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10 songs that feel like Lonely Boy

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

Lonely Boy
The song you love
Lonely Boy
The Black Keys
moderate 59/100 intensity 168 BPM
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Colony — Joy Division moderate 128 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100).

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Dumpweed — Blink-182 moderate 150 BPM

90% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 52/100.

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Sultans of Swing — Dire Straits moderate 148 BPM

Keeps the same energetic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (58/100). Measured 96% alike.

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Highway to Hell — AC/DC intense 116 BPM

Measures 89% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (60/100). Same complex texture.

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As It Was — Harry Styles moderate 174 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (174 BPM).

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Seven Nation Army — The White Stripes moderate 124 BPM

88% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (63/100). Same complex texture.

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Paint It Black — The Rolling Stones moderate 140 BPM

Keeps the same heavy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (64/100). Measured 90% alike.

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Faith — The Weeknd moderate 164 BPM

Measures 90% the same. It sits a little calmer at 53/100.

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Spiral Architect — Black Sabbath moderate 152 BPM

A 89% feel-match — carries the same heavy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (56/100).

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Nico and the Niners — Twenty One Pilots moderate 140 BPM

93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (61/100). Same complex texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Mas Que Nada by Jorge Ben
Mas Que Nada — Jorge Ben safe 100 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 35/100, down from 59.

Riptide by Vance Joy
Riptide — Vance Joy safe 100 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 22/100 — the pull without the edge.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody by Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with Somebody — Whitney Houston safe 119 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 40/100.

The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala
The Less I Know the Better — Tame Impala safe 116 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 29/100, versus the original's 59.

Behind the Gardens by Andreas Vollenweider
Behind the Gardens — Andreas Vollenweider safe 55 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 20/100, down from 59.

The Man in Black by Johnny Cash
The Man in Black — Johnny Cash safe 88 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 32/100 — the pull without the edge.

One Piece at a Time by Johnny Cash
One Piece at a Time — Johnny Cash safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 29/100.

That's the Way It Is by Celine Dion
That's the Way It Is — Celine Dion safe 90 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 36/100, versus the original's 59.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Colony” by Joy Division, “Dumpweed” by Blink-182, “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits — the top match scores 91% 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 “Lonely Boy” but calmer?

“Mas Que Nada” by Jorge Ben, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Lonely Boy”?

It measures 59/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, complex texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 168 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 59/100 comes from a dynamic range of 6/10, complex texture, mild 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 97% 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

Sleep3/10
Focus6/10
Workout4/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype6/10

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 6/10, 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

Intensity59
Dynamics56
Tempo71
Surprise25
Density60
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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