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10 songs that feel like Rock and Roll Suicide

Matched to Rock and Roll Suicide by David Bowie 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
Rock and Roll Suicide
David Bowie
moderate 58/100 intensity 100 BPM
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Heavy Balloon — Fiona Apple moderate 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Before We Drown — Depeche Mode moderate 95 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Same layered texture.

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Me and My Dog — boygenius moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Capsized — Andrew Bird moderate 95 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Same layered texture.

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Ultraviolence — Lana Del Rey intense 95 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (95 BPM).

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Bukowski — Modest Mouse moderate 92 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Same layered texture.

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Die schöne Müllerin — Franz Schubert moderate 90 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Speak to Me — Depeche Mode moderate 85 BPM

Measures 97% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100). Same layered texture.

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Two Hands — Big Thief moderate 85 BPM

A 97% feel-match — carries the same cathartic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (57/100).

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It Will Come Back — Hozier intense 85 BPM

97% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Rock and Roll Suicide 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 58. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Dark Side of the Gym — The National safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 15/100 — the pull without the edge.

Revolution 0 by boygenius
Revolution 0 — boygenius safe 70 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 7. Reads 25/100.

Silent All These Years by Tori Amos
Silent All These Years — Tori Amos safe 70 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 15/100, versus the original's 58.

If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot
If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 16/100, down from 58.

Candle in the Wind by Elton John
Candle in the Wind — Elton John safe 86 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge.

If I Ever Lose My Faith in You by Sting
If I Ever Lose My Faith in You — Sting safe 102 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.

William, It Was Really Nothing by The Smiths
William, It Was Really Nothing — The Smiths safe 92 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 25/100, versus the original's 58. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Rock and Roll Suicide” by David Bowie?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Heavy Balloon” by Fiona Apple, “Before We Drown” by Depeche Mode, “Me and My Dog” by boygenius — 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 “Rock and Roll Suicide” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Dark Side of the Gym” by The National, “Revolution 0” by boygenius keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Rock and Roll Suicide”?

It measures 58/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 100 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 77% of songs, calmer than the other 23%. Its intensity reading of 58/100 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 blazing intensity: more extreme on that axis than 77% 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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype4/10

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

1972 in context

The 269 songs we’ve measured from 1972 average a dynamic range of 6.0/10. At 7/10, 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

Intensity58
Dynamics67
Tempo33
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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