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10 songs that feel like A Song for Our Fathers

Matched to A Song for Our Fathers by Explosions in the Sky on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
A Song for Our Fathers
Explosions in the Sky
intense 60/100 intensity 80 BPM
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Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 — Johannes Brahms moderate 80 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and sits a little calmer at 43/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Day One — Hans Zimmer moderate 72 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 42/100. Same layered texture.

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Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 — Sergei Rachmaninoff moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — sits a little calmer at 50/100. Measured 90% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Hoppípolla — Sigur Rós moderate 90 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It sits a little calmer at 46/100. Same layered texture.

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Tennessee — Hans Zimmer safe 80 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and sits a little calmer at 43/100. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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The Treason of Isengard — Howard Shore moderate 80 BPM

89% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 39/100. Same layered texture.

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I Know You Are But What Am I — Mogwai intense 90 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 89% alike.

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Variations on a Theme of Corelli — Rachmaninoff moderate 100 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It sits a little calmer at 41/100. Same layered texture.

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Coolverine — Mogwai moderate 110 BPM

A 88% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and sits a little calmer at 42/100.

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Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 — Sergei Rachmaninoff moderate 72 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 42/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when A Song for Our Fathers is more than you want right now.

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Always with Me — Yumi Kimura safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 29/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Search Me Lord by Mahalia Jackson
Search Me Lord — Mahalia Jackson safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Teach Your Children — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young safe 92 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 17/100.

Friends Will Be Friends by Queen
Friends Will Be Friends — Queen safe 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. 38/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Iridescent — Linkin Park moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 50/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Crooked Smile by J. Cole
Crooked Smile — J. Cole moderate 92 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 47/100 — the pull without the edge.

Loyal Brave True by Christina Aguilera
Loyal Brave True — Christina Aguilera moderate 72 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 49/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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All Around You — Sturgill Simpson moderate 95 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 9. 47/100, versus the original's 60.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “A Song for Our Fathers” by Explosions in the Sky?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77” by Johannes Brahms, “Day One” by Hans Zimmer, “Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27” by Sergei Rachmaninoff — the top match scores 93% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

What songs are like “A Song for Our Fathers” but calmer?

“Always with Me” by Yumi Kimura, “Search Me Lord” by Mahalia Jackson, “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “A Song for Our Fathers”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 80 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

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 60/100 comes from a dynamic range of 9/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a huge quiet-to-loud swing: more extreme on that axis than 96% 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

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

Dial the feeling up or down

What it’s good for

Sleep3/10
Focus8/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

2000 in context

The 306 songs we’ve measured from 2000 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 9/10, 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

Intensity60
Dynamics89
Tempo22
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load0

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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