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10 songs that feel like Mind Games

Matched to Mind Games by John Lennon on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Mind Games
The song you love
Mind Games
John Lennon
moderate 43/100 intensity 92 BPM
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21 M◊◊N WATER — Bon Iver moderate 85 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Miles from Nowhere — Cat Stevens moderate 85 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Into the Great Wide Open — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

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715 - CR∑∑KS — Bon Iver moderate 85 BPM

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

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The Click Song — Miriam Makeba moderate 100 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (100 BPM).

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Cleopatra — The Lumineers moderate 85 BPM

92% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it runs a little hotter at 50/100. Same layered texture.

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Fakin' It — Simon & Garfunkel moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Bamba — Youssou N'Dour moderate 95 BPM

Measures 92% the same. It runs a little hotter at 51/100. Same layered texture.

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21 Guns — Green Day moderate 80 BPM

A 92% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and runs a little hotter at 49/100.

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Tabula Rasa — Björk moderate 110 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Sæglópur by Sigur Rós
Sæglópur — Sigur Rós safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 31/100, down from 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised — Gil Scott-Heron safe 90 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 32/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Man in Black by Johnny Cash
The Man in Black — Johnny Cash safe 88 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.

Fly by Nicki Minaj
Fly — Nicki Minaj safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 38/100, versus the original's 43.

Everything That Rises by Sufjan Stevens
Everything That Rises — Sufjan Stevens safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 16/100, down from 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cypress by Tycho
Cypress — Tycho safe 95 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 37/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Grace by U2
Grace — U2 safe 85 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 5. Reads 13/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Cursum Perficio by Enya
Cursum Perficio — Enya safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 43. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Mind Games” by John Lennon?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “21 M◊◊N WATER” by Bon Iver, “Miles from Nowhere” by Cat Stevens, “Into the Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — 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 “Mind Games” but calmer?

“Sæglópur” by Sigur Rós, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” by Gil Scott-Heron, “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Mind Games”?

It measures 43/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 92 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 39% of songs, calmer than the other 61%. Its intensity reading of 43/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, 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 88% 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
Dinner8/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1973 in context

The 297 songs we’ve measured from 1973 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 5/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

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

The fingerprint

Intensity43
Dynamics44
Tempo29
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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