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10 songs that feel like Mercury in Retrograde

Matched to Mercury in Retrograde by Sturgill Simpson on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Mercury in Retrograde
The song you love
Mercury in Retrograde
Sturgill Simpson
moderate 59/100 intensity 110 BPM
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Worst Behavior — Drake intense 104 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same confident pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (104 BPM).

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Lady Marmalade — Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, Pink intense 120 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Sleep to Dream — Fiona Apple intense 85 BPM

Keeps the same confident pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Wrapped Around Your Finger — The Police moderate 112 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100). Same layered texture.

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Not Today — BTS intense 95 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same confident pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

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My Power — Beyoncé intense 92 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

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Dionysus — BTS intense 128 BPM

Keeps the same confident pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Los Ageless — St. Vincent moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (59/100). Same layered texture.

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Cold Wind Blows — Eminem intense 92 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same confident pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

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So Much Better — Eminem intense 90 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty
I Won't Back Down — Tom Petty safe 100 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 25/100, down from 59. Nearly the same tempo, too.

You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man) by Loretta Lynn
You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man) — Loretta Lynn safe 118 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind) by Loretta Lynn

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 7. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

I'm Your Man by Leonard Cohen
I'm Your Man — Leonard Cohen safe 112 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 19/100, versus the original's 59. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Best Thing I Never Had by Beyoncé
The Best Thing I Never Had — Beyoncé safe 81 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 59.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

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

Jump by Madonna
Jump — Madonna safe 125 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 45/100.

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You — Sting safe 102 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 45/100, versus the original's 59. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Mercury in Retrograde” by Sturgill Simpson?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Worst Behavior” by Drake, “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, Pink, “Sleep to Dream” by Fiona Apple — the top match scores 96% 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 “Mercury in Retrograde” but calmer?

“I Won't Back Down” by Tom Petty, “You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” by Loretta Lynn, “Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)” by Loretta Lynn keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Mercury in Retrograde”?

It measures 59/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 59/100 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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

2019 in context

The 448 songs we’ve measured from 2019 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. 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

Intensity59
Dynamics67
Tempo39
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load25

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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