"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "A Small Victory" by Faith No More. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: energetic, reflective. Visual style: early-1990s alternative aesthetic, weathered film grain. 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 workout.
120
BPM
A Small Victory by Faith No More is 120 BPM — Allegro (fast).
Half-time 60 BPM · Double-time 240 BPM · released 1992
Fan image for "A Small Victory"
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: The song features a blend of dynamic vocals and layered instrumentation, creating an engaging yet somewhat unpredictable listening experience. The shifts in intensity contribute to a feeling of tension and release.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: emotional release movement
A Small Victory is a track that explores themes of triumph and resilience, characterized by its eclectic sound and dynamic shifts.
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Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: energetic, reflective
Traditions: alternative metal
Volume Warning
"A Small Victory" 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. Faith No More 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 Faith No More's catalog
We have 20 songs from Faith No More in the library. Of those, 1 are rated Safe, 8 Moderate, and 11 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits below the artist average of 7.3, making it the #14 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Angel Dust
We have 11 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans intense in sensory profile.
- Midlife Crisis — intense DR 8
- Falling to Pieces — moderate DR 7
- From Out of Nowhere — intense DR 8
- Evidence — moderate DR 6
- Everything's Ruined — moderate DR 7
- Caffeine — intense DR 8
- King for a Day — intense DR 8
- Gentle Art of Making Enemies — intense DR 8
- Motherfucker — intense DR 8
- Sol Invictus — moderate DR 7
1992 context
Released in 1992. We have 233 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.7/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 1990s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Traditions
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How fast is "A Small Victory"?
120 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Slow jog or recovery run pace. Matches a 120-140 stride-per-minute cadence.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Driving, getting ready in the morning, light party.
Browse more songs at 120 BPM.
When "A Small Victory" 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
Yes — 120 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.
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April 2026’s biggest songs, decoded: what they actually feel like
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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
60/100 intensity
See how “A Small Victory” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-16. 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 60/100 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
Quick Escape — Pearl Jam · 99%I Don't Want to Know — Fleetwood Mac · 99%Ready to Start — Arcade Fire · 99%Float On — Modest Mouse · 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
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1992 in context
The 233 songs we’ve measured from 1992 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. 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
Intensity60
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "A Small Victory"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "A Small Victory" by Faith No More?
"A Small Victory" by Faith No More has a tempo of 120 BPM (Allegro (fast)). At half-time that is 60 BPM, and at double-time 240 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "A Small Victory" by Faith No More?
"A Small Victory" by Faith No More 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 "A Small Victory" — what is its dynamic range?
"A Small Victory" 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 "A Small Victory" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "A Small Victory" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "A Small Victory" best for?
In our library "A Small Victory" is recommended for: emotional release, movement. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "A Small Victory" released?
"A Small Victory" is from 1992, on the album "Angel Dust". It appears in our 1990s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "A Small Victory"?
We tag "A Small Victory" as energetic, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "A Small Victory"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "A Small Victory" good for running?
Yes — at 120 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 "A Small Victory" 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 "A Small Victory" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "A Small Victory"?
"A Small Victory" 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.
What this song means to people
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.