Songs for Contra Dance by tempo

205 songs whose measured tempo sits in (or doubles into) contra dance's 108–124 BPM range and whose genre or rhythm suits the dance. Click a column to sort.

4080120160200240280320 BPM

205

matching songs

108–124

typical BPM

2/4

time signature

Top artists for contra dance

Joan Baez · 10Lila Downs · 8The Corries · 6Townes Van Zandt · 5Kathy Mattea · 5Peter, Paul & Mary · 5Greg Brown · 4The Dreadnoughts · 4Rachel Unthank & the Winterset · 4Kate Rusby · 4Steeleye Span · 4The Incredible String Band · 4

All songs by tempo

“Dance tempo” is the pulse you dance to. Audio analysis sometimes measures half or double that speed — marked ×2 or ½.

Song	Artist	Dance tempo	Measured	Key	Year
Black Is the Color	Rosheen	108	108	A minor	2005
Dr. Gilbert’s Fancy Concert / Mullin’s Fancy	Andy McGann & Paul Brady	108	108	G major	1977
Goin’ Down to Memphis	Townes Van Zandt	108	108	A minor	1994
Fairy Tale	Rosheen	108	108	E major	2005
Johnnie Cope	The Corries	108	108	E minor	1993
Reavy’s / John McFadden’s Favorite	Andy McGann & Paul Brady	108	108	G major	1977
A Hard Rain’s A‐Gonna Fall	Bob Dylan	108	108	E major	2005
Texas River Song	Townes Van Zandt	108	108	D major	1992
The Last Time I Saw Richard	Joni Mitchell	109	109	G major	1971
Slow Country Dance	Mary Chapin Carpenter	109	109	A major	1989
The Bantam Cock	The Corries	109	109	C minor	2003
Paddy on the Turnpike / It’s a Hard Road to Travel	Andy McGann & Paul Brady	109	109	C major	1977
Suzanne	Joan Baez	109	109	F major	1995
Stopping Off Place	Townes Van Zandt	110	110	A# minor	1999
You’re Aging Well	Dar Williams	110	110	C major	1995
The Poet Game	Greg Brown	110	110	G major	1994
You’re Aging Well	Joan Baez with Dar Williams	110	110	G major	1995
Planxty Burke / Planxty Drew	Shelley Phillips	110	110	A minor	1996
Mouth Music/Eddie Curran's Favourite	Dolores Keane & John Faulkner	110	110	C# major	1979
Cucurrucucú paloma	Lila Downs	110	110	D major	2011
Paloma negra	Lila Downs	110	110	D major	2003
Black Letters	The Dreadnoughts	110	110	C major	2017
Misa oaxaqueña	Lila Downs	110	110	A# major	2011
Xochipitzahua	Lila Downs	110	110	C major	2011
Malinche	Lila Downs	110	110	G# minor	2003
Forever Frozen	Davy Spillane feat. Steve Winwood	110	110	F minor	1999
Dizzy	Skyedance	110	110	F# minor	1997
Jack Orion	The Pentangle	110	110	D major	1970
Lull II: My Lad's a Canny Lad	Rachel Unthank & the Winterset	110	110	C major	2007
Ireland's 32	The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem	110	110	F major	2007
Winter Prayers	Iron & Wine	110	110	C minor	2013
Walkin' Daddy	Greg Brown	111	111	G major	2000
Little Green	Joni Mitchell	111	111	B major	1971
Here’s to You	Joan Baez	111	111	B major	1980
Yield	Indigo Girls	111	111	A major	2002
Barrack Street	Nic Jones	111	111	F major	1980
Shout to the Devil	Kate Rusby	111	111	G major	2010
Reelin'	Clann An Drumma	111	111	B minor	—
On a Desert Island (With You in My Dreams)	Peter, Paul and Mary	111	111	D major	1965
The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer	Johnny Cash	111	111	F minor	1963
I Don't Need This	Ashley MacIsaac	112	112	A major	2002
You Can Hear My Whistle Blow	Woody Guthrie	112	112	D# major	2009
