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10 songs that feel like I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts

Matched to I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts by X 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
I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
X
moderate 51/100 intensity 140 BPM
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Back to Back — Drake moderate 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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5% TINT — Travis Scott moderate 140 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Soul Fire — Lee "Scratch" Perry moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Police And Thieves — Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bob Riddim, Xana Romeo moderate 140 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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New York City Cops — The Strokes moderate 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Time for Heroes — The Libertines moderate 140 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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Tomorrow's Dream — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

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St. Vitus Dance — Black Sabbath moderate 142 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Same layered texture.

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That's Pep! — Devo moderate 142 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (51/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (142 BPM).

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Pick Up the Phone — Young Thug and Travis Scott featuring Quavo moderate 136 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts is more than you want right now.

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right by Bob Dylan
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right — Bob Dylan safe 154 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 30/100, down from 51.

Concerto for 4 Violins in B Minor, Op. 3 No. 10, RV 580 by Antonio Vivaldi

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 39/100 — the pull without the edge.

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Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks" — Igor Stravinsky 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 35/100.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 51.

Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley and the Wailers
Buffalo Soldier — Bob Marley and the Wailers safe 81 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 51.

Guiltiness by Bob Marley
Guiltiness — Bob Marley safe 75 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge.

Talkin' Bout a Revolution by Tracy Chapman
Talkin' Bout a Revolution — Tracy Chapman safe 90 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 6. Reads 17/100.

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Rated "X" — Loretta Lynn safe 105 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 18/100, versus the original's 51.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” by X?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Back to Back” by Drake, “5% TINT” by Travis Scott, “Soul Fire” by Lee "Scratch" Perry — 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 “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” but calmer?

“Don't Think Twice, It's All Right” by Bob Dylan, “Concerto for 4 Violins in B Minor, Op. 3 No. 10, RV 580” by Antonio Vivaldi, “Concerto in E-flat "Dumbarton Oaks"” by Igor Stravinsky keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts”?

It measures 51/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 66% of songs, calmer than the other 34%. Its intensity reading of 51/100 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 90% 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.

1983 in context

The 242 songs we’ve measured from 1983 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. 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

Intensity51
Dynamics56
Tempo56
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

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