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10 songs that feel like Going Away to College

Matched to Going Away to College by Blink-182 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
Going Away to College
Blink-182
moderate 52/100 intensity 150 BPM
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Books from Boxes — Maximo Park moderate 130 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100).

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Tomorrow's Dream — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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St. Vitus Dance — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 98% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

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Driver 8 — R.E.M. moderate 158 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same layered texture.

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Washing Machine Heart — Mitski moderate 152 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (152 BPM).

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Sam's Town — The Killers moderate 130 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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Oh L'Amour — Erasure moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Don't You Want Me — The Human League moderate 130 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Franklin's Tower — Grateful Dead moderate 142 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

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Truckin' — Grateful Dead moderate 122 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Going Away to College is more than you want right now.

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Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 33/100, down from 52.

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Cornerstone — Arctic Monkeys safe 128 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge.

Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! by Sufjan Stevens

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Reads 19/100.

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence — Ryuichi Sakamoto safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 38/100, versus the original's 52.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 52.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
This Land Is Your Land — Woody Guthrie safe 100 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 18/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 20/100.

Sky's the Limit by The Notorious B.I.G.
Sky's the Limit — The Notorious B.I.G. safe 88 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 36/100, versus the original's 52.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Going Away to College” by Blink-182?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Books from Boxes” by Maximo Park, “Tomorrow's Dream” by Black Sabbath, “St. Vitus Dance” by Black Sabbath — 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 “Going Away to College” but calmer?

“Hometown Glory” by Adele, “Cornerstone” by Arctic Monkeys, “Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!” by Sufjan Stevens keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Going Away to College”?

It measures 52/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 150 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 68% of songs, calmer than the other 32%. Its intensity reading of 52/100 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 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1999 in context

The 304 songs we’ve measured from 1999 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

Intensity52
Dynamics56
Tempo61
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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