"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Man of War" by Radiohead. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: anxious, contemplative, heavy, introspective, paranoid. Visual style: contemporary editorial aesthetic. 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."
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for dinner.
95
BPM
Man of War by Radiohead is 95 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 48 BPM · Double-time 190 BPM · released 2017
Fan image for "Man of War"
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: A mid-tempo ballad with distressed electric guitar shards cutting through strings and piano, creating an unsettling tension. The production builds from a crisp opening into a distorted chorus with an anxious, paranoid atmosphere.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening emotional release focus
A James Bond-inspired ballad featuring Thom Yorke's anxious vocals over strings, piano, and distressed guitar, with dark lyrical imagery about societal anxiety and technological alienation.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: anxious, contemplative, heavy, introspective, paranoid
Traditions: alternative rock, art rock, electronic rock
Volume Warning
"Man of War" 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. Radiohead 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 medium — conventional structure overall, with one or two moments that deviate from what you'd expect.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
Where this sits in Radiohead's catalog
We have 78 songs from Radiohead in the library. Of those, 7 are rated Safe, 55 Moderate, and 16 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.6, making it the #49 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017
We have 3 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Lift — moderate DR 7
- Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2) — moderate DR 7
2017 context
Released in 2017. We have 461 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.0/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2010s.
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 "Man of War"?
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 "Man of War" 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.
I Listened to Every Radiohead Album Through a Sensory Lens — Here's What I Found
Radiohead's nine albums analyzed through dynamic range, texture, and emotional intensity — from Pablo Honey's raw stadium rock to A Moon Sha…
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…
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…
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
58/100 intensity
See how “Man of War” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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For focused listening
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-14. 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
On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 58/100 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 77% 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
Keep Talking — Pink Floyd · 99%Go to Sleep — Radiohead · 99%Rescue — Echo and the Bunnymen · 99%Before We Drown — Depeche Mode · 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 / hype4/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2017 in context
The 461 songs we’ve measured from 2017 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. 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
Intensity58
Dynamics67
Tempo31
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Man of War"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Man of War" by Radiohead?
"Man of War" by Radiohead 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 "Man of War" by Radiohead?
"Man of War" by Radiohead 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 "Man of War" — what is its dynamic range?
"Man of War" 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 "Man of War" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "Man of War" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "Man of War" best for?
In our library "Man of War" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, focus. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Man of War" released?
"Man of War" is from 2017, on the album "OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017". It appears in our 2010s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Man of War"?
We tag "Man of War" as anxious, contemplative, heavy, introspective, paranoid. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Man of War"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Man of War" 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 "Man of War" 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 "Man of War" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Man of War"?
"Man of War" 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.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.