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10 songs that feel like Anecdotes

Matched to Anecdotes by Joanna Newsom 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
Anecdotes
Joanna Newsom
moderate 48/100 intensity 110 BPM
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Sweetheart Like You — Bob Dylan moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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If the Brakeman Turns My Way — Bright Eyes moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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In My Room — Yazoo moderate 105 BPM

Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

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Truth Doesn't Make a Noise — The White Stripes moderate 112 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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And Nothing Is Forever — The Cure moderate 85 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100).

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Red Right Hand — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 114 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Too Late — SZA moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Mine — Taylor Swift moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Reach Out I'll Be There — The Four Tops moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100).

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Somebody's Baby — Jackson Browne moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Anecdotes is more than you want right now.

No Plan by Hozier
No Plan — Hozier safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 16/100, down from 48.

She Belongs to Me by Bob Dylan
She Belongs to Me — Bob Dylan safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

John Wesley Harding by Bob Dylan
John Wesley Harding — Bob Dylan safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 13/100.

Running by Norah Jones
Running — Norah Jones safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 16/100, versus the original's 48.

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Entering Heaven Alive — Jack White safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 22/100, down from 48.

If Not Now... by Tracy Chapman
If Not Now... — Tracy Chapman safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 13/100 — the pull without the edge.

Breakdown by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Breakdown — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 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 6. Reads 17/100.

Beautiful Love by Bill Evans
Beautiful Love — Bill Evans safe 140 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 48.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Anecdotes” by Joanna Newsom?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Sweetheart Like You” by Bob Dylan, “If the Brakeman Turns My Way” by Bright Eyes, “In My Room” by Yazoo — the top match scores 99% 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 “Anecdotes” but calmer?

“No Plan” by Hozier, “She Belongs to Me” by Bob Dylan, “John Wesley Harding” by Bob Dylan keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Anecdotes”?

It measures 48/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and dynamic vocals. It shares this stretch of the spectrum with thousands of other tracks, so the finer fingerprint below is what really separates it.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — 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.

What it’s good for

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2015 in context

The 373 songs we’ve measured from 2015 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. At 6/10, this track is right in line with its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity48
Dynamics56
Tempo39
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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