← Back to Maria Maria

10 songs that feel like Maria Maria

Matched to Maria Maria by Carlos Santana 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
Maria Maria
Carlos Santana
moderate 42/100 intensity 90 BPM
♪
Mama — Hugh Masekela moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

♪
Songs of Freedom — Santana moderate 90 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Home — Caribou moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same warm pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 95% alike.

♪
Choosin Texas — Ella Langley moderate 80 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Underneath It All — No Doubt moderate 80 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100).

♪
Overcome — Tricky moderate 90 BPM

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

♪
Save Me — James Blake moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same introspective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

♪
Highlight Reel — Julien Baker moderate 90 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (42/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Give Me Love — George Harrison moderate 72 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same warm pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100).

♪
The Tide Is High — Blondie moderate 70 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

A Place in This World by Taylor Swift
A Place in This World — Taylor Swift safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 24/100, down from 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Come In from the Cold by Joni Mitchell
Come In from the Cold — Joni Mitchell safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Something More Than Free by Jason Isbell
Something More Than Free — Jason Isbell safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 30/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

♪
The Tree of Forgiveness — John Prine safe 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 21/100, versus the original's 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I Remember Everything by John Prine
I Remember Everything — John Prine safe 75 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 2 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 8/100, down from 42.

Can You Get to That by Funkadelic
Can You Get to That — Funkadelic safe 92 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 25/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

♪
Hellos and Goodbyes — Ladysmith Black Mambazo safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 32/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

♪
Light in Your Eyes — Sheryl Crow safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 29/100, versus the original's 42. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Maria Maria” by Carlos Santana?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Mama” by Hugh Masekela, “Songs of Freedom” by Santana, “Home” by Caribou — 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 “Maria Maria” but calmer?

“A Place in This World” by Taylor Swift, “Come In from the Cold” by Joni Mitchell, “Something More Than Free” by Jason Isbell keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Maria Maria”?

It measures 42/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 90 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 38% of songs, calmer than the other 62%. Its intensity reading of 42/100 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 71% 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
Workout3/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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 7/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity42
Dynamics67
Tempo28
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force25
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →