Englishman in New York
Englishman in New York by Sting is 100 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 50 BPM · Double-time 200 BPM · released 1987
Song DNA
This sits gently on the calm side. The track has a moderate quiet-to-loud range with no sudden shifts to brace for, over a multi-layered texture. A light, easy vocal, at a steady, walkable tempo. Predictable and even, it’s easy to settle into and let run. Across the library, it reads gentler than 80% of everything we’ve measured.
Cultural Context
Addresses themes of alienation and belonging.
Listening Prompt
Think about your own cultural experiences.
What to Expect
Maintains a steady groove with a reflective lyrical journey.
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: contemplative, intimate
"Englishman in New York" by Sting
100 BPM, dynamic range 6/10, layered texture, soft 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 6/10 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: none. Transitions are musically signaled — nothing will surprise you if you're only half-listening.
Texture is layered — a full arrangement with clear separation between parts.
Predictability is high — the song telegraphs what it will do next. A sensory-sensitive listener can usually guess where it's going without close attention.
Vocal style: soft vocals.
Where this sits in Sting's catalog
We have 7 songs from Sting in the library. Of those, 5 are rated Safe, 2 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 6/10 sits below the artist average of 6.1, making it the #4 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from ...Nothing Like the Sun
We have 2 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans safe in sensory profile.
- Fragile — safe DR 5
1987 context
Released in 1987. We have 205 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.5/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1980s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
How fast is "Englishman in New York"?
100 BPM — Medium (midtempo / pop ballad)
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
Cooking, casual listening, cleaning, dinner music.
Browse more songs at 100 BPM.
When "Englishman in New York" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.
Maybe — at 100 BPM this is more warm-up or cool-down pace than peak-effort running.
Maybe — calm overall, but tempo is a bit high for deep sleep. Better for winding down than falling asleep.
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
Not really — it's pleasant but doesn't hit hard enough for cathartic listening.
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…
A Sensory Guide to Every Radiohead Album — From Safe to Intense
A Sensory Guide to Every Radiohead Album — From Safe to Intense — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Classical Music for Sensory Sensitivity: What's Safe, What's Intense, and Why
Classical Music for Sensory Sensitivity: What's Safe, What's Intense, and Why — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
Why this rating
We rate this song Safe because its dynamic range stays within our low-variance band, there are no unsignaled changes, and the texture and vocal style are both in the low-fatigue range. Our methodology uses an AND rule for Safe — a song has to clear every dimension to earn the rating.
See how “Englishman in New York” 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: 2026-04-05. 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 sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 80% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 30/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.
What makes it unusual
What stands out most about this song is deep calm: more extreme on that axis than 80% 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
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
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1987 in context
The 205 songs we’ve measured from 1987 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Englishman in New York"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Englishman in New York" by Sting?
"Englishman in New York" by Sting has a tempo of 100 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 50 BPM, and at double-time 200 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Englishman in New York" by Sting?
"Englishman in New York" by Sting rates as Low-Intensity. Dynamic range 6/10, no sudden changes, layered texture. Our Low-Intensity rating means no single dimension triggers the higher-intensity thresholds.
How loud is "Englishman in New York" — what is its dynamic range?
"Englishman in New York" has a dynamic range of 6/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.
Does "Englishman in New York" have sudden or surprising changes?
No. "Englishman in New York" has no sudden unsignaled changes. Every transition is musically telegraphed.
What is "Englishman in New York" best for?
In our library "Englishman in New York" is recommended for: focus, meditation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Englishman in New York" released?
"Englishman in New York" is from 1987, on the album "...Nothing Like the Sun". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Englishman in New York"?
We tag "Englishman in New York" as contemplative, intimate. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Englishman in New York"?
The vocal style is soft vocals.
Is "Englishman in New York" good for running?
Not really — at 100 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Englishman in New York" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (6/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Englishman in New York" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Dynamic range is too high — quiet moments will be ambushed by louder ones.
Should I listen to "Englishman in New York"?
If you want gentle, low-arousal music, "Englishman in New York" is a solid pick — Low-Intensity across every sensory dimension.
Songs with the same DNA
layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
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