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10 songs that feel like Ghost Dance

Matched to Ghost Dance by Patti Smith 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
Ghost Dance
Patti Smith
intense 65/100 intensity 132 BPM
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Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night) — Childish Gambino intense 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

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The Rhythm of the Heat — Peter Gabriel intense 112 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Same layered texture.

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Heated — Beyoncé intense 128 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Heaven Is Here — Florence and the Machine intense 120 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Headin' For the Top Now — Spiritualized intense 120 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

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Leave Them All Behind — Ride intense 120 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100). Same layered texture.

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Bottom — Tool intense 134 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (134 BPM).

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Mother Sky — Can intense 128 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Partyup — Prince intense 115 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100).

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Staring at the Sun — TV on the Radio intense 95 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Polynomial-C by Aphex Twin
Polynomial-C — Aphex Twin moderate 152 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 56/100, down from 65.

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Emerald Rush — Jon Hopkins moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 43/100 — the pull without the edge.

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What We All Come to Need — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 43/100.

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Angel Tears — Pelican moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 43/100, versus the original's 65.

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Incident at Neshabur — Carlos Santana moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 43/100, down from 65.

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New Lands — Justice moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 43/100 — the pull without the edge.

Slide Tackle by Japanese Breakfast
Slide Tackle — Japanese Breakfast moderate 128 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 54/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho by Mahalia Jackson
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho — Mahalia Jackson moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 64/100, versus the original's 65.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Ghost Dance” by Patti Smith?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Earth: The Oldest Computer (The Last Night)” by Childish Gambino, “The Rhythm of the Heat” by Peter Gabriel, “Heated” by Beyoncé — the top match scores 98% 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 “Ghost Dance” but calmer?

“Polynomial-C” by Aphex Twin, “Emerald Rush” by Jon Hopkins, “What We All Come to Need” by Pelican keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Ghost Dance”?

It measures 65/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 132 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 85% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 65/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered 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 a fast, driving tempo: 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 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
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1978 in context

The 214 songs we’ve measured from 1978 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. 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

Intensity65
Dynamics78
Tempo51
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load38

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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