The Most Dangerous Irish Songs To Drive To

Published on Monday, 14 March 2022
by Fergal Lynch

The public holiday we’ve all been waiting for is almost here – St Patrick’s Day on March 17th. If your St. Patrick’s Day plans involve driving, Chill are here to lend a helping hand when it comes to choosing your driving music. Analysing some of the most well-known songs by Irish musicians, we’ve discovered the most dangerous songs to listen to whilst driving, to help make your driving harmonious.

A recent scientific study found that listening to songs with a BPM of 120 and over can negatively impact your ability to drive safely.

The top 20 distracting Irish songs to drive to

Rank

Artist
Song
BPM


1
The Nolan Sisters
I’m in the Mood for Dancing
211




2
The Script
For the First Time
174




3
The Cranberries
Zombie
167




4
The Script
Superheroes
167






5
Flogging Molly
Drunken Lullabies
156





6
Van Morrison
Brown-Eyed Girl
151





7
The Rumjacks
An Irish Pub Song
147





8
The Boomtown Rats
I Don’t Like Mondays
144




9
The Tossers
The Rocky Road to Dublin
143





10
U2
Sweetest Thing
129



11
The Dubliners & The Pogues
The Irish Rover
141




12
U2
Vertigo
140




13
U2
Beautiful Day
136




14
The High Kings
The Rocky Road to Dublin
135






15
Dropkick Murphys
Finnegan’s Wake
135





16
Damien Rice
The Blower’s Daughter
133





17
Dropkick Murphys
I’m Shipping up to Boston
129





18
The Cranberries
Dreams
129




19
Hozier
Take Me to Church
129





20
Westlife
Uptown Girl
129

I’m in the Mood for Dancing – The Nolan Sisters

It may put you in the mood for a dance, but the hit pop anthem ‘I’m in the Mood for Dancing’ by The Nolan Sisters can negatively affect your mood for safe driving. The song’s BPM of 211 can be linked to more reckless driving, studies have shown. Released in 1979 the pop hit reached number two on the Irish charts, becoming the Dublin-born sisters’ biggest hit. However, we’ve discovered that it’s actually the most dangerous Irish song to drive to.

For the First Time – The Script

The Irish pop-rock band’s number one hit ‘For the First Time’ is the second most dangerous Irish song to drive to, our study revealed. Released in 2010, it became an instant classic, but the song’s high BPM of 174 is well over the safe threshold of 120 BPM. Try one of The Script’s slower songs for your next car singalong.

Zombie – The Cranberries

We found that The Cranberries’ iconic 90’s song ‘Zombies’ is the third most dangerous Irish song to drive to. With a BPM of 167, the alternative-rock band’s global hit, which won the Best Song Award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards has one of the highest BPMs in our study.

Superheroes – The Script

In joint third is The Script’s 2014 anthem ‘Superheroes’ with a BPM of 167. Despite the uplifting lyrics and message behind the song, research has shown that its high BPM can encourage reckless driving habits such as frequent lane changes and higher speeds. With The Script appearing twice in our top five – it may be best to leave listening to the boy band for shower singalongs!

Drunken Lullabies – Flogging Molly

Named after their 2002 album, the song ‘Drunken Lullabies’ by Irish-American band Flogging Molly is the fifth most dangerous song by an Irish artist to drive to. With a BPM of 156, listening to the punk anthem can cause aggressive driving, according to scientific research.

The top 20 safest Irish songs to drive to

Rank

Artist
Song
BPM


1
Westlife
What Makes a Man
69




2
Westlife
Flying Without Wings
73




3
Luke Kelly
Song for Ireland
75




4
Snow Patrol
Run
75






5
Chris de Burgh
Lady in Red
77





6
Corrs
What Can I Do
78





7
Ronan Keating
If Tomorrow Never Comes
79



8
Thin Lizzy
The Boys Are Back In Town
81




9
Enya
Only Time
83



10
Luke Kellys
On Raglan Road
86





11
B*WITCHED
Blame it on the Weatherman
90




12
The Chieftains & Sinead O’Connor
The Foggy Dew
91




13
Boyzone
No Matter What
93




14
The Script
Breakeven
94






15
Westlife
World of our Own
97





16
The Script
The Man Who Can’t be Moved
100





17
U2
Sunday Bloody Sunday
101





18
Celtic Woman
Danny Boy
101




19
Snow Patrol
Chasing Cars
104





20
Westlife
I Have a Dream
105

Westlife fans can rejoice – the early-noughties boy band are the safest Irish artist to listen to whilst driving, with four of their hits appearing in the top 20. Their slow tempo ballads are perfect for a non-distracting driving trip, along with hits from Snow Patrol and Luke Kelly.

However you decide to spend this St. Patrick’s Day be sure to stay safe wherever you are. Let Chill help you avoid the annual insurance dance, making your car insurance journey a great deal easier.

Methodology

Chill analysed a range of songs by Irish artists, which featured in ‘most popular Irish song’ articles. The beats per minute (BPM) of each song was then recorded, with the songs being ranked from the highest BPM to the lowest.

The basis of the study used findings from the South China University of Technology which discovered that songs with a BPM of 120 are linked to more dangerous driving behaviours due to the cardiovascular, physiological and psychological impact. Discover the study in further detail.

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