A situation, measured · Your body

Music for a migraine

For a dark room and a pounding head.

The smoothest, lowest, slowest songs we measure: no harsh texture, no sudden shifts, almost no dynamic swing.

What every song here had to pass
no sudden changesdynamic range ≤ 3/10under 76 BPMsoft vocals / instrumental onlyno harsh / abrasive / dense texture

Measured, not medical.

Will your song work for this?

14 songs that pass

Music for Airports 1/2 — Brian Eno 1978
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · instrumental · low predictability
Thursday Afternoon — Brian Eno 1985
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 50 BPM · soft vocals · medium predictability
A Lack of Color — Death Cab for Cutie 2003
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
ABC Song — Super Simple Songs
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Brahms Lullaby — Jewel 2009
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Creep — Rockabye Baby
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · instrumental · high predictability
Gymnopédie No. 1 — Erik Satie 1888
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · instrumental · high predictability
Hush Little Baby — Traditional
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Hush Little Baby — Cedarmont Kids
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Peace and Quiet — Fred Rogers 1992
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Rock-a-Bye Baby — Traditional
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Rock-a-Bye Baby — Cedarmont Kids 1995
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Rock-a-bye Baby — Susie Tallman 1998
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star — Susie Tallman 1998
2/10 dynamic range · no sudden shifts · 60 BPM · soft vocals · high predictability
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Frequently asked

What music is good for a migraine?

The songs that measure as the best fit are “Music for Airports 1/2” by Brian Eno, “Thursday Afternoon” by Brian Eno, “A Lack of Color” by Death Cab for Cutie. The smoothest, lowest, slowest songs we measure: no harsh texture, no sudden shifts, almost no dynamic swing. Every pick on this page passed the same measured filter: no sudden changes; dynamic range ≤ 3/10; under 76 BPM; soft vocals / instrumental only; no harsh / abrasive / dense texture.

Why these songs and not a playlist?

Because they were chosen by measurement, not by title. Each song in our catalog carries measured dimensions — dynamic range, sudden changes, tempo, texture, vocal style, predictability — and this page keeps only the songs whose numbers fit a migraine. The qualifying numbers are printed under every song.

What did you rule out?

Anything outside the filter: no sudden changes; dynamic range ≤ 3/10; under 76 BPM; soft vocals / instrumental only; no harsh / abrasive / dense texture. A song that is beautiful but has one sudden peak is still ruled out, because the peak is the problem.

Is this medical advice?

No. These are measurements of how songs behave — level, swing, tempo, surprise — matched to a situation. Measured, not medical. If a professional has given you guidance, that comes first.

More situations · Your body
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Ratings are model-assisted, derived from each song's documented musical properties and reviewed by hand; we do not analyse audio waveforms. How we measure.