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10 songs that feel like Sympathy for the Devil

Matched to Sympathy for the Devil by The Rolling Stones on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Sympathy for the Devil
The song you love
Sympathy for the Devil
The Rolling Stones
intense 67/100 intensity 113 BPM
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Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall — Coldplay intense 124 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100).

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Anna Stesia — Prince intense 112 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100). Same layered texture.

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Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow — Funkadelic intense 95 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Measured 94% alike.

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The Rolling People — The Verve intense 112 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100). Same layered texture.

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Fez – Being Born — U2 intense 120 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same transcendent pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Losss — Björk intense 110 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (67/100). Same layered texture.

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Birdland — Patti Smith intense 120 BPM

Keeps the same transcendent pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100). Measured 95% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Blackstar — David Bowie intense 100 BPM

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

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Jig of Life — Kate Bush intense 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (68/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Funky Dollar Bill — Funkadelic intense 105 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (66/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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Emerald Rush — Jon Hopkins moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 43/100, down from 67. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Incident at Neshabur — Carlos Santana moderate 120 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 43/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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New Lands — Justice moderate 120 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 43/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Phase Dance by Pat Metheny Group
Phase Dance — Pat Metheny Group moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 54/100, versus the original's 67. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Ricochet by Tangerine Dream
Ricochet — Tangerine Dream moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 38/100, down from 67. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Never Stop by Echo & the Bunnymen
Never Stop — Echo & the Bunnymen moderate 128 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 54/100 — the pull without the edge.

Gosh by Jamie xx
Gosh — Jamie xx moderate 128 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 62/100.

And She Was by Talking Heads
And She Was — Talking Heads moderate 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 67. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” by Coldplay, “Anna Stesia” by Prince, “Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow” by Funkadelic — 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 “Sympathy for the Devil” but calmer?

“Emerald Rush” by Jon Hopkins, “Incident at Neshabur” by Carlos Santana, “New Lands” by Justice keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Sympathy for the Devil”?

It measures 67/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 113 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 87% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 67/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, 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 87% 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
Focus2/10
Workout5/10
Dinner5/10
Party / hype7/10

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

1968 in context

The 182 songs we’ve measured from 1968 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 8/10, 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

Intensity67
Dynamics78
Tempo41
Surprise50
Density33
Predictability100
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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