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10 songs that feel like Hymn of the Big Wheel

Matched to Hymn of the Big Wheel by Massive Attack on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Hymn of the Big Wheel
The song you love
Hymn of the Big Wheel
Massive Attack
moderate 41/100 intensity 80 BPM
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Viðrar vel til loftárása — Sigur Rós moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Something to Believe — Weyes Blood moderate 80 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

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Me My Yoke and I — Damien Rice moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Tudo O Que Voce Podia Ser — Milton Nascimento moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

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Away Above — Weyes Blood moderate 75 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (75 BPM).

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Walking with Jesus — Spiritualized moderate 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

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Road to Ruin — John Martyn moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Turn Out the Lights — Julien Baker moderate 80 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

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I Remember — Damien Rice moderate 80 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Long Long Way — Damien Rice moderate 80 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (41/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Hymn of the Big Wheel is more than you want right now.

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 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. Reads 12/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 41.

Merry Go 'Round by Kacey Musgraves
Merry Go 'Round — Kacey Musgraves safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Brenda's Got a Baby by 2Pac
Brenda's Got a Baby — 2Pac safe 92 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 28/100 — the pull without the edge.

Bird on the Wire by Leonard Cohen
Bird on the Wire — Leonard Cohen safe 85 BPM

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 7. Reads 16/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Banjo by Leonard Cohen
Banjo — Leonard Cohen safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 16/100, versus the original's 41. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Hymn of the Big Wheel” by Massive Attack?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Viðrar vel til loftárása” by Sigur Rós, “Something to Believe” by Weyes Blood, “Me My Yoke and I” by Damien Rice — 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 “Hymn of the Big Wheel” but calmer?

“Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, “Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding, “Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Hymn of the Big Wheel”?

It measures 41/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 80 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 35% of songs, calmer than the other 65%. Its intensity reading of 41/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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 slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 85% 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

Sleep5/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1991 in context

The 266 songs we’ve measured from 1991 average a dynamic range of 6.8/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity41
Dynamics67
Tempo22
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
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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