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10 songs that feel like Palo Alto

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

Palo Alto
The song you love
Palo Alto
Radiohead
moderate 64/100 intensity 120 BPM
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Zeitgeist — The Smashing Pumpkins intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Headin' For the Top Now — Spiritualized intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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El Dorado — Iron Maiden intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Dead Inside — Muse intense 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Alexander the Great — Iron Maiden intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Blood Red Skies — Judas Priest intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Use Once and Destroy — Hole intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Had Enough — Breaking Benjamin intense 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Wavering Radiant — Isis intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Shock Me — Baroness intense 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 64.

Happy For You by Dua Lipa
Happy For You — Dua Lipa safe 95 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 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 8. Reads 24/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan
The Times They Are a-Changin' — Bob Dylan safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 27/100, versus the original's 64. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 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 64. Nearly the same tempo, too.

She Belongs to Me by Bob Dylan
She Belongs to Me — Bob Dylan safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Brenda's Got a Baby by 2Pac
Brenda's Got a Baby — 2Pac safe 92 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100.

Where Are We Now by David Bowie
Where Are We Now — David Bowie safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. 11/100, versus the original's 64.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Palo Alto” by Radiohead?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Zeitgeist” by The Smashing Pumpkins, “Headin' For the Top Now” by Spiritualized, “El Dorado” by Iron Maiden — 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 “Palo Alto” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Happy For You” by Dua Lipa, “It's Too Late” by Carole King keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Palo Alto”?

It measures 64/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 84% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 64/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 84% 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.

1998 in context

The 339 songs we’ve measured from 1998 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity64
Dynamics78
Tempo44
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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