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10 songs that feel like Sam's Town

Matched to Sam's Town by The Killers 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
Sam's Town
The Killers
moderate 54/100 intensity 130 BPM
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Truckin' — Grateful Dead moderate 122 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (122 BPM).

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Just Like Heaven — Dinosaur Jr. moderate 130 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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Please Me (Till I'm Satisfied) — The Black Keys moderate 128 BPM

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

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Get Innocuous! — LCD Soundsystem moderate 125 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Dancing Days — Led Zeppelin moderate 122 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (122 BPM).

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Books from Boxes — Maximo Park moderate 130 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Same layered texture.

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Road Blaster — M83 moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Guitar and Video Games — Sunny Day Real Estate moderate 130 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (54/100). Same layered texture.

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Cedarwood Road — U2 moderate 120 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100).

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Days Were Golden — Sunny Day Real Estate moderate 120 BPM

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

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Sam's Town is more than you want right now.

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Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 33/100, down from 54. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Cornerstone — Arctic Monkeys safe 128 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother! by Sufjan Stevens

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 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
This Land Is Your Land — Woody Guthrie safe 100 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. 18/100, versus the original's 54.

In My Life by The Beatles
In My Life — The Beatles safe 92 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 21/100, down from 54.

Yet to Come (The Most Beautiful Moment) by BTS

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 26/100 — the pull without the edge.

Lady Stardust by David Bowie
Lady Stardust — David Bowie safe 105 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.

Norwegian Wood by The Beatles
Norwegian Wood — The Beatles safe 120 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. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Sam's Town” by The Killers?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Truckin'” by Grateful Dead, “Just Like Heaven” by Dinosaur Jr., “Please Me (Till I'm Satisfied)” by The Black Keys — the top match scores 98% 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 “Sam's Town” but calmer?

“Hometown Glory” by Adele, “Cornerstone” by Arctic Monkeys, “Decatur, or, Round of Applause for Your Stepmother!” by Sufjan Stevens keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Sam's Town”?

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 130 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 86% 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.

2006 in context

The 252 songs we’ve measured from 2006 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. 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
Tempo50
Surprise25
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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