"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer. Dramatic quiet-to-loud arc, stormy climax. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: dramatic, emotional, melancholic, romantic, transcendent. Visual style: 1970s editorial print aesthetic, sun-faded color. 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 party & hype.
110
BPM
MacArthur Park by Donna Summer is 110 BPM — Moderato (moderate).
Half-time 55 BPM · Double-time 220 BPM · released 1978
Fan image for "MacArthur Park"
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.
Does this image fit the song?
0 agree · 0 not quite · 0/100 toward next regeneration
Prompts in the running for the next image
Upvote the prompts you think best capture the song. The top-voted prompt drives the next regeneration. Submit your own at the bottom.
No listener prompts yet. Be the first to submit one below.
How would you describe this song?
One or two sentences. Describe what the song feels like — a scene, a metaphor, a color, a place. Good descriptions are specific and sensory. Your submission becomes a candidate prompt that others can upvote.
Share:
Share on X
Explore from this song · jump to the numbers · FAQ
Find its sonic twinHidden gems like itDial itSongs like thisAll tools
Song DNA
Notes: Orchestral strings and synthesizers create a sweeping, dramatic soundscape with Donna Summer's nuanced vocals shifting from intimate to soaring high notes. The production features occasional dramatic syn-drums and transitions from balladic passages into piano-led disco drama.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening emotional release meditation
An eight-minute disco reimagining of Jimmy Webb's 1967 ballad, featuring Summer's powerful vocal range over lush orchestration and synthesizer production.
affiliate links
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: dramatic, emotional, melancholic, romantic, transcendent
Traditions: ballad, disco, pop
Volume Warning
"MacArthur Park" climbs hard.
Dynamic range 8/10 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. Donna Summer built the dynamic shape on purpose. Plan around it.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 8/10 is in the upper band of our library. This song has a significant quiet-to-loud arc. For sensory-sensitive listening, set the opening volume well below your comfortable top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
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 medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Donna Summer's catalog
We have 18 songs from Donna Summer in the library. Of those, 1 are rated Safe, 13 Moderate, and 4 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 8/10 sits above the artist average of 7.0, making it the #2 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Live and More
We have 2 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Heaven Knows — moderate DR 7
1978 context
Released in 1978. We have 214 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.1/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1970s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
Karma Police: Radiohead’s Eerie Joke About Power and Paranoia
Karma Police began as a band in-joke and became one of Radiohead’s defining songs — a queasy meditat…
How fast is "MacArthur Park"?
110 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Cooking, casual listening, cleaning, dinner music.
Browse more songs at 110 BPM.
When "MacArthur Park" 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
Maybe — at 110 BPM this is more warm-up or cool-down pace than peak-effort running.
✗
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.
PJ Harvey's discography ranked by emotional pressure
Five PJ Harvey albums stacked by how hard they press on your nervous system — from the warmest entry point to the heaviest, with a listening…
I rated every Billie Eilish album by emotional intensity
From bedroom ASMR whispers to walls of distortion — a deep sensory dive into all three Billie Eilish studio albums and what each one actuall…
Joni Mitchell's albums, ranked by how much they'll undo you
A passionate ranking of Joni Mitchell's discography by emotional intensity — from the tender warmth of Clouds to the devastating intimacy of…
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
63/100 intensity
See how “MacArthur Park” 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: 2026-04-15. 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 63/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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
Give In to Me — Michael Jackson · 99%The Monster — Eminem · 99%The Prophecy — Iron Maiden · 99%Oh Well — Fleetwood Mac · 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
Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1978 in context
The 214 songs we’ve measured from 1978 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 8/10, 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
Intensity63
Dynamics78
Tempo39
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "MacArthur Park"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer?
"MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer has a tempo of 110 BPM (Moderato (moderate)). At half-time that is 55 BPM, and at double-time 220 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer?
"MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 8/10, moderate sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "MacArthur Park" — what is its dynamic range?
"MacArthur Park" has a dynamic range of 8/10. Substantial quiet-to-loud arc. Start at a volume well below your top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
Does "MacArthur Park" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "MacArthur Park" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "MacArthur Park" best for?
In our library "MacArthur Park" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, meditation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "MacArthur Park" released?
"MacArthur Park" is from 1978, on the album "Live and More". It appears in our 1970s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "MacArthur Park"?
We tag "MacArthur Park" as dramatic, emotional, melancholic, romantic, transcendent. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "MacArthur Park"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "MacArthur Park" good for running?
Not really — at 110 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "MacArthur Park" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (8/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "MacArthur Park" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "MacArthur Park"?
"MacArthur Park" 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.
The Bridge of Khazad-dûm
Howard Shore
Howard Shore
intense
DR 9
DR 9
Kelso
Floating Points
Floating Points
moderate
DR 7
DR 7
Lotus Flower
Radiohead
Radiohead
moderate
DR 7
DR 7
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
moderate
DR 7
DR 7
Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28 No. 15 'Raindrop Prelude'
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
moderate
DR 7
DR 7
Circle of Life
Disney (Hans Zimmer, Elton John, Tim Rice; performed by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M)
Disney (Hans Zimmer, Elton John, Tim Rice; performed by Carmen Twillie & Lebo M)
moderate
DR 8
DR 8
Safer alternatives with a similar feel
These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.
What this song means to people
No stories yet. Be the first.
Share what this song means to you
Keep exploring
Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.