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10 songs that feel like People Have the Power

Matched to People Have the Power by Patti Smith on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

People Have the Power
The song you love
People Have the Power
Patti Smith
moderate 54/100 intensity 128 BPM
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Revolution Rock — The Clash moderate 135 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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Samson and Delilah — Grateful Dead moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Underdog — Sly and the Family Stone moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same uplifting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (52/100). Measured 96% alike.

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Douha (Mali Mali) — Disclosure & Fatoumata Diawara moderate 128 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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Baddy On The Floor — Jamie xx feat. Honey Dijon moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same uplifting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Expresso Love — Dire Straits moderate 128 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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Midnight Man — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 128 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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She's the One — Bruce Springsteen moderate 128 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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What's the Frequency, Kenneth? — R.E.M. moderate 128 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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Stay in Your Grave — The Black Keys feat. Alice Cooper moderate 128 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when People Have the Power is more than you want right now.

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure
Friday I'm In Love — The Cure safe 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 34/100, down from 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Shiny Happy People by R.E.M.
Shiny Happy People — R.E.M. safe 135 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 42/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Holiday by Vampire Weekend
Holiday — Vampire Weekend safe 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Ramblin' Fever by Merle Haggard
Ramblin' Fever — Merle Haggard safe 115 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 31/100, versus the original's 54.

This Time I Know It's for Real by Donna Summer
This Time I Know It's for Real — Donna Summer safe 118 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 41/100, down from 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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When Tomorrow Comes — Eurythmics safe 117 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 45/100 — the pull without the edge.

Roanoke by Bill Monroe
Roanoke — Bill Monroe safe 128 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 7. Reads 18/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Grazing in the Grass by Hugh Masekela
Grazing in the Grass — Hugh Masekela safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 35/100, versus the original's 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “People Have the Power” by Patti Smith?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Revolution Rock” by The Clash, “Samson and Delilah” by Grateful Dead, “Underdog” by Sly and the Family Stone — 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 “People Have the Power” but calmer?

“Friday I'm In Love” by The Cure, “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M., “Holiday” by Vampire Weekend keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “People Have the Power”?

It measures 54/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 128 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 74% of songs, calmer than the other 26%. Its intensity reading of 54/100 comes from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered 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 a fast, driving tempo: 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

Sleep3/10
Focus7/10
Workout7/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1988 in context

The 212 songs we’ve measured from 1988 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity54
Dynamics67
Tempo49
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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