Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts album art

Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts

Bob Dylan
Blood on the Tracks (1975)
Moderate 160 BPM
AI-analyzed — check another song
Balanced energy, right in the middle of 19,209 measured songs — measures out best for focus.
160
BPM

Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts by Bob Dylan is 160 BPM — Vivace (lively).

Half-time 80 BPM · Double-time 320 BPM · released 1975

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Fan image for "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"

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.

Fan-driven abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts by Bob Dylan
The prompt that made this image Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: nostalgic, playful, reflective. 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.

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"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: nostalgic, playful, reflective. 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."

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Song DNA

Dynamic Range6/10
Sudden Changesmild
Texturelayered
Predictabilitymedium
Vocal Styledynamic vocals
Notes: Bouncy, cheerful rhythm with steady acoustic guitar and bass drive creates an engaging narrative flow without overwhelming intensity. Dylan's storytelling delivery features varied phrasing and emphasis, maintaining moderate energy throughout the nearly nine-minute length.

Misophonia Triggers

Mouth Soundsnone
Percussive Clicksnone
Breathing Soundsnone
Repetitive Micro-soundsnone

An epic narrative ballad telling a complex, ambiguous cowboy story involving romance, betrayal, robbery, and murder among characters Lily, Rosemary, Big Jim, and the Jack of Hearts.

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Hear it the way it was made

The right gear changes everything.

Moods: nostalgic, playful, reflective

Traditions: folk rock, narrative ballad

Pacing Guide

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" runs at 160 BPM — fast run territory.

For runners: match cadence to BPM and the song does half the work. Texture stays layered; vocals sit dynamic. Nothing in the arrangement asks for your attention mid-stride. Good as a steady-state track; less useful for interval work where you want explicit tempo shifts.

How this song sits on each sensory axis

A dynamic range of 6/10 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: mild. There are one or two transitions worth knowing about, though they're musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

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 Bob Dylan's catalog

We have 95 songs from Bob Dylan in the library. Of those, 29 are rated Safe, 60 Moderate, and 6 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 6/10 sits above the artist average of 5.4, making it the #39 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.

Other tracks from Blood on the Tracks

We have 8 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.

1975 context

Released in 1975. We have 249 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.2/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1970s.

Explore by mood and tradition

Moods
nostalgic · 1574playful · 1809reflective · 5797
Traditions
folk rock · 224narrative ballad · 2

Guides that may help

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…
Music for Focus That Keeps Slipping: What Actually Works
What music properties actually hold a wandering attention? A guide to tempo, texture and sensory rat…
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 mark…

How fast is "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"?

160 BPM — Very fast (intense cardio / drum and bass)

For running

Steady-state running pace. Matches most recreational runners' natural cadence.

For workouts

HIIT, Spin class, dance, intense intervals.

For daily life

Active tasks, getting pumped up, party, anything high-energy.

Browse more songs at 160 BPM.

When "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" works, and when it doesn't

Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.

~
Focus / studying

Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.

Running / workout

Yes — 160 BPM sits squarely in the running / cardio band. Matches natural stride cadence.

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…

Illustration for Why Post-Rock Works for Focus — The Logic of Slow Builds

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…

Illustration for Why Video Game Soundtracks Are Perfect for Focus and Study

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 on musiciwant.com

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
53/100 intensity

See how “Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.

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For focused listening

Independently chosen tools listed on eBay. We may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you.

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Browse more focus & deep work on eBay →

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

On our 19k-song scale this lands in the middle band — more energetic than 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 95% 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

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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1975 in context

The 249 songs we’ve measured from 1975 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity53
Dynamics56
Tempo67
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Frequently asked about "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"

Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.

What is the BPM of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan has a tempo of 160 BPM (Vivace (lively)). At half-time that is 80 BPM, and at double-time 320 BPM.

What is the sensory intensity of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" by Bob Dylan rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 6/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.

How loud is "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" — what is its dynamic range?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" has a dynamic range of 6/10. Noticeable climb from quiet sections to loudest point. Set opening volume slightly lower than your preferred peak.

Does "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" have sudden or surprising changes?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.

What is "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" best for?

In our library "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is recommended for: deep listening, focus, study. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.

When was "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" released?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is from 1975, on the album "Blood on the Tracks". It appears in our 1970s catalog.

What is the emotional mood of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"?

We tag "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" as nostalgic, playful, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.

What is the vocal style of "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"?

The vocal style is dynamic vocals.

Is "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" good for running?

Yes — at 160 BPM it sits in the running-cadence band (120-180 BPM). Match your stride to the beat and it keeps pace with most recreational runners.

Is "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" good for studying?

Only partially. The song's dynamic range (6/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.

Can I use "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" for sleep?

Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.

Should I listen to "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts"?

"Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" is Moderate intensity — fine for most listeners, but with enough dynamic activity that it works best as active listening rather than background.

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layered texture, similar intensity — across any genre or era.

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Safer alternatives with a similar feel

These songs share similar moods but with a gentler sensory profile.

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Grateful Dead safe
One's on the Way
Loretta Lynn safe
Almost Grown
Chuck Berry safe

What this song means to people

No stories yet. Be the first.

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Where to next?

You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.

Songs that feel like this → Dial it calmer or bigger Find music by how you feel
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