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10 songs that feel like Cry Wolf

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

Cry Wolf
The song you love
Cry Wolf
a-ha
moderate 52/100 intensity 116 BPM
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Nights on Broadway — Bee Gees moderate 100 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

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Damage Gets Done — Hozier moderate 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

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Dang! — Mac Miller feat. Anderson .Paak moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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Don't Play That Song (You Lied) — Aretha Franklin moderate 108 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

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She's Only 18 — Red Hot Chili Peppers moderate 124 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (124 BPM).

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Hey Jane — Spiritualized moderate 112 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

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Seventeen — Sharon Van Etten moderate 126 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Isn't It Midnight — Fleetwood Mac moderate 124 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Aquatic Mouth Dance — Red Hot Chili Peppers moderate 118 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

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Real Real Gone — Van Morrison moderate 118 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 33/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cantaloupe Island by Herbie Hancock
Cantaloupe Island — Herbie Hancock safe 105 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 30/100 — the pull without the edge.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard — Paul Simon safe 130 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.

Back in the U.S.A. by Chuck Berry
Back in the U.S.A. — Chuck Berry safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 35/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Can't You Hear Me Calling by Bill Monroe
Can't You Hear Me Calling — Bill Monroe safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 45/100, down from 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Apache — The Ventures safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 35/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain — Traditional safe 120 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 7. Reads 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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We Belong Together — Randy Newman safe 112 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 32/100, versus the original's 52. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Cry Wolf” by a-ha?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Nights on Broadway” by Bee Gees, “Damage Gets Done” by Hozier, “Dang!” by Mac Miller feat. Anderson .Paak — the top match scores 97% 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 “Cry Wolf” but calmer?

“Hometown Glory” by Adele, “Cantaloupe Island” by Herbie Hancock, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Cry Wolf”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 116 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 68% of songs, calmer than the other 32%. Its intensity reading of 52/100 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 68% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1986 in context

The 223 songs we’ve measured from 1986 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. 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

Intensity52
Dynamics67
Tempo42
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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