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10 songs that feel like Big Yellow Taxi

Matched to Big Yellow Taxi by Joni Mitchell on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Big Yellow Taxi
The song you love
Big Yellow Taxi
Joni Mitchell
moderate 45/100 intensity 120 BPM
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It's Still Rock and Roll to Me — Billy Joel moderate 128 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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How Will I Know — Whitney Houston safe 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

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Jump on It — The Sugarhill Gang moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Whatever Gets You Thru the Night — John Lennon moderate 100 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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MC's Act Like They Don't Know — KRS-One moderate 94 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100).

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Silent Hill — Kendrick Lamar (featuring Kodak Black) moderate 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Cities in Dust — Siouxsie and the Banshees moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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star-crossed — Kacey Musgraves moderate 120 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Old College Try — The Mountain Goats moderate 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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All Things Pass — The Jesus and Mary Chain moderate 120 BPM

96% 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 Big Yellow Taxi is more than you want right now.

Jump by Madonna
Jump — Madonna safe 125 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 45/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 40/100 — the pull without the edge. 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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 29/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — 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 42/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 36/100, versus the original's 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “It's Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel, “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston, “Jump on It” by The Sugarhill Gang — the top match scores 95% 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 “Big Yellow Taxi” but calmer?

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

How intense is “Big Yellow Taxi”?

It measures 45/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 42% of songs, calmer than the other 58%. Its intensity reading of 45/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, 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 88% 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
Workout6/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1970 in context

The 307 songs we’ve measured from 1970 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity45
Dynamics44
Tempo44
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
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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