Let’s check out the tempo of some other famous songs. Kool & the Gang’s slow-jam “Summer Madness” comes out at a laid-back 85 BPM or so, and Outkast’s uptempo “Hey Ya” is around 160 BPM.
Before BPM became a common way to describe the tempo of a piece of music, broader terms were used. You may be familiar with classical terms such as ‘presto’ (very fast, approximately 180-200 BPM), ‘allegro’ (fast and lively, approximately 120-150 BPM), and adagio (slow and stately, approximately 60-80 BPM). Outside of the classical sphere, musicians and producers will tend to refer to BPM values, which are less open to interpretation.
What is an example of tempo?
In the world of popular music, tempo is described in BPM, or “Beats Per Minute” values. Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” has a tempo of 86 BPM. This is an example of the tempo of a track.