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10 songs that feel like Sappy

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

Sappy
The song you love
Sappy
Nirvana
moderate 60/100 intensity 124 BPM
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Bite the Hand — boygenius moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Pay Your Way in Pain — St. Vincent moderate 118 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Creature Fear — Bon Iver moderate 125 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (125 BPM).

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Cruel — St. Vincent moderate 126 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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bloodstream — Soccer Mommy moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Walking Spanish — Tom Waits intense 135 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Bell Boy — The Who moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Orange Crush — R.E.M. moderate 125 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same layered texture.

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Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles) — Arcade Fire moderate 126 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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VBS — Lucy Dacus moderate 124 BPM

99% 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 Sappy is more than you want right now.

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Dumb — Nirvana safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 19/100, down from 60.

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

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 25/100.

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The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton — The Mountain Goats safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 7. 14/100, versus the original's 60.

The Prophecy by Taylor Swift
The Prophecy — Taylor Swift safe 96 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 7. Intensity 17/100, down from 60.

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Something in the Way — Nirvana safe 70 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 2 where the original climbs to 7, so it lands at 7/100 — the pull without the edge.

Over My Head by Fleetwood Mac
Over My Head — Fleetwood Mac safe 135 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 21/100.

Monday Morning by Fleetwood Mac
Monday Morning — Fleetwood Mac safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 41/100, versus the original's 60. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Sappy” by Nirvana?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Bite the Hand” by boygenius, “Pay Your Way in Pain” by St. Vincent, “Creature Fear” by Bon Iver — 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 “Sappy” but calmer?

“Dumb” by Nirvana, “It's Too Late” by Carole King, “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Sappy”?

It measures 60/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 124 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 60/100 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 81% 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
Workout7/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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

1993 in context

The 260 songs we’ve measured from 1993 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

Intensity60
Dynamics67
Tempo47
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
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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