"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Far Cry" by Marvin Gaye. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: contemplative, experimental, introspective. 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 dinner.
95
BPM
Far Cry by Marvin Gaye is 95 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 48 BPM · Double-time 190 BPM · released 1981
Fan image for "Far Cry"
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: Unfinished experimental track blending funk and jazz with Gaye's mouthed vocals and falsetto singing. Features instrumental transitions between funk drums/keyboards and jazz piano/drums sections.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening focus
An unfinished funk-jazz hybrid instrumental featuring Marvin Gaye on multiple instruments with layered vocal textures across two distinct musical sections.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: contemplative, experimental, introspective
Traditions: funk, jazz, soul
Volume Warning
"Far Cry" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 7/10 places this in our upper band. The opening volume that feels comfortable will not be comfortable at the climax. If you are setting this up for a focused listen, anchor your volume to the quietest section, not the loudest. The arc is the point of the song; if you blunt it by riding the volume knob, you lose what makes it work. Marvin Gaye built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
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 low — this song does not follow standard verse-chorus form closely, and rewards active listening more than passive listening.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Marvin Gaye's catalog
We have 36 songs from Marvin Gaye in the library. Of those, 12 are rated Safe, 23 Moderate, and 1 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.4, making it the #12 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from In Our Lifetime
We have 4 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Praise — moderate DR 6
- Heavy Love Affair — moderate DR 6
- Ego Tripping Out — moderate DR 6
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
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 …
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach — A guide for sensory-se…
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…
How fast is "Far Cry"?
95 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 95 BPM.
When "Far Cry" 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
No — 95 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
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 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…
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide
The 10 Calmest Albums Ever Recorded — A low-intensity Listening Guide — A guide for sensory-sensitive listeners on musiciwant.com
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 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
62/100 intensity
See how “Far Cry” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-13. 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 83% 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
See Thru To U — Flying Lotus · 99%An Echo, a Stain — Björk · 99%Birthday Pony — Fugazi · 95%Unsolved Mysteries — Animal Collective · 95%
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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype5/10
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
Tempo31
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load50
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Far Cry"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Far Cry" by Marvin Gaye?
"Far Cry" by Marvin Gaye has a tempo of 95 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 48 BPM, and at double-time 190 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Far Cry" by Marvin Gaye?
"Far Cry" by Marvin Gaye rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, moderate sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "Far Cry" — what is its dynamic range?
"Far Cry" 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 "Far Cry" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "Far Cry" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "Far Cry" best for?
In our library "Far Cry" is recommended for: deep listening, focus. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Far Cry" released?
"Far Cry" is from 1981, on the album "In Our Lifetime". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Far Cry"?
We tag "Far Cry" as contemplative, experimental, introspective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Far Cry"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Far Cry" good for running?
Not really — at 95 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Far Cry" 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 "Far Cry" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Far Cry"?
"Far Cry" 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.
What this song means to people
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.