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10 songs that feel like First We Take Manhattan
Matched to First We Take Manhattan by Leonard Cohen on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 95% feel-match — carries the same menacing pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100).
87% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 49/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same menacing pull — runs a little hotter at 47/100. Measured 86% alike.
Measures 86% the same. It runs a little hotter at 46/100. Same layered texture.
A 94% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100).
83% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 60/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).
Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (40/100). Same layered texture.
A 85% feel-match — carries the same menacing pull and runs a little hotter at 45/100.
83% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 54/100. Same layered texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when First We Take Manhattan is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 39. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.
Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 25/100, versus the original's 39.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 16/100, down from 39.
Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 25/100.
Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 35/100, versus the original's 39.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “First We Take Manhattan” by Leonard Cohen?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “produk 29 ” by Aphex Twin, “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Fancy Clown” by MF DOOM — the top match scores 95% 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 “First We Take Manhattan” but calmer?
“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police, “The Times They Are a-Changin'” by Bob Dylan, “I'm Your Man” by Leonard Cohen keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.
How intense is “First We Take Manhattan”?
It measures 39/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and spoken word. Tempo is 112 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 32% of songs, calmer than the other 68%. Its intensity reading of 39/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and spoken word. 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% 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
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1988 in context
The 212 songs we’ve measured from 1988 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
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