"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Kick in the Eye" by Bauhaus. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: energetic, intense, rebellious. Visual style: 1980s editorial aesthetic, neon accents against moody ground. Painterly, grainy film texture, muted palette with strategic accent colors. The composition should read left-to-right like a timeline — calm on one side, intensifying toward the other. Strictly no faces, no text, no logos, no literal objects, no band imagery. Pure color-field abstraction with emotional weight. 16:9 editorial format."
Real momentum, more energetic than 83% of our 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for workout.
142
BPM
Kick in the Eye by Bauhaus is 142 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 71 BPM · Double-time 284 BPM · released 1981
Fan image for "Kick in the Eye"
An abstract illustration of what this song feels like. Each image is built from a prompt — the text description fed to the image generator. Listeners submit their own prompts, upvote the ones that fit best, and the top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. After 100 image votes, we make a new picture.
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Song DNA
Notes: Features a driving funk-infused bassline with lacerating guitars and theatrical vocals that build tension through angular post-punk rhythms and abrupt shifts. The production delivers a raw, shadowy intensity with prominent guitar hooks cutting through dense textures.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: emotional release energy movement
A gothic rock single blending funk bass, sharp guitar hooks, and Peter Murphy's dramatic vocals in a post-punk style influenced by Bowie and reggae elements.
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Moods: energetic, intense, rebellious
Traditions: gothic rock, post-punk
Intense — what to expect
"Kick in the Eye" is in our intense band.
At least one of our five sensory dimensions crosses the threshold that means "this can be a lot." Most commonly: dynamic vocals or layered texture, or a dynamic range of 7/10. The full breakdown is below. If you arrived here looking for a calmer alternative, our use-case verdicts section flags songs with similar mood but lower intensity.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 7/10 means this song moves. Expect a real volume climb between quiet sections and the loudest part of the arrangement — enough that you may want to set the initial volume below where you'd normally land.
Sudden changes: present. This song uses surprise as a feature. For focus or background listening, it's likely to pull your attention away; for active listening, that's often the point.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Bauhaus's catalog
We have 16 songs from Bauhaus in the library. Of those, 1 are rated Safe, 3 Moderate, and 12 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits below the artist average of 7.3, making it the #12 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
1981 context
Released in 1981. We have 194 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1980s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
low-intensity Workout Music: Energy Without Overwhelm
low-intensity Workout Music: Energy Without Overwhelm — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on m…
The Calmest Songs We’ve Ever Measured
Out of 19,144 songs scored for intensity, these measure as the very calmest — the gentlest, steadies…
Even Flow: Pearl Jam’s Song for the Man Everyone Walks Past
Even Flow is Pearl Jam at full throttle — and underneath the riff is a portrait of a homeless man an…
How fast is "Kick in the Eye"?
142 BPM — Fast (workout / running pace)
For running
Steady-state running pace. Matches most recreational runners' natural cadence.
For workouts
Running, cycling, aerobic workouts, dance cardio.
For daily life
Active tasks, getting pumped up, party, anything high-energy.
Browse more songs at 142 BPM.
When "Kick in the Eye" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
✗
Focus / studying
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
✓
Running / workout
Yes — 142 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
~
Driving / road trip
Maybe — the intensity / sudden changes are fine for solo highway driving but skip for city or rainy-weather driving.
✗
Cooking / dinner background
No — too active to function as background; will pull attention away from what you're doing.
✓
Emotional release / catharsis
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
Why Post-Rock Works for Focus — The Logic of Slow Builds
Why post-rock holds attention that slides off everything else: long builds, few sudden changes, and enough happening to occupy the part of y…
Post-rock is 40 years old and it still makes grown adults cry on the highway
Post-rock gave up on lyrics and found something more honest. Here’s what the genre actually does to you, who built it, and where to start.
I Listened to Every Radiohead Album Through a Sensory Lens — Here's What I Found
Radiohead's nine albums analyzed through dynamic range, texture, and emotional intensity — from Pablo Honey's raw stadium rock to A Moon Sha…
Why this rating
We rate this song Intense. Our rule is deliberately conservative: any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, harsh texture, or a strained/screamed vocal is enough to trigger Intense on its own. Full scoring rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
62/100 intensity
See how “Kick in the Eye” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
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If this one is too much: sensory-overload protection
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-14. Reviewed by the Music I Want editorial team against the documented methodology.
Think this rating is wrong? Contact the editor — every message is read and ratings get revised.
By the numbers: how this song compares
Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.
Where it sits in 19,000 songs
This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 83% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 62/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 93% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on near-total stillness — steady volume, no surprises, a slow and unhurried pulse — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
Flight of Icarus — Iron Maiden · 99%Mercy — Kanye West · 99%The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths · 99%Lovely Day — Pixies · 99%
Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.
What it’s good for
Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1981 in context
The 194 songs we’ve measured from 1981 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 7/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity62
Dynamics67
Tempo57
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Kick in the Eye"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Kick in the Eye" by Bauhaus?
"Kick in the Eye" by Bauhaus has a tempo of 142 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 71 BPM, and at double-time 284 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Kick in the Eye" by Bauhaus?
"Kick in the Eye" by Bauhaus rates as Intense. Dynamic range 7/10, moderate sudden changes, layered texture, dynamic vocals vocal style. Any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, or harsh texture triggers the Intense rating.
How loud is "Kick in the Eye" — what is its dynamic range?
"Kick in the Eye" has a dynamic range of 7/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "Kick in the Eye" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "Kick in the Eye" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "Kick in the Eye" best for?
In our library "Kick in the Eye" is recommended for: emotional release, energy, movement. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Kick in the Eye" released?
"Kick in the Eye" is from 1981, on the album "Mask". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Kick in the Eye"?
We tag "Kick in the Eye" as energetic, intense, rebellious. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Kick in the Eye"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Kick in the Eye" good for running?
Yes — at 142 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.
Is "Kick in the Eye" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (7/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Kick in the Eye" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Too intense overall.
Should I listen to "Kick in the Eye"?
"Kick in the Eye" is Intense in our ratings — dramatic dynamics, possible sudden changes, or strong vocal or textural energy. Best with intention rather than ambient use. If you are sensory-sensitive, the alternatives section surfaces calmer songs in the same mood family.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.