5, “Payphone”
Hot 100 peak: No. 2
Peak date: May 26, 2012
BPM: 110
Listen here.
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Michael Jackson, “Thriller”
Hot 100 peak: No. 4
Peak date: March 3, 1984
BPM: 118
Listen here.
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Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (eight weeks)
Peak date: Jan. 28, 2023
BPM: 118
Listen here.
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Morgan Wallen, “Last Night”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (16 weeks)
Peak date: March 18, 2023
BPM: 102
Listen here.
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Noah Kahan, “Stick Season”
Hot 100 peak: No. 9
Peak date: April 27, 2024
BPM: 118
Listen here.
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No Doubt, “Just a Girl”
Hot 100 peak: No. 23
Peak date: May 4, 1996
BPM: 108
Listen here.
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Prince, “Kiss”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: April 19, 1986
BPM: 111
Listen here.
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Rihanna, “Stay”
Hot 100 peak: No. 3
Peak date: March 2, 2013
BPM: 112
Listen here.
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Sabrina Carpenter, “Please Please Please”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: June 29, 2024
BPM: 107
Listen here.
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Shakira, “Whenever, Wherever”
Hot 100 peak: No. 6
Peak date: Dec. 29, 2001
BPM: 108
Listen here.
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Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello, “Señorita”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: Aug. 31, 2019
BPM: 117
Listen here.
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Spice Girls, “Wannabe”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (four weeks)
Peak date: Feb. 22, 1997
BPM: 110
Listen here.
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Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”
Hot 100 peak: No. 3
Peak date: August 8, 1970
BPM: 109
Listen here.
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Survivor, “Eye of the Tiger”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (six weeks)
Peak date: July 24, 1982
BPM: 109
Listen here.
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Taylor Swift, “22”
Hot 100 peak: No. 20
Peak date: May 11, 2013
BPM: 104
Listen here.
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Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”
Hot 100 peak: No. 6
Peak date: Aug. 27, 1988
BPM: 104
Listen here.
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Tyla, “Water”
Hot 100 peak: No. 7
Peak date: Jan. 13, 2024
BPM: 117
Listen here.
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Usher feat. Ludacris, “Yeah!”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (12 weeks)
Peak date: Feb. 28, 2004
BPM: 105
Listen here.
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Vanilla Ice, “Ice Ice Baby”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week)
Peak date: Nov. 3, 1990
BPM: 116
Listen here.
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Whitney Houston, “How Will I Know”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks)
Peak date: Feb. 15, 1986
BPM: 119
Listen here.
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The Weeknd, “Can’t Feel My Face”
Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (three weeks)
Peak date: Aug. 22, 2015
BPM: 108
Listen here.