Pull Down Lads	June Tabor	112	112	A major	1976
A Special Day: A Special Day / Swedish Polska	422	112	112	D major	2000
Guantanamera	Pete Seeger	112	112	C# major	1963
Hoptsoi	Värttinä	112	112	D major	2001
Katie Belle Blue	Townes Van Zandt	112	112	A major	1994
Little Boxes	Pete Seeger	112	112	A major	1963
Shadows on the Marsh	Al Petteway	112	112	D minor	2006
Diddling Set	Bill Jones	112	112	D major	2003
Love Birds	Omnia	112	112	F major	2015
Lost Highway	Townes Van Zandt	112	112	C major	1997
That’s Why I’m Here	James Taylor	112	112	F major	1985
Welcome Me	Joan Baez	112	112	A# major	1995
Supply and Demand	Guy Clark	113	113	E major	1983
Wild Ponies	Kellie Pickler	113	113	C major	2006
That's All the Lumber You Sent	Kathy Mattea	113	113	C major	2002
I Shall Be Released	Joan Baez	113	113	D major	1968
Female Drummer	Steeleye Span	113	113	F major	1971
Blues Go Walking	Greg Brown	113	113	A minor	2000
Air	The Incredible String Band	113	113	C major	1968
Hidden Love	Peter Case	114	114	F# major	1989
Ghraidh an Tig Thu? (Will You Come, Love?)	Cliar	114	114	E minor	2000
Slender Threads That Bind Us Here	Kathy Mattea	114	114	C# major	2002
Ma Bonny Lad	Rachel Unthank & the Winterset	114	114	D# major	2007
Reunion Hill	Richard Shindell	114	114	G major	1997
Mama Don’t Allow	The Rooftop Singers	114	114	G# major	2002
La Bonne Aventure	Bratsch	114	114	E minor	2011
Danny Farrell	The Dubliners	114	114	A# major	1986
El agua de la vida	Salsa Celtica	114	114	A major	2003
Little Boy Billee	Ralph Steadman	114	114	C major	2006
Dee Dee Diddley Bop	Rare Air	114	114	E major	1987
Drifter's Escape	Joan Baez	114	114	C major	1968
Astral Jig	Rare Air	115	115	E minor	1991
So Here's to You	Niamh Parsons	115	115	G major	2000
Who We Are	Kathy Mattea	115	115	F major	2002
Power of Two	Indigo Girls	115	115	F minor	1994
House of the Rising Sun	Marianne Faithfull	115	115	A minor	2007
Oh, Bedad! / For the Love of Music	Liz Carroll	115	115	D major	2002
Matters of the Heart	Tracy Chapman	115	115	F minor	1992
Loch Tay Boat Song	The Cottars	115	115	C# major	2004
Goldwatch Blues	Donovan	115	115	C# minor	1971
Lord Randall	Steeleye Span	115	115	A major	1999
In Existence	Massini	115	115	A major	2007
Johnny Too Bad	John Martyn	116	116	C# major	2008
Adiós adiós	Salsa Celtica	116	116	C# minor	2003
Beer Galore	The Clancy Brothers	116	116	F major	1970
Kyle Brack Rambler/Miss McGuinness/Speed the Plough	Dolores Keane & John Faulkner	116	116	G major	1979
In Between the Lines	The Poozies	116	116	C major	1995
The Traveling Storm	Robert Earl Keen	116	116	F major	2005
Auld Lang Syne	Salsa Celtica	116	116	A# major	2003
Cattail Waltz	Al Petteway	116	116	D major	2006
Planxty Irwin	Phil Coulter	116	116	G major	1996
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?	Peter, Paul & Mary	117	117	A# major	2015
Lone Star Hotel	Guy Clark	117	117	D major	1981
Gentle Blues	John Martyn	117	117	A# major	1987
The Whistling Gypsy	The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem	117	117	D major	1996
Guns of Love	Kathy Mattea	117	117	E major	2002
I Wish That I Never Was Wed	Steeleye Span	117	117	G major	1999
Profiteers	Fiddler’s Green	117	117	A minor	1999
The Lily of the West	Joan Baez	117	117	G# minor	1995
