"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson. Modest rise and fall. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: contemplative, introspective, melancholy. 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."
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
91
BPM
Pharaoh by Richard Thompson is 91 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 46 BPM · Double-time 182 BPM · released 1988
Fan image for "Pharaoh"
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: Haunting acoustic folk arrangement with intricate guitar work creates a layered, evocative texture without harshness. Steady rhythm and repetitive lyrical motifs provide moderate predictability, suitable for focused listening.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening focus study
A folk song using Egyptian imagery as a metaphor for modern oppression and control, with repetitive choruses emphasizing servitude to a powerful 'Pharaoh.'
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Moods: contemplative, introspective, melancholy
Traditions: british folk rock, folk
At a glance
"Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson
91 BPM, dynamic range 5/10, layered texture, dynamic vocals. Sits in the middle band — neither built for stillness nor pitched at workout intensity. Whether it works for a given moment depends more on mood and lyrical content than on the acoustic profile. The full sensory breakdown follows.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 5/10 is within the normal pop-mix band. There is variation between verse and chorus, but it's the kind of variation most listeners encounter routinely.
Sudden changes: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
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 Richard Thompson's catalog
We have 12 songs from Richard Thompson in the library. Of those, 4 are rated Safe, 8 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 5/10 sits below the artist average of 5.4, making it the #9 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
1988 context
Released in 1988. We have 212 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is quieter / less dynamic than the year average. Explore more from the 1980s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners…
Music for Focus That Keeps Slipping: What Actually Works
What music properties actually hold a wandering attention? A guide to tempo, texture and sensory rat…
Why lo-fi study beats might be lying to you
Lo-fi hip hop is the default focus soundtrack for millions, but the science is messier than the mark…
How fast is "Pharaoh"?
91 BPM — Medium (midtempo / pop ballad)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.
For daily life
Morning coffee, deep work, commute wind-down.
Browse more songs at 91 BPM.
When "Pharaoh" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
~
Focus / studying
Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.
✗
Running / workout
No — 91 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
✗
Sleep / winding down
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
✓
Driving / road trip
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
✓
Cooking / dinner background
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
✓
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 lo-fi study beats might be lying to you
Lo-fi hip hop is the default focus soundtrack for millions, but the science is messier than the marketing. Why it can quietly hurt deep work…
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…
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study
Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Why this rating
We rate this song Moderate because it falls between our Safe and Intense thresholds on at least one dimension. Moderate is the default for most well-produced music that has real arc but no surprise elements. Full rubric: methodology.
This song in the Music Studio
43/100 intensity
See how “Pharaoh” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
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For focused listening
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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
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 39% of songs, calmer than the other 61%. Its intensity reading of 43/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.
Feels almost identical to
hate that i made you love me — Ariana Grande · 99%International Small Arms Traffic Blues — the Mountain Goats · 99%the cure — Olivia Rodrigo · 99%Watching You Without Me — Kate Bush · 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
Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1988 in context
The 212 songs we’ve measured from 1988 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Drunk and Hot Girls — Kanye WestWatching You Without Me — Kate Bushhate that i made you love me — Ariana Grande
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
Intensity43
Dynamics44
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Pharaoh"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson?
"Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson has a tempo of 91 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 46 BPM, and at double-time 182 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson?
"Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 5/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "Pharaoh" — what is its dynamic range?
"Pharaoh" has a dynamic range of 5/10. Within normal pop-mix variation. Movement between verse and chorus but nothing dramatic.
Does "Pharaoh" have sudden or surprising changes?
"Pharaoh" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "Pharaoh" best for?
In our library "Pharaoh" is recommended for: deep listening, focus, study. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Pharaoh" released?
"Pharaoh" is from 1988, on the album "Amnesia". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Pharaoh"?
We tag "Pharaoh" as contemplative, introspective, melancholy. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Pharaoh"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Pharaoh" good for running?
Not really — at 91 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Pharaoh" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (5/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Pharaoh" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Pharaoh"?
"Pharaoh" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.
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.