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10 songs that feel like Staircase

Matched to Staircase by Radiohead 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
Staircase
Radiohead
intense 61/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Premature Burial — Siouxsie and the Banshees intense 135 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same ominous pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100).

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10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄ — Bon Iver intense 85 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Rest My Chemistry — Interpol moderate 100 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Measured 95% alike.

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Jambi — Tool intense 102 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same layered texture.

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Hells Bells — AC/DC intense 95 BPM

A 81% feel-match — carries the same ominous pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100).

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Rock Minuet — Lou Reed intense 85 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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The Asphalt World — Suede moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same intense pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Measured 94% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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How the West Was Won and Where It Got Us — R.E.M. moderate 95 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (62/100). Same layered texture.

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Voodoo in My Blood — Massive Attack feat. Young Fathers intense 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same feel and lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Dead Editors — Massive Attack intense 85 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Practice Makes Perfect by Wire
Practice Makes Perfect — Wire moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 51/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Birthday Pony — Fugazi moderate 95 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 62/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Represent — Nas moderate 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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NY State of Mind — Nas moderate 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 50/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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A Bird in the Hand — Ice Cube moderate 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 47/100, down from 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Marooned by Wire
Marooned — Wire moderate 110 BPM

It eases off just enough to take the edge off, so it lands at 59/100 — the pull without the edge.

Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde
Yellow Flicker Beat — Lorde moderate 96 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Reads 54/100.

The Asphalt World by Suede
The Asphalt World — Suede moderate 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while it eases off just enough to take the edge off. 65/100, versus the original's 61. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Staircase” by Radiohead?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Premature Burial” by Siouxsie and the Banshees, “10 d E A T h b R E a s T ⚄ ⚄” by Bon Iver, “Rest My Chemistry” by Interpol — the top match scores 89% 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 “Staircase” but calmer?

“Practice Makes Perfect” by Wire, “Birthday Pony” by Fugazi, “Represent” by Nas keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Staircase”?

It measures 61/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 7/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic 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 is one of the more intense things in our library — more energetic than 81% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 61/100 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 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
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype5/10

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

2011 in context

The 372 songs we’ve measured from 2011 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. 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

Intensity61
Dynamics67
Tempo25
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
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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