Henry Lee
Henry Lee by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey is 85 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 43 BPM · Double-time 170 BPM · released 1996
Song DNA
Misophonia Triggers
A traditional murder ballad adapted by Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, recounting a scorned woman's vengeful slaying of her lover, delivered as a duet on the album Murder Ballads.
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: intimate, melancholy, reflective
Traditions: folk, murder ballad
"Henry Lee" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey
85 BPM, dynamic range 5/10, layered texture, dynamic vocals. Sits in the middle band — neither built for stillness nor pitched at workout intensity. Whether it works for a given moment depends more on mood and lyrical content than on the acoustic profile. The full sensory breakdown follows.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 5/10 is within the normal pop-mix band. There is variation between verse and chorus, but it's the kind of variation most listeners encounter routinely.
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 high — the song telegraphs what it will do next. A sensory-sensitive listener can usually guess where it's going without close attention.
Vocal style: dynamic vocals.
1996 context
Released in 1996. We have 309 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.4/10. This track is quieter / less dynamic than the year average. Explore more from the 1990s.
Explore by mood and tradition
How fast is "Henry Lee"?
85 BPM — Slow (downtempo / ballad)
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
Warm-up, cool-down, yoga, stretching.
Morning coffee, deep work, commute wind-down.
Browse more songs at 85 BPM.
When "Henry Lee" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
Maybe — fine for routine work, but the mid-song changes may pull attention during deep focus.
No — 85 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
Yes — predictable enough for safe driving attention, interesting enough to stay engaged.
Yes — sits in the background without demanding attention.
Yes — this is a song for actively feeling what you came to feel, not for background.
Related reading
Editorial guides that cover this song's use cases, moods, or artist.
Nick Cave's albums ranked by emotional darkness — which one is your nervous system ready for?
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds made some of the most devastating music in rock history. But not all darkness is the same. This guide ranks his …
Every Nick Cave album ranked by how close it sits to grief
Nick Cave's catalogue ranked not by quality but by proximity to real grief — from the flat, relentless ache of Ghosteen to the theatrical de…
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…
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.
See how “Henry Lee” 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: 2026-04-13. 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 32% of songs, calmer than the other 68%. Its intensity reading of 39/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — 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
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1996 in context
The 309 songs we’ve measured from 1996 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Henry Lee"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Henry Lee" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey?
"Henry Lee" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey has a tempo of 85 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 43 BPM, and at double-time 170 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Henry Lee" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey?
"Henry Lee" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds featuring PJ Harvey rates as Moderate intensity. Dynamic range 5/10, mild sudden changes, layered texture. Moderate is the default for well-produced music with real arc but no surprise elements.
How loud is "Henry Lee" — what is its dynamic range?
"Henry Lee" has a dynamic range of 5/10. Within normal pop-mix variation. Movement between verse and chorus but nothing dramatic.
Does "Henry Lee" have sudden or surprising changes?
"Henry Lee" has mild sudden changes — one or two transitions worth knowing about, but they are musically resolved rather than surprise-driven.
What is "Henry Lee" best for?
In our library "Henry Lee" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, relaxation. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Henry Lee" released?
"Henry Lee" is from 1996, on the album "Murder Ballads". It appears in our 1990s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Henry Lee"?
We tag "Henry Lee" as intimate, melancholy, reflective. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Henry Lee"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Henry Lee" good for running?
Not really — at 85 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Henry Lee" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (5/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "Henry Lee" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Henry Lee"?
"Henry Lee" 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
No stories yet. Be the first.
Share what this song means to you
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.