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10 songs that feel like Mean to Me

Matched to Mean to Me by Billie Holiday 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
Mean to Me
Billie Holiday
moderate 32/100 intensity 70 BPM
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More Love — Smokey Robinson safe 70 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (70 BPM).

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Soldier of Fortune — Deep Purple moderate 70 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Same smooth texture.

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Sometimes It Snows in April — Prince moderate 70 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (70 BPM).

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City of Angels — Bill Withers moderate 70 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Same smooth texture.

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Honey Come Back — Glen Campbell moderate 70 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (70 BPM).

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Sunday Mornin Comin Down — Kris Kristofferson moderate 70 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Same smooth texture.

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Caroline, No — The Beach Boys moderate 76 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (76 BPM).

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Galveston — Glen Campbell moderate 78 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (32/100). Same smooth texture.

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Indifference — Pearl Jam moderate 80 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (33/100).

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Stop This Train — John Mayer moderate 80 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (33/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan 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 12/100, down from 32. Nearly the same tempo, too.

If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot
If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot safe 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge.

Please, Please, Please by James Brown
Please, Please, Please — James Brown safe 80 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.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 23/100, versus the original's 32. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
Champagne Problems — Taylor Swift safe 68 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 32. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

White Horse by Taylor Swift
White Horse — Taylor Swift safe 80 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 23/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Right Where You Left Me by Taylor Swift
Right Where You Left Me — Taylor Swift safe 68 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 32. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Mean to Me” by Billie Holiday?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “More Love” by Smokey Robinson, “Soldier of Fortune” by Deep Purple, “Sometimes It Snows in April” by Prince — 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 “Mean to Me” but calmer?

“Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot, “Please, Please, Please” by James Brown keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Mean to Me”?

It measures 32/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, smooth texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 70 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 21% of songs, calmer than the other 79%. Its intensity reading of 32/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, smooth texture, mild shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 96% 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

Sleep6/10
Focus10/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype2/10

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

1944 in context

The 8 songs we’ve measured from 1944 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. 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

Intensity32
Dynamics56
Tempo17
Surprise25
Density0
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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