← Back to Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)

10 songs that feel like Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)

Matched to Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2) 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.

Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)
The song you love
Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)
Radiohead
moderate 66/100 intensity 140 BPM
♪
Life and How to Live It — R.E.M. intense 148 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (70/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (148 BPM).

♪
Cowgirl in the Sand — Neil Young intense 128 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Jack Straw — Grateful Dead moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

♪
Everybody's Happy Nowadays — Buzzcocks moderate 120 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Frame by Frame — King Crimson intense 137 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same introspective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (137 BPM).

♪
Trash — New York Dolls intense 140 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Radioactive — Imagine Dragons intense 136 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (136 BPM).

♪
Forty Six & 2 — Tool intense 140 BPM

Measures 94% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

♪
Shaking Hell — Sonic Youth intense 140 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

♪
Switch — Siouxsie and the Banshees intense 135 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2) is more than you want right now.

Jump by Madonna
Jump — Madonna safe 125 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 45/100, down from 66.

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

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac 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 41/100.

It's Too Late by Carole King
It's Too Late — Carole King safe 126 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. 24/100, versus the original's 66.

Epiphany by BTS
Epiphany — BTS safe 136 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 25/100, down from 66. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 34/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Mint Car by The Cure
Mint Car — The Cure safe 126 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 34/100.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 28/100, versus the original's 66.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)” by Radiohead?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Life and How to Live It” by R.E.M., “Cowgirl in the Sand” by Neil Young, “Jack Straw” by Grateful Dead — 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 “Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)” but calmer?

“Jump” by Madonna, “The Times They Are a-Changin'” by Bob Dylan, “Monday Morning” by Fleetwood Mac keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Polyethylene (Parts 1 and 2)”?

It measures 66/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 87% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 66/100 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 90% 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
Workout8/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1997 in context

The 389 songs we’ve measured from 1997 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. 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

Intensity66
Dynamics67
Tempo56
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

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 →