What BPM is soul?
The most common tempo for soul is 88 to 98 BPM. Across 30,724 soul songs with verified tempo in the TempoTunes library, the median is 104 BPM and half of all songs fall between 88 and 122 BPM.
- Most common
- 88 to 98BPM
- Median
- 104BPM
- Songs
- 30,724verified tempo
Soul songs across the tempo scale
Songs per 10 BPM. Orange marks the busiest stretch.
Soul is spread wide. Even its busiest stretch, 88 to 98 BPM, holds only 19% of the songs, so you can find soul at almost any pace.
One caution when you read any tempo chart: the same groove can be counted at half or double time, so a soul song at 104 BPM can also read as 52 BPM. That is why many genres show a second, smaller hump.
The busiest soul tempos
Chill soul: 60 to 90 BPM
8,495 soul songs at this pace: wind-downs, slow burns, and late-night listening.
Here We Go Again
Trey Songz
86 BPM (2010)
This Here
Ray Charles
89 BPM (1997)
I Take What I Want
Aretha Franklin
89 BPM (1968)
I’m Out
Ciara
74 BPM (2013)
The Beginning
Jhené Aiko
73 BPM (2014)
Land of 1000 Dances
Tina Turner
89 BPM (1988)
If I Don't Love You This Way
Jackson 5
85 BPM (1974)
New Year’s Resolution
Otis Redding
78 BPM (1989)
Steady soul: 90 to 120 BPM
13,209 soul songs at this pace: head-nod grooves and walking pace.
Just Wanna Cut
Trey Songz
98 BPM (2005)
Love Is Here to Stay
Ray Charles
92 BPM (1998)
Shake Your Body
Michael Jackson & The Jacksons
117 BPM (2009)
How to Murder Your Wife
Aretha Franklin
113 BPM (2011)
Dance Like We’re Making Love
Ciara
96 BPM (2015)
I Won't Cry Anymore
Etta James
113 BPM (1995)
Now That She’s Gone
Destiny’s Child
116 BPM (1999)
I Don’t Wanna Fight
Tina Turner
92 BPM (1987)
Drive soul: 120 to 150 BPM
8,403 soul songs at this pace: dance-floor and workout energy.
Neighbors Know My Name
Trey Songz
120 BPM (2009)
My Bonnie
Ray Charles
125 BPM (2012)
People Get Ready
Aretha Franklin
125 BPM (1968)
Promise
Ciara
123 BPM (2006)
Tearing Us Apart
Tina Turner
125 BPM (1988)
Love's Gone Bad
Jackson 5
120 BPM (1986)
Feel the Same Way I Do
Destiny’s Child
130 BPM (2005)
Out on the Street Again
Etta James
125 BPM (2008)
Other genres by BPM
Build a soul playlist at your pace in seconds
Set the tempo, pick genres and artists, and TempoTunes builds the playlist from 2 million tracks with verified BPM. Save it to Apple Music, Tidal, or YouTube Music (Spotify once we reach 250k monthly listeners). Playlists that match your Pace.