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10 songs that feel like Television Man

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

Television Man
The song you love
Television Man
Talking Heads
moderate 48/100 intensity 110 BPM
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King of Comedy — R.E.M. moderate 108 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same ironic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (108 BPM).

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Eight Easy Steps — Alanis Morissette moderate 100 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

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Club America — The Cure moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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Rack of His — Fiona Apple moderate 110 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

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Ice Station Zebra — Jack White moderate 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same playful pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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Joke About Divorce — Blossoms moderate 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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Heaven Is a Truck — Pavement moderate 110 BPM

Keeps the same playful pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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You Can Call Me Al — Paul Simon moderate 120 BPM

Measures 95% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Same layered texture.

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A Madman from Manhattan — Jack White moderate 112 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (112 BPM).

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Truth Doesn't Make a Noise — The White Stripes moderate 112 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (48/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

The Lady Don't Mind by Talking Heads
The Lady Don't Mind — Talking Heads safe 95 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 21/100, down from 48.

Way Out West by Sonny Rollins
Way Out West — Sonny Rollins safe 140 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 36/100 — the pull without the edge.

If I Were a Boy by Beyoncé
If I Were a Boy — Beyoncé safe 92 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 28/100.

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 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Seigfried by Frank Ocean
Seigfried — Frank Ocean safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 33/100, down from 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

People's Parties by Joni Mitchell
People's Parties — Joni Mitchell safe 110 BPM

Its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6, so it lands at 24/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Man on the Moon by R.E.M.
Man on the Moon — R.E.M. safe 115 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 19/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

New Test Leper by R.E.M.
New Test Leper — R.E.M. safe 110 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 48. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Television Man” by Talking Heads?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “King of Comedy” by R.E.M., “Eight Easy Steps” by Alanis Morissette, “Club America” by The Cure — the top match scores 96% 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 “Television Man” but calmer?

“The Lady Don't Mind” by Talking Heads, “Way Out West” by Sonny Rollins, “If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Television Man”?

It measures 48/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 110 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 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
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype5/10

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

1986 in context

The 223 songs we’ve measured from 1986 average a dynamic range of 6.6/10. 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

Intensity48
Dynamics56
Tempo39
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability50
Vocal force75
Trigger load13

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

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