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10 songs that feel like Not

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

Not
The song you love
Not
Big Thief
intense 80/100 intensity 90 BPM
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Roxanne — The Police intense 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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I Drove All Night — Celine Dion intense 104 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (77/100). Same complex texture.

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Norf Norf — Vince Staples intense 90 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Brooklyn's Finest — The Notorious B.I.G. intense 92 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Same complex texture.

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Famous — Kanye West intense 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Come Together — The Beatles moderate 84 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (80/100). Same complex texture.

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World Wide Suicide — Pearl Jam intense 96 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (81/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (96 BPM).

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Juicebox — The Strokes intense 83 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (79/100). Same complex texture.

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Fake Love — BTS intense 90 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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Freak on a Leash — Korn intense 95 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (84/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Not is more than you want right now.

Bessie’s Blues by John Coltrane
Bessie’s Blues — John Coltrane moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 33/100, down from 80.

Woman in Chains by Tears for Fears
Woman in Chains — Tears for Fears moderate 104 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 58/100 — the pull without the edge.

Pieces of a Man by Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man — Gil Scott-Heron moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

We the People.... by A Tribe Called Quest
We the People.... — A Tribe Called Quest moderate 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

My Eyes by Travis Scott
My Eyes — Travis Scott moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 61/100, down from 80. Nearly the same tempo, too.

HYFR by Drake
HYFR — Drake moderate 92 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 50/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Hotter than Hell by Dua Lipa
Hotter than Hell — Dua Lipa moderate 104 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 45/100.

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Once in a Lifetime — Talking Heads moderate 102 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 62/100, versus the original's 80.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Not” by Big Thief?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Roxanne” by The Police, “I Drove All Night” by Celine Dion, “Norf Norf” by Vince Staples — 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 “Not” but calmer?

“Bessie’s Blues” by John Coltrane, “Woman in Chains” by Tears for Fears, “Pieces of a Man” by Gil Scott-Heron keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Not”?

It measures 80/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent sudden shifts, and dynamic 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

This is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 94% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 80/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, complex texture, frequent 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 94% 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
Focus1/10
Workout6/10
Dinner4/10
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 8/10, 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

Intensity80
Dynamics78
Tempo28
Surprise75
Density60
Predictability100
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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