I just can't bike to Bob Dylan

I purchased my first "goal weight" prize this weekend. Don't get too excited by those words. Jackie said I should give myself prizes for reaching certain benchmarks. The first one was for losing 30-32 by the month 2 mark. So I decided to get a cheap mp3 player for the gym.

I've owned them before. But I find it to be a giant hassle to load all of my CDs onto my computer and then onto the mp3. So I decided, out of laziness, that I would just put the 50 or so songs I had stored on my computer onto the thing before Sunday's workout.

First of all, I'm an idiot. I can't believe, for the past two months, I have stared out the window in silence and attempted to read the garbled closed-captioning on the muted TVs when I could have been listening to tunes this entire time. What a difference that makes with the boredom factor. I could have gone another hour!

But, I must admit, the music I listen to doesn't exactly get you going. (Except when "Born to Run" came on. I felt like I was!) Pete Yorn, Ingrid Michaelson, Leonard Coen and Bob Dylan songs were among the 50 that got loaded onto the mp3. And let me say, "Not Dark Yet" doesn't exactly make me want to peddle like a maniac on the bike. Although I must say, I had a great deal of Bob Seger on there, and I found it oddly motivating.

A friend suggested Girl Talk, which I've been considering. But I think, two songs in, I'd want to throw my earbuds across the room. Which leaves me considering another option that makes me feel a little uneasy: selections from commercial radio. Your Beyonces, your Clarksons, your Rhiannas. Good beats, everyone. Good, strong, rhythmic beats.

Me thinks my mp3 soon will be filled with pop music. It's out of my hands, people! Can't elliptical like a crazy person to "So long, Marianne," although I tried Sunday, damn it.

So I'm taking suggestions! What's your favorite pop song that won't annoy me too much?