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10 songs that feel like Bang and Blame

Matched to Bang and Blame by R.E.M. on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Bang and Blame
The song you love
Bang and Blame
R.E.M.
moderate 60/100 intensity 122 BPM
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Bell Boy — The Who moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) — Arcade Fire moderate 126 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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We Exist — Arcade Fire moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Sugarboy — St. Vincent intense 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Knock Me Down — Red Hot Chili Peppers intense 126 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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El Scorcho — Weezer moderate 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Your Body — Christina Aguilera intense 123 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (123 BPM).

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Mean Woman Blues — Roy Orbison moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Could You Be the One? — Hüsker Dü moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Hey — Pixies moderate 135 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 40/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 38/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 42/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Two Doors Down by Dolly Parton
Two Doors Down — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 36/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That by Dolly Parton
Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Here I Am by Dolly Parton
Here I Am — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Bang and Blame” by R.E.M.?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Bell Boy” by The Who, “Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)” by Arcade Fire, “We Exist” by Arcade Fire — 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 “Bang and Blame” but calmer?

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston, “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala, “Changes” by David Bowie keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Bang and Blame”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 122 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 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 80% 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.

What it’s good for

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1994 in context

The 365 songs we’ve measured from 1994 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity60
Dynamics67
Tempo46
Surprise50
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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