“Times of Your Life” — Same Tempo, Three Views

Paul Anka’s Times of Your Life has always felt kind of bittersweet to me—nostalgic, gentle, a little reflective. That feeling made me wonder about its tempo, so I mapped it out with a Matherton Tempo Illustration. It turns out the song mostly hovers around the mid-70s beats per minute. Steady, relaxed—almost like it’s walking through a memory.

The data is the same in all three charts below, but each one looks and feels a little different. This post isn’t about the math—though it’s there if you’re curious. It’s more about the pacing, the vibe, and giving people a different way to experience the song.

Obama version:

This version uses the same tempo numbers but overlays them on a high-contrast image from a moment in time—like the song itself, it invites reflection. This one leads the post because of its emotional tone. The lines feel more urgent. The chart feels less technical. Same numbers, different energy.

Classic version:

This is the cleaner, more straightforward chart. Black background, red tempo trend lines, and everything clearly marked. If you’re someone who likes to see the details of a song’s movement, this one’s for you. You can spot tempo dips and rises as the song flows from verse to chorus to outro.

Mood View / Bridge version:

Here, the same tempo data is placed over a foggy bridge photo. This version is more about the feel than the data—it’s meant to echo the wistful, reflective nature of the song. It’s not meant to be “read” so much as absorbed

—–

Why all three?

Because sometimes how something looks affects how it feels. All three are telling you the same thing about the speed of the song—but each one hits a little differently. Maybe one speaks to your mood. Maybe one just looks cooler. That’s the whole point: use them however you want.

You don’t need to know the formulas. You just need to feel something from the music.