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10 songs that feel like San Jose

Matched to San Jose by Frankie Goes to Hollywood on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

San Jose
The song you love
San Jose
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
moderate 49/100 intensity 120 BPM
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iloveitiloveitiloveit — Bella Kay moderate 128 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (50/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (128 BPM).

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She's Only 18 — Red Hot Chili Peppers moderate 124 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (53/100). Same layered texture.

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Malibu — Hole moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Tulsa Jesus Freak — Lana Del Rey moderate 118 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Bloodbuzz Ohio — The National moderate 95 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100).

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Please Please Please — Sabrina Carpenter moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Question...? — Taylor Swift moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Bottle Up and Explode! — Elliott Smith moderate 120 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Follow Me Around — Radiohead moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Paranoid — Kanye West moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when San Jose is more than you want right now.

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New Years Day — Taylor Swift safe 90 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 20/100, down from 49.

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The Tree of Forgiveness — John Prine safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 21/100 — the pull without the edge.

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Hometown Glory — Adele safe 124 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 33/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

White Ferrari by Frank Ocean
White Ferrari — Frank Ocean safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 19/100, versus the original's 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 20/100, down from 49. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Halloween — Phoebe Bridgers safe 120 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 19/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Passing Afternoon by Iron & Wine
Passing Afternoon — Iron & Wine safe 60 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 6. Reads 14/100.

I Remember Everything by John Prine
I Remember Everything — John Prine safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 2 where the original climbs to 6. 8/100, versus the original's 49.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “San Jose” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “iloveitiloveitiloveit” by Bella Kay, “She's Only 18” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Malibu” by Hole — 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 “San Jose” but calmer?

“New Years Day” by Taylor Swift, “The Tree of Forgiveness” by John Prine, “Hometown Glory” by Adele keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “San Jose”?

It measures 49/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 120 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 55% of songs, calmer than the other 45%. Its intensity reading of 49/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus7/10
Workout6/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1984 in context

The 222 songs we’ve measured from 1984 average a dynamic range of 6.7/10. At 6/10, 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

Intensity49
Dynamics56
Tempo44
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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