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10 songs that feel like Only Happy When It Rains

Matched to Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Only Happy When It Rains
The song you love
Only Happy When It Rains
Garbage
moderate 53/100 intensity 95 BPM
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A 98% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100).

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Medicine Ball — Dr. Dre moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same complex texture.

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Legalize It — Peter Tosh moderate 89 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (89 BPM).

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It Will Rain — Bruno Mars moderate 89 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Same complex texture.

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Grenade — Bruno Mars moderate 84 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100).

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Barbie Dreams — Nicki Minaj moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same complex texture.

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Longview — Green Day moderate 75 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (55/100). Measured 94% alike.

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Brick by Boring Brick — Paramore moderate 100 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same complex texture.

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Still D.R.E. — Dr. Dre moderate 92 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (92 BPM).

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In the Ghetto — Elvis Presley moderate 103 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Only Happy When It Rains is more than you want right now.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 53.

Fire and Rain by James Taylor
Fire and Rain — James Taylor safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Photograph by Ed Sheeran
Photograph — Ed Sheeran safe 80 BPM

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 6. Reads 16/100.

Mas Que Nada by Jorge Ben
Mas Que Nada — Jorge Ben safe 100 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 35/100, versus the original's 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 20/100, down from 53. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Riptide by Vance Joy
Riptide — Vance Joy safe 100 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Waterfalls by TLC
Waterfalls — TLC safe 82 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 38/100.

Have You Ever by Brandy
Have You Ever — Brandy safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 53.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Only Happy When It Rains” by Garbage?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)” by AC/DC, “Medicine Ball” by Dr. Dre, “Legalize It” by Peter Tosh — 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 “Only Happy When It Rains” but calmer?

“Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell, “Fire and Rain” by James Taylor, “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Only Happy When It Rains”?

It measures 53/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, complex texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 95 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 69% of songs, calmer than the other 31%. Its intensity reading of 53/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, complex 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 79% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype4/10

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

1995 in context

The 329 songs we’ve measured from 1995 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity53
Dynamics56
Tempo31
Surprise25
Density60
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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