"Editorial abstract illustration evoking the emotional arc of a song titled "Poor Places" by Wilco. Noticeable climb from quiet to loud. layered composition, overlapping color planes. Mood: introspective, melancholy, nostalgic. Visual style: 2000s digital editorial aesthetic. 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 dinner.
110
BPM
Poor Places by Wilco is 110 BPM — Moderato (moderate).
Half-time 55 BPM · Double-time 220 BPM · released 2002
Fan image for "Poor Places"
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: Begins with a steady building drone and a distinctive truck backing-up beep that weaves into the texture, creating a sense of urgency before transitioning to a noisy, experimental climax. The production features blurred melodies and studio effects for an eerie, immersive feel without extreme harshness.
Misophonia Triggers
Recommended for: deep listening emotional release focus
A slowly building alt-rock track with experimental electronica elements, drone, and surreal lyrics expressing isolation and desperation from Wilco's acclaimed album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
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The right gear changes everything.
Moods: introspective, melancholy, nostalgic
Traditions: alt-country, experimental rock, indie rock
Volume Warning
"Poor Places" 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. Wilco 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 Wilco's catalog
We have 27 songs from Wilco in the library. Of those, 9 are rated Safe, 14 Moderate, and 4 Intense. This song's dynamic range of 7/10 sits above the artist average of 6.0, making it the #6 most dynamic track of theirs in our library.
Other tracks from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
We have 9 songs from this album. Overall, the album leans moderate in sensory profile.
- Jesus Etc — safe DR 5
- Heavy Metal Drummer — safe DR 4
- Kamera — moderate DR 6
- I Am Trying to Break Your Heart — intense DR 8
- Ashes of American Flags — moderate DR 6
- Reservations — safe DR 4
- I'm the Man Who Loves You — moderate DR 6
- Radio Cure — moderate DR 5
2002 context
Released in 2002. We have 332 songs from that year in our library, averaging a dynamic range of 6.3/10. This track is about average than the year average. Explore more from the 2000s.
Explore by mood and tradition
Guides that may help
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 …
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach
How to Build the Perfect Focus Playlist for Work — A Sensory-Rated Approach — A guide for sensory-se…
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…
How fast is "Poor Places"?
110 BPM — Upbeat (dance-pop / running warm-up)
For running
Too slow for most running; good for warm-up walks or cool-down.
For workouts
Steady cardio, power walking, light weights.
For daily life
Cooking, casual listening, cleaning, dinner music.
Browse more songs at 110 BPM.
When "Poor Places" 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
Maybe — at 110 BPM this is more warm-up or cool-down pace than peak-effort running.
✗
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
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.
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…
I rated every Billie Eilish album by emotional intensity
From bedroom ASMR whispers to walls of distortion — a deep sensory dive into all three Billie Eilish studio albums and what each one actuall…
Ten new songs this week — we analyzed every one so you know what you're getting into
From Ella Langley's chart-topping country warmth to Massive Attack and Tom Waits, we decoded ten new releases dropping this week: dynamic ra…
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
59/100 intensity
See how “Poor Places” sits against your own sensitivities, or use it as a waypoint in a calmer set.
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For focused listening
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Rating last reviewed: 2026-04-14. 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 59/100 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
Last Dance — Donna Summer · 99%Sleep Well Beast — The National · 99%Posthumous Forgiveness — Tame Impala · 99%SOS — ABBA · 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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
2002 in context
The 332 songs we’ve measured from 2002 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 7/10, 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
Intensity59
Dynamics67
Tempo39
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Frequently asked about "Poor Places"
Quick answers pulled from the song's sensory analysis.
What is the BPM of "Poor Places" by Wilco?
"Poor Places" by Wilco has a tempo of 110 BPM (Moderato (moderate)). At half-time that is 55 BPM, and at double-time 220 BPM.
What is the sensory intensity of "Poor Places" by Wilco?
"Poor Places" by Wilco 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 "Poor Places" — what is its dynamic range?
"Poor Places" 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 "Poor Places" have sudden or surprising changes?
Yes. "Poor Places" uses surprise as a compositional feature. Expect unsignaled transitions.
What is "Poor Places" best for?
In our library "Poor Places" is recommended for: deep listening, emotional release, focus. These tags are assigned only where the song's sensory profile genuinely supports the use case.
When was "Poor Places" released?
"Poor Places" is from 2002, on the album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". It appears in our 2000s catalog.
What is the emotional mood of "Poor Places"?
We tag "Poor Places" as introspective, melancholy, nostalgic. Moods are tonal descriptors based on how the song reads emotionally — separate from the sensory intensity axes.
What is the vocal style of "Poor Places"?
The vocal style is dynamic vocals.
Is "Poor Places" good for running?
Not really — at 110 BPM it's below most running cadences. Better for warm-up, cool-down, or walking. Recreational runners typically step at 140-175 BPM.
Is "Poor Places" 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 "Poor Places" for sleep?
Not recommended for sleep. Contains transitions that will wake you up.
Should I listen to "Poor Places"?
"Poor Places" 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.
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Where to next?
You know how this one feels — now go find the next one.