Tomorrow Is a Long Time	Judy Collins	117	117	A major	1965
Down the Hill / The Boys of Ballisodare / Maids of Mount Cisco (Set Dance / Reels)	Johnny B. Connolly	117	117	G major	2001
To the Other Side	Deana Carter	117	117	D major	1996
Lord I Have Made You a Place in My Heart	Greg Brown	117	117	D major	1994
Cheguevarap (remix)	Manau	117	117	D major	2007
Early Morning Rain	Judy Collins	117	117	D# major	1965
In Love but Not at Peace	Dar Williams	117	117	C major	1995
Of This World	Peter, Paul & Mary	117	117	F minor	2003
Ballad of the Irish Horse: Main Theme	The Chieftains	117	117	D major	1985
Blue's Gaen oot o' the Fashion	Rachel Unthank & the Winterset	117	117	A# major	2007
Buildings and Bridges	Ani DiFranco	117	117	C minor	1996
Fasulye	Istanbul Oriental Ensemble	117	117	E minor	1997
Hò Bha Mi, Hé Bha Mi	Julie Fowlis	117	117	D minor	2011
Killieburn Brae	The Dubliners	117	117	D major	1976
Weeping Willow	The Kingston Trio	118	118	D major	1961
El pájaro cu	The Chieftains with La Negra Graciana	118	118	G# major	2010
Killieburne Brae	The Dubliners	118	118	D major	1998
Ducks on a Pond	The Incredible String Band	118	118	G major	1968
Come Away With Me	Kathy Mattea	118	118	G major	2002
Flinty Kind of Woman	Dar Williams	118	118	C# minor	1995
Harriet Tubman’s Ballad, Part 1	Woody Guthrie	118	118	F major	2009
Yarmouth Town	Bellowhead	118	118	A# major	2010
A Ha Me a Riddle I Day	Laura Love	118	118	F minor	1995
Farewell	Kate Rusby	118	118	G major	2007
Parson's Farewell	Bellowhead	118	118	D minor	2010
Rosie	Fairport Convention	118	118	D major	1993
The Man in the Station	John Martyn	118	118	C major	1973
Nahkaruoska	Värttinä	119	119	D major	2003
Thomas the Rhymer	Steeleye Span	119	119	C# minor	1999
Cool Breeze	Luka Bloom	119	119	C major	1999
Rosemary Lane	Espers	119	119	F major	2005
Coconut Dog / Morning Dew	Solas	119	119	E minor	2006
Homage: Le Bateau / Homage à Edmond Parizeau	422	119	119	D major	2000
On the Banks of the Roses	The Corries	120	120	B major	1966
All My Trials	Peter, Paul and Mary	120	120	D# major	1963
Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand	Waylon Jennings	120	120	G major	1978
Chinese White	The Incredible String Band	120	120	F major	1967
I Can Make It With You	Pozo-Seco Singers	120	120	C# major	1996
Cam Ye by Atholl	The Corries	120	120	B major	1966
Mezcalito	Lila Downs	120	120	F# minor	2011
Gavrilo	The Dreadnoughts	120	120	E minor	2017
La Bamba	Lila Downs	120	120	C major	2003
Pretty Ploughboy	Eliza Carthy	120	120	B minor	2002
Una sangre	Lila Downs	120	120	G major	2003
One Day at a Time	Kelli Ali	120	120	A minor	2009
The Circle Is Unbroken	The Incredible String Band	120	120	G minor	1968
Crimes	Alan Stivell feat. Khaled	120	120	D minor	1998
La Complainte de Louis-Marie Jossic	Tri Yann	120	120	C# major	2003
Wimoweh	The Weavers	120	120	F# major	1971
Lowlands of Holland	Martin Simpson	120	120	D# major	—
Could’ve Been Me	Billy Ray Cyrus	120	120	G major	1992
I Raise My Cup to Him	Anaïs Mitchell	120	120	C# minor	2010
Lammas Tide	The Corries	120	120	A# major	1966
Reconciliation	Niamh Parsons & The Loose Connections	120	120	C major	1997
Annan Waters	Kate Rusby	120	120	C major	1997
Sanas	Luka Bloom	120	120	D major	1999
