Running Up The Charts - Saint Motel and "Van Horn"
My "Running Up The Charts" side project still has a pulse, and it is breathing. So whatcha gonna do? Listen to "Van Horn," one of Saint Motel's best up-tempo tracks, and just my type of workout song.
Saint Motel - “Van Horn”
Chart peak:
#14 on the Alternative Songs (renamed from Modern Rock Tracks) chart (April 18, 2020)
It’s back! For those who’ve been around long enough to recall, I initiated a side project on Chart Chat a few months ago called “Running Up The Charts,” an opportunity to share music hits from my workout playlist that provide me with an extra boost while I’m running. I did this as an adjunct to the training I’m doing for a race in September called “Beast on the Bay,” a race so long and challenging that I need to put in a LOT of work to get myself ready.
It’s been awhile since I’ve been running, as my last post in this space was all the way back on Thanksgiving 2023 when I wrote about the proto-punk Monkees hit “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” Since then, I stopped running for awhile, opting instead to tailor workouts toward strength training and elliptical cardio work. I also wasn’t feeling much like running, but after awhile it became clear that I needed to get rolling again.
As luck would have it, I found some inspiration over the past few weeks to improve my overall diet (which was garbage, mostly), and that had the net benefit of improving my ability to handle exercises like running. So now that I’m fully invested in running again, I wanted to revisit this space and write about the songs that get me energized to run. And today, it’s no accident that I’m writing about Saint Motel’s #14 Alternative Songs (Modern Rock Tracks) hit, “Van Horn.”
The band has been front of mind for the past couple of weeks, as I had the great pleasure of seeing Saint Motel on April 16, and it was an absolute blast. The first time I saw them, in 2015, they’d just released the “My Type” EP, and only had a handful of songs in their collection. But in 2024, Saint Motel is a full-fledged indie/alt-rock juggernaut, with several albums, EPs, and singles at their disposal to put together a uniquely interesting and entertaining show.
Even after diving into their records the past few years and finding multiple deep cuts to add to my regular playlists, I was surprised by the tracks they played at the show. Old tracks like “Butch,” which debuted with the band in 2009, all the way to “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead,” a deep-cut B-side track, fit seamlessly into a fun playlist of songs I knew really well and songs that I heard for the first or second time.
I’m sure there have been fans of the band from the beginning, but I suspect most folks first became enamored with Saint Motel from the release of their 2015 hit single “My Type,” which featured one of the coolest alt-rock arrangements I’d heard at the time, along with a jazzy, up-tempo video stylized in a unique, ‘70s-era motif.
My appreciation for the band grew, and ultimately led to the inclusion of “Van Horn” into my workout playlist. “Van Horn” is the lead single off the band’s 2019 album “The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,” and in my estimation it captures the essence of the unique vocal and musical aesthetic that makes Saint Motel such an enjoyable listen.
Everything from the quirky guitar riffs that open the song through the blasts of the horn section at the song’s explosive finish make this an easy addition to a running playlist. The song maintains a steady, upbeat tempo from start to end, with refrain flourishes that, for me, provide a fun musical burst that pumps me up when I need an extra boost running up a hill or maintaining a reasonably fast pace.
“Van Horn” stayed on the charts for 23 weeks in early 2020 at the height of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its peak of #14 matched the band’s second-highest chart output on the Alternative Songs chart, alongside “Move,” which also peaked at #14 in 2016.
While I unfortunately will not be able to do much to cover Saint Motel in the confines of the Modern Rock Tracks chart review (“My Type” is the band’s highest-charting single to date, peaking at #9 on that chart in 2015), it’s nice to be able to include them on side columns like this one. The music definitely fits the bill when it comes to finding an upbeat musical track to accompany my running, but as an alternative rock act, they’re second to none when it comes to creating a unique and entertaining aesthetic with both their songs and their music videos.
Running Progress - #DadBod2BeastMode
As I mentioned in my first “Running Up The Charts” article, I am training for a 10-mile race in September 2024 called “Beast On The Bay,” which is taking place 123 days from the date this article is published. I’ve been working out as frequently as life and time permits, but happy to say I’ve been consistent with my workout plan so far.
I cleaned up my diet significantly over the past two weeks, and it’s been showing with my running progress. I’ll never be super fast, but the combination of weight loss and a more conscious anti-inflammatory diet completely changed the level of intensity and endurance I’d been able to attain up to this point. I’ve got a long way to go in four months, but I’m far better off than I was when I started!
Do you have songs that you use in your workout playlist? Do you have a favorite Saint Motel track, or concert experience with the band? Let me know in the comments. I’m eager to hear more about the songs that inspire and ignite your workouts.
Didn’t know Saint Motel until a customer asked for “The Original Soundtrack” on double LP last December.. it hadn’t had a UK release (wonderful Warner Music UK🙈) but I managed to track down a few import copies.. great album…. and a few happy customers since..