← Back to Once Upon a Time in the West

10 songs that feel like Once Upon a Time in the West

Matched to Once Upon a Time in the West by Ennio Morricone on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Once Upon a Time in the West
The song you love
Once Upon a Time in the West
Ennio Morricone
intense 60/100 intensity 80 BPM
♪
Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile) — Carlos Santana intense 90 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

♪
Climax — Usher moderate 70 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Same complex texture.

♪
Frozen — Madonna intense 92 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 91% alike.

♪
Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004 — Johann Sebastian Bach intense 55 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Same complex texture.

♪
Adagio for Strings — Samuel Barber intense 60 BPM

A 94% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

♪
Sometimes — My Bloody Valentine intense 75 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same complex texture.

♪
Phaedra — Tangerine Dream intense 90 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Measured 90% alike.

♪
God Only Knows — The Beach Boys intense 67 BPM

Measures 87% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same complex texture.

♪
Leo — John Coltrane intense

A 89% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and runs a little hotter at 66/100.

♪
Wise One — John Coltrane intense 60 BPM

86% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Once Upon a Time in the West is more than you want right now.

Aeon by Antony and the Johnsons
Aeon — Antony and the Johnsons safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 9. Intensity 15/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

♪
Outro — M83 moderate 85 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 42/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Perséphone by Igor Stravinsky
Perséphone — Igor Stravinsky safe 60 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 9. Reads 26/100.

Into the West by Annie Lennox
Into the West — Annie Lennox safe 60 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 9. 14/100, versus the original's 60.

Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home by Mogwai
Yes! I Am A Long Way From Home — Mogwai moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 55/100, down from 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Take Me Somewhere Nice by Mogwai
Take Me Somewhere Nice — Mogwai moderate 80 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 7 where the original climbs to 9, so it lands at 38/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Lord Can You Hear Me by Spiritualized
Lord Can You Hear Me — Spiritualized moderate 70 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 9. Reads 44/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space — Spiritualized moderate 74 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 45/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Once Upon a Time in the West” by Ennio Morricone?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Europa (Earth's Cry Heaven's Smile)” by Carlos Santana, “Climax” by Usher, “Frozen” by Madonna — the top match scores 98% 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 “Once Upon a Time in the West” but calmer?

“Aeon” by Antony and the Johnsons, “Outro” by M83, “Perséphone” by Igor Stravinsky keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Once Upon a Time in the West”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 9/10, complex texture, mild sudden shifts, and instrumental. Tempo is 80 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 9/10, complex texture, mild shifts, and instrumental. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a huge quiet-to-loud swing: more extreme on that axis than 96% 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.

Dial the feeling up or down

Same feeling, calmer: No Drums — Tim Hecker

What it’s good for

Sleep3/10
Focus8/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10

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

1968 in context

The 182 songs we’ve measured from 1968 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 9/10, 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
Dynamics89
Tempo22
Surprise25
Density60
Predictability100
Vocal force0
Trigger load0

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

Find its sonic twin →
Share on X
Check another song →