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10 songs that feel like On a Plain

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

On a Plain
The song you love
On a Plain
Nirvana
intense 61/100 intensity 135 BPM
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Eternal Life — Jeff Buckley intense 135 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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I'll Stick Around — Foo Fighters 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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Under the Table — Fiona Apple intense 112 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Seek & Destroy — SZA intense 145 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same layered texture.

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HIStory — Michael Jackson intense 120 BPM

A 93% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100).

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Month of May — Arcade Fire intense 120 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 97% alike.

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Do Me a Favour — Arctic Monkeys moderate 120 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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El Scorcho — Weezer moderate 120 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

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Wrathchild — Iron Maiden intense 140 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when On a Plain is more than you want right now.

love is embarrassing by Olivia Rodrigo
love is embarrassing — Olivia Rodrigo moderate 162 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 57/100, down from 61.

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iloveitiloveitiloveit — Bella Kay moderate 128 BPM

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

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Butcher the Song — Cursive moderate 130 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Reads 54/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Miss World — Hole moderate 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 61.

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Anywhere's Better Than Here — The Replacements moderate 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 61/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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I'll Be You — The Replacements moderate 134 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 54/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Unsatisfied — The Replacements moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 53/100.

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Pink Turns to Blue — Hüsker Dü moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 61.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “On a Plain” by Nirvana?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Eternal Life” by Jeff Buckley, “I'll Stick Around” by Foo Fighters, “Under the Table” 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 “On a Plain” but calmer?

“love is embarrassing” by Olivia Rodrigo, “iloveitiloveitiloveit” by Bella Kay, “Butcher the Song” by Cursive keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “On a Plain”?

It measures 61/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 135 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 81% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 61/100 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 89% 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 / hype7/10

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

1991 in context

The 266 songs we’ve measured from 1991 average a dynamic range of 6.8/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity61
Dynamics67
Tempo53
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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