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10 songs that feel like Breathe

Matched to Breathe by U2 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
Breathe
U2
moderate 49/100 intensity 78 BPM
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Untitled #3 — Sigur Rós moderate 70 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (70 BPM).

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Holding on to You — Twenty One Pilots moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Lonesome Day — Bruce Springsteen moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 96% alike.

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Go Let It Out — Oasis moderate 90 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Billie's Blues — Billie Holiday moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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One and Only — Adele moderate 76 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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To Someone From a Warm Climate — Hozier moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Magnificat, RV 610 — Antonio Vivaldi moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Pilgrims Chorus — Wagner moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Va pensiero — Giuseppe Verdi moderate 80 BPM

99% 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 Breathe is more than you want right now.

The Best Thing I Never Had by Beyoncé
The Best Thing I Never Had — Beyoncé safe 81 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Hymn by Kesha
Hymn — Kesha safe 80 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 35/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Jamming — Bob Marley and the Wailers safe 76 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 31/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Positive Vibration — Bob Marley & The Wailers safe 78 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 42/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Hot Air — Recess Monkey safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 43/100, down from 49.

I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty
I Won't Back Down — Tom Petty safe 100 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 25/100 — the pull without the edge.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 34/100.

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Stand — R.E.M. safe 106 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 40/100, versus the original's 49.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Breathe” by U2?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Untitled #3” by Sigur Rós, “Holding on to You” by Twenty One Pilots, “Lonesome Day” by Bruce Springsteen — the top match scores 98% 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 “Breathe” but calmer?

“The Best Thing I Never Had” by Beyoncé, “Hymn” by Kesha, “Jamming” by Bob Marley and the Wailers keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Breathe”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 78 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 55% of songs, calmer than the other 45%. Its intensity reading of 49/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, 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 a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 86% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10

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

2009 in context

The 218 songs we’ve measured from 2009 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity49
Dynamics67
Tempo21
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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