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10 songs that feel like Joy

Matched to Joy by Lucinda Williams on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Joy
The song you love
Joy
Lucinda Williams
moderate 45/100 intensity 112 BPM
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Crying in the Rain — a-ha moderate 105 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

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Eyes Closed — Ed Sheeran moderate 124 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Hunting High and Low — a-ha moderate 112 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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Long Violent History — Tyler Childers moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.

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Another Place, Another Time — Jerry Lee Lewis moderate 115 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (115 BPM).

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Ain't That Peculiar — Marvin Gaye moderate 128 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Anything For Love — Dua Lipa moderate 105 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (105 BPM).

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Save Me — Fleetwood Mac moderate 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Room at the Top — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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Roses — Kanye West moderate 90 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (43/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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When All Is Said and Done — ABBA safe 102 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 39/100, down from 45. Nearly the same tempo, too.

That's All by Genesis
That's All — Genesis safe 104 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 40/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100.

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness by John Prine
Speed of the Sound of Loneliness — John Prine safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 16/100, versus the original's 45.

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The Tree of Forgiveness — John Prine safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 21/100, down from 45.

Honky Tonk Blues by Hank Williams
Honky Tonk Blues — Hank Williams safe 90 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 25/100 — the pull without the edge.

Touching Home by Jerry Lee Lewis
Touching Home — Jerry Lee Lewis 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 6. Reads 24/100.

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 45.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Joy” by Lucinda Williams?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Crying in the Rain” by a-ha, “Eyes Closed” by Ed Sheeran, “Hunting High and Low” by a-ha — 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 “Joy” but calmer?

“When All Is Said and Done” by ABBA, “That's All” by Genesis, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Joy”?

It measures 45/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 112 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 42% of songs, calmer than the other 58%. Its intensity reading of 45/100 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1998 in context

The 339 songs we’ve measured from 1998 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

Intensity45
Dynamics56
Tempo40
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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