Mary J. Blige, 'Breakthrough'- A FULL-BIDEN tempo analysis of every song on the album!

Mary J. Bliges’s album Breakthrough is one of Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger—a message she drives home in song after song on this Grammy multi-nominated album.
Songs about painful loneliness (79-89 beats per minute, or “bpm”) and renewal (85-89 bpm) give way to a natural (98-105 bpm), victorious (119-128 bpm), graceful (70-76 bpm), enthusiastic (90-97 bpm) woman.
Songs with meanemotions of melodrama (55-58 bpm), bittersweetness (77-78 bpm), lust (106-113 bpm) and foreboding (114-118 bpm) and mixed fast (129 and above) are each avoided.

Mary is all about: facing loneliness head on, feel the pain of it, and let it make you stronger lest it kill you: hence her many songs of loneliness trumped by enthusiasm. From what speed range come most of Mary’s most popular songs? Meanemotion: Enthusiasm, 90-97 bpm.

Below are the elementary speeds to every song on Mary’s bold and candid album.


Track #1
song title=“No One Will Do”
composers=Bunny Sigler, Clifford L. Brown III, Dave Young, Erik Ortiz, Kevin Crowe
meanspeed=82.7 beats per minute
meanemotion=loneliness
meanspace=0.725 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.38 beats per second
meanpitch=353.00 hertz, 18 cents higher than F4=349.228 hertz, 82 cents lower than F#4/Gb4=369.994 hertz.

Track #2
song title=“Enough Cryin’”
composers=Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett
meanspeed =96.6 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.621 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.61 beats per second
meanpitch=412.33 hertz, 20 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 80 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.

Track #3
song title=“About You”
composers=Anthony Newly, Keith Harris, Leslie Bricusse, William Adams
meanspeed=92.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.652 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.53 beats per second
meanpitch=392.53 hertz, 2 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 98 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.

Track #4
song title=“Be Without You” (Kendu Mix)
composers=Bryan-Michael Cox, Jason Perry, Johnta Austin
meanspeed=73.3 beats per minute
meanemotion=grace
meanspace=0.819 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.22 beats per second
meanpitch=312.74 hertz, 9 cents higher than D#4/Eb4=311.127 hertz, 91 cents lower than E4=329.628 hertz.

Track #5
song title=“Gonna Breakthrough”
composers=Dernst Emile, Diane Gordon, Harry Palmer, Quaran Wages
featured performer=Brook
meanspeed=100.8 beats per minute
meanemotion=natural
meanspace=0.595 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.68 beats per second
meanpitch=430.20 hertz, 60 cents higher than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz, 40 cents lower than A4=440.000 hertz.

Track #6
song title=“Good Woman Down”
composers=Freddie Jackson, Mel’isa magan, Patrick Douthit, Robert Arles, Sean Garrett
meanspeed=88.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=renewal
meanspace=0.682 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.47 beats per second
meanpitch=375.47 hertz, 25 cents higher than F#4/Gb4=369.994 hertz, 75 cents lower than G4=391.995 hertz.

Track #7
song title=“Take Me As I Am”
composers=Candice Nelson, Ezekiel Lewis, Jordan Duecof, Keri Hilson, Lonnie Listen Smit, Thabiso Nkereanye
meanspeed=82.2 beats per minute
meanemotion=loneliness
meanspace=0.730 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.37 beats per second
meanpitch=350.79 hertz, 8 cents higher than F4=349.228 hertz, 92 cents lower than F#4/Gb4=369.994 hertz.

Track #8
song title=“Baggage”
composers=Bobby Ross Avila, Dave Young, Issiah J. Avila, James Harris III, James Q. Wright, Terry Lewis
meanspeed=94.5 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.635 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.58 beats per second
meanpitch=403.39 hertz, 49 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 51 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.

Track #9
song title=“Can’t Hide From Love”
composers=Andre Harris, Arthur Ross, Leon Ware, Ryan Toby, Vidal Davis
featured artist=Jay-Z
meanspeed=105.1 beats per minute
meanemotion=natural
meanspace=0.571 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.75 beats per second
meanpitch=448.41 hertz, 32 cents higher than A4=440.000 hertz, 68 cents lower than A#4/Bb4=466.164 hertz.

Track #10
song title=“MJB Da MVP” (Alternate Version)
composers=Allan Felder, Andre Lyon, Curtis Jackson, Jayceon Taylor, Marcello Valenzano, Norman Harris, Ron Baker
meanspeed=100.1 beats per minute
meanemotion=natural
meanspace=0.600 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.67 beats per second
meanpitch=426.89 hertz, 47 cents higher than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz, 53 cents lower than A4=440.000 hertz.

Track #11
song title=“Can’t Get Enough”
composers=Bobby Ross Avila, Dave Young, Issiah J. Avila, James Harris III, James Q. Wright, Terry Lewis
meanspeed=94.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.638 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.57 beats per second
meanpitch=401.07 hertz, 39 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 61 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.

Track #12
song title=“Ain’t Real Love”
composer= Bryan-Michael Cox, Candice Childress, Johnta Austin
meanspeed=60.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=sincerity
meanspace=1.00 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.00 beats per second
meanpitch=256.00 hertz, 62 cents higher than B3=246.942 hertz, 38 cents lower than C4=261.626 hertz.

Track #13
song title=“I Found My Everything”
composers=Kevin L. Wooten, Robert Ozuna
featured artist=Raphael Saadiq
meanspeed=120.0 beats per minute, as a waltz
meanemotion=victory
meanspace=0.500 seconds per beat
meanphase=2.00 beats per second
meanpitch=512.00 hertz, 62 cents higher than B4=493.883 hertz, 38 cents lower than C5=523.251 hertz.

Track #14
song title=“Father In You”
composers=Andre Harris, Ryan Toby, Vidal Davis
meanspeed=67.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=ceremony
meanspace=0.896 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.12 beats per second
meanpitch=285.87 hertz, 53 cents higher than C#4/Db4=277.183 hertz, 47 cents lower than D4=293.665 hertz.

Track #15
song title=“Alone”
composer=Davel McKenzie
featured artist=Dave Young
meanspeed=82.6 beats per minute
meanemotion=loneliness
meanspace=0.726 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.38 beats per second
meanpitch=352.38 hertz, 15 cents higher than F4=349.228 hertz, 85 cents lower than F#4/Gb4=369.994 hertz.

Track #16
song title=“One”
composers=Paul Hewson, David Evans, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen
meanspeed=93.0 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.645 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.55 beats per second
meanpitch=396.80 hertz, 21 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 79 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.

Track #17
song title=“Show Love” (Hidden Track)
composers=Chucky Thompson, Sean Garrett
meanspeed=98.1 beats per minute
meanemotion=natural
meanspace=0.612 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.63 beats per second
meanpitch=418.49 hertz, 13 cents higher than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz, 87 cents lower than A4=440.000 hertz.

Track #18
song title="So Lady”
featured artist=Raphael Saadiq
composer=Teedra Moses
meanspeed=93.2 beats per minute
meanemotion=enthusiasm
meanspace=0.644 seconds per beat
meanphase=1.55 beats per second
meanpitch=396.80 hertz, 25 cents higher than G4=391.995 hertz, 75 cents lower than G#4/Ab4=415.305 hertz.


/Ian Andrew Schneider/
meanspeed.com
January 27, 2006