"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "4th of July" by Soundgarden. Dramatic quiet-to-loud arc, stormy climax. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: heavy, introspective, melancholy. 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."
4th of July by Soundgarden is 90 BPM — Andante (walking pace).
Half-time 45 BPM · Double-time 180 BPM · released 1994
Fan image for "4th of July"
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
Misophonia Triggers
A haunting and powerful track that explores themes of isolation and reflection, characterized by its heavy sound and dynamic contrasts.
Hear it the way it was made
The right gear changes everything.
Moods: heavy, introspective, melancholy
Traditions: grunge, rock
"4th of July" is in our intense band.
At least one of our five sensory dimensions crosses the threshold that means "this can be a lot." Most commonly: dynamic vocals or layered texture, or a dynamic range of 8/10. The full breakdown is below. If you arrived here looking for a calmer alternative, our use-case verdicts section flags songs with similar mood but lower intensity.
How this song sits on each sensory axis
A dynamic range of 8/10 is in the upper band of our library. This song has a significant quiet-to-loud arc. For sensory-sensitive listening, set the opening volume well below your comfortable top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
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 Soundgarden's catalog
We have 20 songs from Soundgarden in the library. Of those, 0 are rated Safe, 3 Moderate, and 17 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 8/10 sits above the artist average of 7.8, making it the #10 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Superunknown
We have 10 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans intense in sensory profile.
- Black Hole Sun — intense DR 8
- Spoonman — intense DR 8
- Fell on Black Days — moderate DR 7
- My Wave — intense DR 8
- The Day I Tried to Live — intense DR 8
- Limo Wreck — intense DR 8
- Like Suicide — intense DR 8
- Superunknown — intense DR 8
- Mailman — intense DR 8
1994 context
Released in 1994. We have 365 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
How fast is "4th of July"?
90 BPM — Medium (midtempo / pop 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 90 BPM.
When "4th of July" works, and when it doesn't
Use-case verdicts computed from the song's tempo, dynamics, and sensory profile.
No — too dynamic or too many surprises. Save for active listening.
No — 90 BPM is too slow for sustained cardio.
No — contains elements that will keep an awake nervous system engaged.
Maybe — the intensity / sudden changes are fine for solo highway driving but skip for city or rainy-weather driving.
No — too active to function as background; will pull attention away from what you're doing.
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.
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The counterintuitive reason some heavy metal is safer than a Taylor Swift album
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Why this rating
We rate this song Intense. Our rule is deliberately conservative: any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, harsh texture, or a strained/screamed vocal is enough to trigger Intense on its own. Full scoring rubric: methodology.
See how “4th of July” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
Listen on
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If this one is too much: sensory-overload protection
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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
This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 81% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 61/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 81% 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
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1994 in context
The 365 songs we’ve measured from 1994 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 8/10, 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
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "4th of July"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "4th of July" by Soundgarden?
"4th of July" by Soundgarden has a tempo of 90 BPM (Andante (walking pace)). At half-time that is 45 BPM, and at double-time 180 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "4th of July" by Soundgarden?
"4th of July" by Soundgarden rates as Intense. Dynamic range 8/10, moderate sudden changes, layered texture, dynamic vocals vocal style. Any one of high dynamic range, present sudden changes, or harsh texture triggers the Intense rating.
How loud is "4th of July" — what is its dynamic range?
"4th of July" has a dynamic range of 8/10. Substantial quiet-to-loud arc. Start at a volume well below your top-end; the climax will land harder than the intro suggests.
Does "4th of July" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "4th of July" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "4th of July" best for?
In our library "4th of July" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "4th of July" released?
"4th of July" is from 1994, on the album "Superunknown". It appears in our 1990s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "4th of July"?
We tag "4th of July" as heavy, introspective, melancholy. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "4th of July"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "4th of July" good for running?
Not really — at 90 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "4th of July" good for studying?
Only partially. The song's dynamic range (8/10) means there will be loud moments that break focus during deep work.
Can I use "4th of July" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Too intense overall.
Should I listen to "4th of July"?
"4th of July" is Intense in our ratings — dramatic dynamics, possible sudden changes, or strong vocal or textural energy. Best with intention rather than ambient use. If you are sensory-sensitive, the alternatives section surfaces calmer songs in the same mood family.
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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