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10 songs that feel like Bolero

Matched to Bolero by Maurice Ravel on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Bolero
The song you love
Bolero
Maurice Ravel
moderate 45/100 intensity 98 BPM
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Incident at Neshabur — Carlos Santana moderate 120 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100).

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Strung Up from the Sky — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

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Emerald Rush — Jon Hopkins moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 93% alike.

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The Ecstatics — Explosions in the Sky moderate 90 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

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Eri — Mono moderate 90 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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The Birth and Death of the Day — Explosions in the Sky moderate 85 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.

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New Lands — Justice moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Measured 93% alike.

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Cloudburst Flight — Tangerine Dream moderate 110 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

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Carpe Bruma — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100).

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Mojave Plan — Tangerine Dream moderate 65 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 38/100. Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Heaven by Depeche Mode
Heaven — Depeche Mode safe 100 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 18/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
Astral Weeks — Van Morrison safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge.

Carolyn's Fingers by Cocteau Twins
Carolyn's Fingers — Cocteau Twins safe 95 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Gymnopédies No. 1 by Erik Satie
Gymnopédies No. 1 — Erik Satie safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. 18/100, versus the original's 45. 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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 27/100, down from 45.

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Andvari — Sigur Rós safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 34/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sumiregusa (Wild Violet) by Enya
Sumiregusa (Wild Violet) — Enya safe 72 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 8. Reads 11/100.

Dark Sky Island by Enya
Dark Sky Island — Enya safe 72 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. 20/100, versus the original's 45.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Incident at Neshabur” by Carlos Santana, “Strung Up from the Sky” by Pelican, “Emerald Rush” by Jon Hopkins — 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 “Bolero” but calmer?

“Heaven” by Depeche Mode, “Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison, “Carolyn's Fingers” by Cocteau Twins keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Bolero”?

It measures 45/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 98 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 8/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. 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 a huge quiet-to-loud swing: 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

Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1928 in context

The 6 songs we’ve measured from 1928 average a dynamic range of 6.8/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity45
Dynamics78
Tempo32
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force0
Trigger load38

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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