Emotionally Triggering Songs That Make Members Skip Classes

Music is central to the Peloton experience, but emotionally triggering songs that bring back challenging memories or mental stress can affect your decision to hit “Start” or shape your experience within the workout. Recently at The Clip Out we got to chatting about this, and we decided to ask you, the members, for your thoughts.

When we asked you what songs are “no”s for you, well, we got an earful! In one of our most popular social media posts recently, members had a lot to say! Unfortunately, most did not “understand the assignment,” as the kids say. We learned that many of you love country music and hate country music, love hip hop and hate hip hop. There was actually some shared distaste for Jefferson Starship (and this author agrees), but alas, while that was interesting feedback, it wasn’t quite what we were hoping for.

But… some members did respond with some really interesting stories and we’re pleased to share them here.

Emotionally Triggering  Songs That are a Hard “No” for Members

One member, Gary Kappelman, described his perpetual reaction to a well-known party anthem:

“Celebration by Kool and the Gang. My son’s senior year of high school. Last game before heading to State Championship…playing away. Heartbreaking loss in extra innings. The home team was playing THAT song. I still can’t listen to it and will change a channel/station to avoid it. That was nearly 9 years ago.”

Relationship memories can also surface, as shared by Arielle Kaplan Rosson:

“Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) by Green Day... that song was the song randomly playing on a long playlist (seriously… the cruel coincidence) during the last moments of an extremely intense and complicated relationship… lots of heartbreak and negative emotions. I always check the playlist and a couple years ago it was in a Denis ride that was scheduled as part of a Power Zone Pack challenge ride. I knew what song was coming on right before so toward the end of that song I turned the music on the bike off and counted down the 3 or 4 minutes til I could turn the volume back up. Music is powerful in bringing us back in time.”

For others, grief over a loved one can reshape the listening experience. Rich Glass shares:

“The one song that hits me every time when it is played is Fix You by Coldplay. Knowing what the song is about, when my mom passed n 2024, I get choked up every time I hear it.“

Similarly, Kim Lannin writes:

“I ALWAYS check the playlist. I like upbeat music for my rides. Anything somber or sad is a pass. The song I avoid the most (even though I used to love it!) is Brandy by Looking Glass. Was playing in the car the night our dog passed away unexpectedly 💔 😭.”

Some members find themselves skipping songs tied to personal illness or survivorship, as Erica Griffin shares:

“I check playlists most of the time, if I have time. If not, I’ll just be surprised. It depends on my mood and what I’m wanting to feel as far as skipping a ride with a song. For example, I’m a breast cancer survivor, and unless I’m feeling super strong and empowered on that certain day, I will skip a ride with Fight Song on the playlist. I do love the song but if I’m feeling tender or if it’s around the time of any of my ‘anniversaries’, I will definitely skip.”

Other examples stem from humorous, yet real moments of disappointment, as described by Alex Palacios:

“Footloose. Emotional trauma from not being picked for any role in the musical.”

Songs can even trigger strong emotions simply by striking the wrong chord, for reasons that feel visceral or hard to articulate. Tammy Costanzo explains:

“One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, the Ukulele version because they make me sob and remind me of the loved ones I have lost.”

These examples highlight why Peloton riders value being able to preview playlists and avoid emotionally triggering songs. Some tracks can serve as reminders of loss or heartbreak, and avoiding them helps protect the emotional safety of a workout. For many, managing these triggers is as important as managing the ride itself.

Do You Preview the Playlists?

As a side note, part of this inquiry was prompted by Benny Adami’s recent IG post imploring members not to check playlists ahead of taking the classes, asking us to trust the instructors and the time they spend planning their music instead. When we polled you about your emotionally triggering songs on social media, there was a second tier of response that was split on the value of a surprise versus the need to plan ahead. Often people preview simply to avoid songs that they just don’t like artistically, but, with apologies to Benny, I am going to stand on the side of Team Preview.

Personally, I like to preview to make sure that I don’t fall into one of my own trigger songs (Landslide, Hold On, Good Job, and Love Yours), but also I am picky about who I just don’t like. That said, there’s an argument to be made for trying playlists where you maybe don’t see all songs that you love, but some that you just don’t know. I have found a lot of new artists this way, particularly in classes with Hannah F and Anna, and I’m so grateful for that exposure.

Can We End on a High Note?

On that note (see what we did there?) let’s close with some more positivity. Even though our prompt unleashed a torrent of negativity around all genres of music, member Mia Batol had the nice idea to share something she learned from Peloton playlists. She writes:

“I was gonna share a song that makes me so happy even though I have no idea why. It’s just the beat I guess. It’s pretty popular on Peloton. Before that, I didn’t know it existed. Now I love the group. Similar energy to their other songs. Temper Trap “

Maybe our next prompt should be about music you learned to love in your Peloton workouts?

Tune in to The Clip Out every Friday to hear Tom and Crystal’s take on this and other hot Pelotopics. We’re available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart, TuneIn. Be sure and follow us so you never miss an episode. You can also find the show online on Facebook.com/TheClipOut. While you’re there, like the page and join the group. Lastly, find us on our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/TheClipOut, where you can watch all of our shows.

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