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10 songs that feel like Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Matched to Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground by The White Stripes on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
The song you love
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
The White Stripes
intense 81/100 intensity 144 BPM
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Oh, the Guilt — Nirvana intense 145 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (145 BPM).

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Lord of This World — Black Sabbath intense 145 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Same harsh texture.

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Man-Size — PJ Harvey intense 145 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (145 BPM).

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If You Want Blood (You've Got It) — AC/DC intense 130 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (83/100). Same harsh texture.

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Search and Destroy — The Stooges intense 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Blew — Nirvana intense 158 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (82/100). Same harsh texture.

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Shake a Leg — AC/DC intense 138 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (138 BPM).

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Sheela-Na-Gig — PJ Harvey intense 145 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Same harsh texture.

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Big Cheese — Nirvana intense 142 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

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50ft Queenie — PJ Harvey intense 160 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (82/100). Same harsh texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground is more than you want right now.

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Relax — Frankie Goes to Hollywood moderate 130 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it trades the harsher texture for something layered. Intensity 70/100, down from 81.

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Abacab — Genesis moderate 136 BPM

It trades the harsher texture for something layered, so it lands at 61/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Be Afraid by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Be Afraid — Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit moderate 135 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it trades the harsher texture for something layered. Reads 54/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Wicker Man by Iron Maiden
The Wicker Man — Iron Maiden moderate 140 BPM

Holds the same feel while it trades the harsher texture for something layered. 62/100, versus the original's 81. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sanctuary by Iron Maiden
Sanctuary — Iron Maiden moderate 130 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it trades the harsher texture for something layered. Intensity 51/100, down from 81.

Hurricane by Bob Dylan
Hurricane — Bob Dylan moderate 144 BPM

It trades the harsher texture for something layered, so it lands at 55/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Vertigo — The Libertines moderate 120 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 49/100.

Peek-A-Boo! by Devo
Peek-A-Boo! — Devo moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it trades the harsher texture for something layered. 60/100, versus the original's 81.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” by The White Stripes?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Oh, the Guilt” by Nirvana, “Lord of This World” by Black Sabbath, “Man-Size” by PJ Harvey — 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 “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” but calmer?

“Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “Abacab” by Genesis, “Be Afraid” by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”?

It measures 81/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, harsh texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 144 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 95% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 81/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, harsh 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 95% 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
Focus1/10
Workout9/10
Dinner4/10
Party / hype8/10

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

2001 in context

The 324 songs we’ve measured from 2001 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity81
Dynamics78
Tempo58
Surprise50
Density85
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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