Music: Saturday Night Fever / CPR

Back when my daughter lived with me, I was invited to a 21st birthday party by one of her friends. My daughter, however, uninvited me on the basis that it was for young people. I remonstrated that if I dug out the white flares, brightly patterned shirt, the platform shoes and did a comb over, I would blend right in. As I said this I spun my index fingers around on each other and went into an angled pose with one hand pointing upwards and one pointing to the ground. She remained unmoved.

I mention this because recently the Bee Gees hit Stayin’ Alive was back in the news.

This is the song which opens the movie Saturday Night Fever, as Tony Manero (John Travolta) struts the streets of Brooklyn with paint can in hand. http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=KOXa8mkPpeY

The 1977 symbol of the disco era has now been found to be almost the perfect rhythm for the number of chest compressions to be given per minute during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The right number of compressions for CPR is 100 per minute, much higher than most people would imagine as correct. The trouble is that it is very difficult to gauge what the right rate is. Stayin’ Alive plays at 103 beats per minute so medicos at the University of Illinois carried out a study whereby 15 students and doctors performed CPR in time with the song playing on their ipods. Five weeks later they were asked to carry out CPR without the music but on the basis that they thought of it whilst performing compressions. The average number of compressions was only slightly more than the 103 beats per minute of the song.

Apparently the American Heart Association has been using the song as a training tip for CPR instructors for about 2 years.

It is also reported that a song by Queen has a similar number of beats but that it was considered that Stayin’ Alive was more appropriate in the above context than Another One Bites the Dust.

Source: SMH 17.10.2008 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stayin'_Alive

So, in case you find yourself in a situation where you need to administer CPR, keep the following in your wallet…

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,

I'm a woman's man—no time to talk.

Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around

Since I was born.

And now it's all right. It's OK.

And you may look the other way.

We can try to understand

The New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,

You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', people,

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Well now, I get low and I get high,

And if I can't get either, I really try.

Got the wings of heaven on my shoes;

I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.

You know it's all right. It's OK.

I'll live to see another day.

We can try to understand

The New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,

You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', people,

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.

Stayin' alive.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,

I'm a woman's man—no time to talk.

Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around

Since I was born.

And now it's all right. It's OK.

And you may look the other way.

We can try to understand

The New York Times' effect on man.

Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,

You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin', people,

Stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.

I’m stayin' alive.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.

I’m stayin' alive.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.

I’m stayin' alive.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.

Somebody help me, yeah.

Life’s goin' nowhere. Somebody help me, yeah.

I’m stayin' alive.