Some playlists are just background noise, this one leads to the hero within.
Curated by David Mills, it’s one of those playlists that never gets old.
I’ve been riding with this playlist for years, in prep for workouts, big events, work that matters. And yeah, late nights on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway when traffic finally clears and the road opens up.
It came back into conversation recently in the MagicSecrets WhatsApp group, when 3x Magic The Gathering World Champion Mike Long shared Metallica’s Hero of the Day live performance alongside a message about the culture of shortcuts.
What’s a shortcut, exactly?
Here’s the conversation that started it:
Jason (Smitty) Smith: I did like the line about it being a lot easier when the fish jumps in the boat.
Mike Long: Perfect example. I want to harp on shortcut vs the normal way. We run things, things don’t run us. Don’t take nothing from nobody. The only way to run things is shortcuts, and the ultimate shortcut is so often the culture of shortcuts.
Mike Long: That’s what Smitty does that’s so amazing. Vibes with shortcuts and shortcut culture. Ala David Mills. Not because it’s David, but because he discovered it on his own. Looking for it. Seeing how David was right and even developing on that. Innovating again and again. Helping lead from the front, back, and middle.
Mike Long: Smitty is the one, so far besides me, who continued to listen to David through the noise and through the decades. Again, not because he’s David, but because he likes testing and seeing how David is right about things. Basically, Smitty likes the law of implication.
Mike Long: There’s a reason I keep calling Smitty Nickey on Wednesday and Nickey Smitty on Saturday.
Mike Long: The rest were off to find the hero of the day.
David and Mike have spent years creating and sharing shortcuts that build heroes and champions, in business, in relationships, in life. This playlist is part of that same culture.
When it comes to shortcuts on energy, fun, and lifting the hero spirit inside all of us, this playlist delivers every time.
Here’s the full rundown.
The Playlist
🎵 Listen on Spotify
Rainbow in the Dark — Dio
(4:16) Four minutes and sixteen seconds of Dio pulling on those electric strings, beating on those drums of hope that every hero searches for in the shadows of their journey. This is where the playlist begins, and it begins in the dark for a reason.
Moneytalks — AC/DC
(3:45) Three minutes and forty-five seconds of AC/DC cutting straight to the bottom line. Just the kind of conversation that gets real, fast.
Atlas, Rise! — Metallica
(6:28) Six powerful minutes dedicated to the heroes who have carried the heaviest loads and kept going anyway. If you have been through the fire, Metallica sees you. Rise!
Rise — Katy Perry
(3:23) Three minutes and twenty-three seconds of stunning, quiet defiance. Greatness doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it rises steady in the face of doubt. This is that.
Danger Zone — Kenny Loggins
(3:36) Three minutes and thirty-six seconds of pure adrenaline. Thrill-seekers, road warriors, peak chasers. Caution ahead, but you already knew that.
Hero of the Day — Metallica
(4:21) The one that started this whole conversation. Four minutes and twenty-one seconds of Metallica delivering the warning straight – they will try to break you. The hero of the day is the one who doesn’t let them.
Hero — Chad Kroeger & Josey Scott
(3:20) Three minutes and twenty seconds of a charge being taken. The message is clear and it doesn’t apologize for it. Be the change you want to see in the world.
St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion) — John Parr
(4:11) Four minutes and eleven seconds that bring you right back to the road and what success actually feels like when you are moving toward it. This one never misses.
Flashdance… What a Feeling — Irene Cara
(7:09) Seven minutes and nine seconds in the extended version, and it earns every one of them. After the highs and the lows, after the grind and the glory, this is the euphoric release. Can you feel it?
Rock You Like a Hurricane — Scorpions
(4:12) Four minutes and twelve seconds to close it out. The Scorpions don’t ease you out, they rock the world.
