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10 songs that feel like Punch and Judy

Matched to Punch and Judy by Elliott Smith on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Punch and Judy
Elliott Smith
safe 13/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Should Have Known Better — Sufjan Stevens safe 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Drawn to the Blood — Sufjan Stevens safe 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Same smooth texture.

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Green Grass — Tom Waits safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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The Partisan — Leonard Cohen safe 85 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Same smooth texture.

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Place to Be — Nick Drake safe 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Hard Times — Gillian Welch safe 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Same smooth texture.

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Hello in There — John Prine safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Tecumseh Valley — Townes Van Zandt safe 85 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Same smooth texture.

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No Place to Fall — Townes Van Zandt safe 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Fox in the Snow — Belle and Sebastian safe 85 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (13/100). Same smooth texture.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Punch and Judy” by Elliott Smith?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Should Have Known Better” by Sufjan Stevens, “Drawn to the Blood” by Sufjan Stevens, “Green Grass” by Tom Waits — 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.

How intense is “Punch and Judy”?

It measures 13/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 3/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 85 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 sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 98% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 13/100 comes from a dynamic range of 3/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 100% 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

Sleep10/10
Focus9/10
Workout0/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype0/10

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 3/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity13
Dynamics22
Tempo25
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
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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