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10 songs that feel like Mean Woman Blues

Matched to Mean Woman Blues by Roy Orbison on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Mean Woman Blues
The song you love
Mean Woman Blues
Roy Orbison
moderate 60/100 intensity 120 BPM
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I've Gotta Get a Message to You — Bee Gees moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Heaven Is Here — Florence and the Machine intense 120 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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SOS — ABBA moderate 115 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (115 BPM).

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Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You) — Christina Aguilera moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Armistice — Phoenix moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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I Don't Want to Know — Fleetwood Mac moderate 120 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Your Body — Christina Aguilera intense 123 BPM

Keeps the same confident pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (123 BPM).

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Dreamline — Rush moderate 124 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Higher Ground — Red Hot Chili Peppers intense 120 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same confident pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho — Mahalia Jackson moderate 120 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Jump by Madonna
Jump — Madonna safe 125 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 45/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Head Over Heels by ABBA
Head Over Heels — ABBA safe 118 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Skateaway by Dire Straits
Skateaway — Dire Straits safe 110 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 40/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Kids Don't Stand a Chance by Vampire Weekend
The Kids Don't Stand a Chance — Vampire Weekend safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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When Tomorrow Comes — Eurythmics safe 117 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 45/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Not Fade Away by Buddy Holly
Not Fade Away — Buddy Holly safe 135 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge.

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Roar — Kidz Bop Kids safe 128 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 42/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 60.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Mean Woman Blues” by Roy Orbison?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “I've Gotta Get a Message to You” by Bee Gees, “Heaven Is Here” by Florence and the Machine, “SOS” by ABBA — 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 Woman Blues” but calmer?

“Jump” by Madonna, “Head Over Heels” by ABBA, “Skateaway” by Dire Straits keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Mean Woman Blues”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 60/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate shifts, and dynamic vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 77% 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

Sleep0/10
Focus3/10
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1963 in context

The 116 songs we’ve measured from 1963 average a dynamic range of 5.7/10. 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

Intensity60
Dynamics67
Tempo44
Surprise50
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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