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10 songs that feel like Games Without Frontiers

Matched to Games Without Frontiers by Peter Gabriel on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Games Without Frontiers
The song you love
Games Without Frontiers
Peter Gabriel
moderate 49/100 intensity 122 BPM
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girl i've always been — Olivia Rodrigo moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Draft Dodger Rag — Phil Ochs moderate 120 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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Blind — Talking Heads moderate 118 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).

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You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart — Eurythmics moderate 118 BPM

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

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I Fought Piranhas — The White Stripes moderate 126 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? — Arctic Monkeys moderate 128 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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Blank Frank — Brian Eno moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Who Killed Mr. Moonlight — Bauhaus moderate 128 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Swingin' Party — The Replacements moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Red Right Hand — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 114 BPM

98% 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 Games Without Frontiers is more than you want right now.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da by The Police
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da — The Police safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

William, It Was Really Nothing by The Smiths
William, It Was Really Nothing — The Smiths safe 92 BPM

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

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 24/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Midnight — Tycho safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 26/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Clean by Taylor Swift
Clean — Taylor Swift safe 120 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 26/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Can't Give Everything Away by David Bowie
I Can't Give Everything Away — David Bowie safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 33/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

10:15 Saturday Night by The Cure
10:15 Saturday Night — The Cure safe 128 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 20/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Games Without Frontiers” by Peter Gabriel?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “girl i've always been” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Draft Dodger Rag” by Phil Ochs, “Blind” by Talking Heads — 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 “Games Without Frontiers” but calmer?

“De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da” by The Police, “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths, “It's Too Late” by Carole King keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Games Without Frontiers”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 122 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 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 80% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1980 in context

The 257 songs we’ve measured from 1980 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo46
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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