Here Today
Here Today by Paul McCartney is 78 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 39 BPM · Double-time 156 BPM · released 1982
Song DNA
This sits gently on the calm side. Mostly steady, it still leaves a little room to surprise. It swings widely from quiet to loud with no sudden shifts to brace for, clean in texture, with soft, gentle vocals on top at an unhurried mid-tempo. Against the 19,209 songs we’ve measured, it reads gentler than 80% of everything we’ve measured.
Cultural Context
Written after the death of John Lennon.
Listening Prompt
Think about the importance of friendships.
What to Expect
Consistent tone with emotional depth.
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: intimate, melancholy
"Here Today" 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. Paul McCartney 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: none. Transitions are musically signaled — nothing will surprise you if you're only half-listening.
Texture: smooth.
Predictability is medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: soft vocals.
Where this sits in Paul McCartney's catalog
We have 6 songs from Paul McCartney in the library. Of those, 5 are rated Safe, 1 Moderate, and 0 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.8, making it the #3 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
1982 context
Released in 1982. We have 211 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
How fast is "Here Today"?
78 BPM — Slow (downtempo / ballad)
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.
Sleep, meditation, reading, focus work.
Browse more songs at 78 BPM.
When "Here Today" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
No — 78 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
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.
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
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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 “Here Today” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
Spotify and YouTube links go direct to the track when we have the ID; otherwise they search for it. Embed this sensory profile on your site →
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 7/10, smooth 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 86% 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.
1982 in context
The 211 songs we’ve measured from 1982 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 7/10, 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 "Here Today"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Here Today" by Paul McCartney?
"Here Today" by Paul McCartney has a tempo of 78 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 39 BPM, and at double-time 156 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Here Today" by Paul McCartney?
"Here Today" by Paul McCartney rates as Low-Intensity. Dynamic range 7/10, no sudden changes, smooth texture. Our Low-Intensity rating means no single dimension triggers the higher-intensity thresholds.
How loud is "Here Today" — what is its dynamic range?
"Here Today" 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 "Here Today" have sudden or surprising changes?
No. "Here Today" has no sudden unsignaled changes. Every transition is musically telegraphed.
What is "Here Today" best for?
In our library "Here Today" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Here Today" released?
"Here Today" is from 1982, on the album "Tug of War". It appears in our 1980s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Here Today"?
We tag "Here Today" as intimate, melancholy. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Here Today"?
The vocal style is soft vocals.
Is "Here Today" good for running?
Not really — at 78 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Here Today" 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 "Here Today" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Dynamic range is too high — quiet moments will be ambushed by louder ones.
Should I listen to "Here Today"?
If you want gentle, low-arousal music, "Here Today" is a solid pick — Low-Intensity across every sensory dimension.
Songs with the same DNA
smooth texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.
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