I’ve Loved Enough to Know	Deana Carter	120	120	G# major	1995
A Chatrion' Òg	Julie Fowlis	120	120	C# major	2011
Static on My Radio	The Poozies	121	121	G major	1995
Albarada	Luar na Lubre	121	121	C major	1993
Day Is Done	Peter, Paul & Mary	121	121	A major	1998
I Promise	Texas Lightning	121	121	A minor	2006
Forgiveness	Luka Bloom	121	121	F major	1999
Song From the End of the World	The Waterboys	122	122	D major	1990
Dreams by the Sea	John Martyn	122	122	G# major	1973
Counting Stars	OneRepublic	122	122	F minor	2013
Dirty Old Town	Johnny Logan & Friends	122	122	A major	2007
Across the Wide Missouri	The Kingston Trio	122	122	D major	1992
A Fig for a Kiss / The Turf Cutter	Altan	122	122	D major	2012
Beneath a Phrygian Sky	Loreena McKennitt	122	122	A minor	2014
My Parents Reared Me Tenderly	John Doyle	122	122	G major	2001
Matty Groves	Joan Baez	122	122	A# minor	1962
Moldavian Triptych	Dónal Lunny with Márta Sebestyén	122	122	A major	1998
Garden Song	Peter, Paul & Mary	123	123	D major	1998
Fionnghuala	The Celtic Tenors	123	123	B minor	2002
Copper Kettle	Joan Baez	123	123	A# minor	1962
Crooked Jack	John Doyle	123	123	F minor	2001
Horo Mo Nighean Donn Bhòidheach nan Gormshuil Meallach (A Love Song)	Mary Jane Lamond	123	123	G major	1997
Some fag Rag	Farmers Market	123	123	D# major	2000
When the Ship Comes In	Peter, Paul and Mary	123	123	F major	1965
Full Circle	Loreena McKennitt	123	123	C major	2014
Barbeque	Robert Earl Keen	123	123	A minor	1994
Cape Cod Girls	Gaelic Storm	123	123	A major	2013
Back Home in Bristol	The Dreadnoughts	123	123	C major	2017
Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk	Rachel Unthank & the Winterset	123	123	A minor	2007
Ramadan's slow Song & Dance	Farmers Market	123	123	D# major	2000
Tears of Rage	Joan Baez	123	123	A# minor	1968
Jim Sullivan (song)	P. J. Hayes & Martin Hayes	123	123	A major	2011
My Shining Star	Eddi Reader	123	123	D major	2009
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Christy Moore	123	123	C major	1989
An Cailín Rua	Skara Brae	123	123	F major	1971
Veseli Zborni (Marriage Song)	Ivo Papasov and His Orchestra	123	123	G major	1991
Walkin' Down the Line	Joan Baez	123	123	A# major	1968
What Do We Do With a Drunken Sailor	David Thomas	123	123	A minor	2006
My Young Man / The Big Ship Sails	Kate Rusby	124	124	C major	2001
Caledonia	The Chieftains	124	124	C# major	1976
March of the King of Laoise	Dirk Freymuth and Laura MacKenzie	124	124	D major	—
The Bay of Suvla	The Dreadnoughts	124	124	E major	2017
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right	Bob Dylan	124	124	F major	2005
The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life)	Peter, Paul & Mary	124	124	D major	2004
Maggie Lauder	The Corries	124	124	A major	1974
Oíche Mhaith (Good Night)	Hazel O’Connor	124	124	F major	2000
East at Glendart / Brian O'Lynn / Pay the Reckoning	Planxty	124	124	G major	1979
Irish Lullaby	Bill Douglas feat. Ars Nova Singers	124	124	F minor	1996

Tempo and key are measured by audio analysis (AcousticBrainz, CC0) on MusicBrainz recordings; detected BPM can be half or double the felt tempo. Always check by ear — or use our tap tempo tool.

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