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10 songs that feel like Fake Tales of San Francisco

Matched to Fake Tales of San Francisco by Arctic Monkeys 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
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Arctic Monkeys
moderate 53/100 intensity 168 BPM
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Love Me Two Times — The Doors moderate 148 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

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Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa — Vampire Weekend moderate 158 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

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Smile Back — Mac Miller moderate 160 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (160 BPM).

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Ex Lion Tamer — Wire moderate 160 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Tomorrow's Dream — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100).

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St. Vitus Dance — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Spanish Bombs — The Clash moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Measured 93% alike.

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Deanna — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 132 BPM

Measures 93% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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In the Street — Big Star moderate 135 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100).

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Kiss Me on the Bus — The Replacements moderate 152 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Fake Tales of San Francisco is more than you want right now.

Walkin' the Boogie by John Lee Hooker
Walkin' the Boogie — John Lee Hooker safe 140 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 29/100, down from 53.

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Roll On Buddy — Bill Monroe safe 140 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge.

High by the Beach by Lana Del Rey
High by the Beach — Lana Del Rey safe 94 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 27/100.

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

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 30/100, versus the original's 53.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 42/100, down from 53.

Ramblin' Fever by Merle Haggard
Ramblin' Fever — Merle Haggard safe 115 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 31/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 35/100.

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Apache — The Ventures safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 35/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Fake Tales of San Francisco” by Arctic Monkeys?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Love Me Two Times” by The Doors, “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Vampire Weekend, “Smile Back” by Mac Miller — the top match scores 96% 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 “Fake Tales of San Francisco” but calmer?

“Walkin' the Boogie” by John Lee Hooker, “Roll On Buddy” by Bill Monroe, “High by the Beach” by Lana Del Rey keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Fake Tales of San Francisco”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 168 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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 97% 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.

2006 in context

The 252 songs we’ve measured from 2006 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity53
Dynamics56
Tempo71
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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