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10 songs that feel like License to Kill

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

License to Kill
The song you love
License to Kill
Bob Dylan
moderate 48/100 intensity 112 BPM
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A Madman from Manhattan — Jack White moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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Red Right Hand — Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds moderate 114 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Been Down So Long — The Doors moderate 112 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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Singapore — Tom Waits moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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I Feel So Good — Richard Thompson moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart — Eurythmics moderate 118 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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If the Brakeman Turns My Way — Bright Eyes moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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Fiery Crash — Andrew Bird moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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Inflammatory Writ — Joanna Newsom moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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22 (OVER S∞∞N) — Bon Iver moderate 115 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 24/100, down from 48.

Every Breath You Take by The Police
Every Breath You Take — The Police safe 117 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

What a Fool Believes by The Doobie Brothers
What a Fool Believes — The Doobie Brothers safe 100 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 22/100.

Circles by Post Malone
Circles — Post Malone safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 27/100, versus the original's 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton — The Mountain Goats safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 14/100, down from 48.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor
Fire and Rain — James Taylor safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 21/100.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 20/100, versus the original's 48.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “License to Kill” by Bob Dylan?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “A Madman from Manhattan” by Jack White, “Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Been Down So Long” by The Doors — 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 “License to Kill” but calmer?

“It's Too Late” by Carole King, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “License to Kill”?

It measures 48/100 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 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
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

Intensity48
Dynamics56
Tempo40
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
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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