Bad Bunny Joins the CPR Playlist

Bad Bunny’s concerts in Barcelona and Madrid are drawing widespread media attention and public interest. But many of the fans attending aren’t aware that the song “Tití me preguntó,” released in May 2022, was recommended a year later by the American Heart Association (AHA) — the world’s leading authority on cardiology — on its list of ideal songs for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to save lives.

The reason is that, for hands-only CPR to be effective, chest compressions must be delivered at a rate of 100-120/min. Tití me preguntó has a tempo of 107 beats/min. Thus, following the song’s rhythm during chest compressions can help maintain the exact rate needed to keep blood pumping to the brain.

Historically, the classic song used to teach CPR has been Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees (103 beats/min), from the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever, one of the best-selling albums of all time. In Spanish-speaking countries, “La Macarena” by Los Del Río (103 beats/min) has traditionally been used. However, medical organizations realized that younger people no longer connect as much with those songs.

To connect with new generations, the AHA updated its repertoire and now recommends Spanish-language songs such as “La Negra Tiene Tumbao” by Celia Cruz; “Amargura” and ‘Provenza’ by Karol G; “Mi Primer Millón” by Bacilos; and “Rayando el Sol” by Maná. It also compiled a list of Christmas carols in December 2024, including “Canción para la Navidad” by José Luis Perales (119 beats/min); “Last Christmas” by Wham (108 beats/min); and Luis Miguel’s version of “Silent Night” (100 beats/min).

Ana Beltrán, national coordinator of the CPR section of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine, said she has long used songs to help students maintain the proper rhythm during CPR. “Right now, we have basic CPR manikins and torsos that monitor compression quality, and students can receive real-time feedback by looking at a computer or tablet screen that displays compression rate and depth. But that wasn’t always the case. In the past, our manikins did not provide that feedback, and it was the instructor — by timing the pace and counting — who determined whether the compression rate was correct,” she explained.

In her view, maintaining the correct rhythm is difficult for everyone — not just the general public. She said songs can help by keeping the beat in one’s head and guiding compressions in time with it.

As for which song to choose, “I always used Stayin’ Alive because I knew it was the one that best matched the rhythm required for CPR compressions. But I realized, since I was with students much younger than me, that this song wasn’t as well-known anymore. I started asking them what song they used, and many told me La Macarena. Then I spent some time looking on Spotify and discovered there was a list of about a hundred songs for performing CPR whose rhythm was suitable. And I started using them when the students were tired, struggling to stay engaged, to lighten the mood a bit. I’d ask them which artist they liked from the list, and then we’d play that one. I’d choose a different one each time, and that helped them relax, making it easier to continue the training.”

“Sometimes they’d ask me — especially the nonmedical staff — whether learning with a song meant they would have to start singing in a real-life emergency. That’s logical; it’s normal. But the important thing, I think, is that they use a song whose rhythm they know and can internalize when performing compressions, so that the beat is already in their head,” she said.

Reviewing the Spotify playlist, she said she was surprised by many of the songs included — songs she would not have expected to match the recommended CPR range of 100-120 compressions/min. Still, she said the key is that the song be familiar enough to stay in a rescuer’s mind in the moment they are trying to save a life, helping them keep the right rhythm while helping save the life of the person who has suffered cardiac arrest.