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10 songs that feel like That Was Then (This Is Now)

Matched to That Was Then (This Is Now) by Jack White on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

That Was Then (This Is Now)
The song you love
That Was Then (This Is Now)
Jack White
intense 65/100 intensity 140 BPM
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The Spirit of Radio — Rush intense 136 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same nostalgic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (136 BPM).

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Red Barchetta — Rush moderate 135 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Arlandria — Foo Fighters intense 135 BPM

Keeps the same nostalgic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (69/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (135 BPM).

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Snakedriver — The Jesus and Mary Chain intense 128 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Same layered texture.

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Tyrant — Beyoncé intense 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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THUNDER Y LIGHTNING — Bad Bunny & Eladio Carrión intense 140 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Little Miss Lover — The Jimi Hendrix Experience intense 140 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Who Knows — Jimi Hendrix intense 140 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Same layered texture.

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Wyttch — Smashing Pumpkins intense 140 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (65/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (140 BPM).

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Miss the Misery — Foo Fighters intense 140 BPM

99% 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 That Was Then (This Is Now) is more than you want right now.

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In the Street — Big Star moderate 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it measures markedly calmer overall. Intensity 54/100, down from 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Nutbush City Limits — Ike & Tina Turner moderate 128 BPM

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

Townie by Mitski
Townie — Mitski moderate 152 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it measures markedly calmer overall. Reads 56/100.

Get Innocuous! by LCD Soundsystem
Get Innocuous! — LCD Soundsystem moderate 125 BPM

Holds the same feel while it measures markedly calmer overall. 53/100, versus the original's 65.

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Red Barchetta — Rush moderate 135 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it eases off just enough to take the edge off. Intensity 65/100, down from 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Spanish Bombs — The Clash moderate 140 BPM

It measures markedly calmer overall, so it lands at 55/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Deanna — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 132 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 50/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Love Me Two Times by The Doors
Love Me Two Times — The Doors moderate 148 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 52/100, versus the original's 65. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “That Was Then (This Is Now)” by Jack White?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “The Spirit of Radio” by Rush, “Red Barchetta” by Rush, “Arlandria” by Foo Fighters — 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 “That Was Then (This Is Now)” but calmer?

“In the Street” by Big Star, “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike & Tina Turner, “Townie” by Mitski keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “That Was Then (This Is Now)”?

It measures 65/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, moderate sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 140 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 85% of the 19,209 songs we've measured. Its intensity reading of 65/100 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 90% 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 / hype7/10

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

2022 in context

The 362 songs we’ve measured from 2022 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity65
Dynamics78
Tempo56
Surprise50
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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