#NASADidThat, a rap by Dr. Raven Baxter, makes the case for NASA's science budget
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For American Heart Month, a playlist from Dr. Raven Baxter sets the pace for Hands-Only CPR
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association used American Heart Month 2023 to urge at least one person in every household to learn Hands-Only CPR
In February 2023, the American Heart Association was urging Americans to learn Hands-Only CPR. That month Dr. Raven Baxter released Songs for CPR, a Spotify playlist that keeps time for chest compressions.
The month opened with CPR already in the news. On January 2, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on Monday Night Football and received CPR on the field. In the three days after, the association saw a 620% jump in visits to its Hands-Only CPR pages, WDIV in Detroit reported. The association had already chosen "Be the Beat" as its Heart Month theme. Its January 31 release cited more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the United States each year. About 70% happen at home, and CPR given right away can double or triple a person's chance of survival.
The association's rate is 100 to 120 compressions a minute, a pace Baxter wrote "can feel like a lot of work to keep up with." "To help you practice performing CPR with the correct BPM, I've created a playlist," Baxter wrote when she shared it. "All songs are between 100 - 120 beats per minute, the same rate at which you should perform compressions when administering CPR."
As of October 2026 the playlist holds 23 songs, including Baxter's own track "Computer Love." Some of its songs have explicit lyrics. "I will be updating this playlist over time," she wrote. The list is on Spotify as Songs for CPR.
The association teaches two steps. If a teen or adult suddenly collapses, call 911. Then push hard and fast in the center of the chest, about 2 inches deep. Hands-Only CPR needs no breaths. Baxter told readers to "use the heel of your hand - not your fingertips!" She also wrote, "Counting aloud will also aid in keeping up with the ideal rhythm of 100-120 BPM."
The American Heart Association was formed in Chicago in 1924 and is based in Dallas. In 2008 it issued a science advisory calling on bystanders to use Hands-Only CPR when an adult suddenly collapses. It launched a nationwide Hands-Only CPR campaign the next year. Its own Heart Month materials pointed to songs like "Stayin' Alive" as a beat to follow.
In June 2023 the association launched Nation of Lifesavers, a drive to double cardiac arrest survival by 2030, with Hamlin as national ambassador.
Known online as Dr. Raven the Science Maven, Baxter is a molecular biologist who teaches science through music and video. Her Ph.D. is from the University at Buffalo.
The association's 66-second Hands-Only CPR instructional video is below.
