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10 songs that feel like The Goal

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

The Goal
The song you love
The Goal
Leonard Cohen
moderate 14/100 intensity 60 BPM
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Everybody — Mac Miller moderate 60 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same serene pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Once Upon a Time in the West — Dire Straits safe 60 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Same smooth texture.

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St Jude — Florence and the Machine moderate 72 BPM

Keeps the same serene pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Measured 98% alike.

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Knockin' on Heaven's Door — Bob Dylan moderate 72 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100). Same smooth texture.

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Everyday Is Like Sunday — Morrissey moderate 72 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same serene pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (15/100).

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Corpus Christi Carol — Jeff Buckley moderate 60 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Same smooth texture.

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Into the West — Annie Lennox safe 60 BPM

Keeps the same serene pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (60 BPM).

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Long Dark Night — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds moderate 60 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (14/100). Same smooth texture.

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Yesterday's Wine — Willie Nelson safe 70 BPM

A 95% feel-match — carries the same serene pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (11/100).

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Things Behind the Sun — Nick Drake safe 72 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (11/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

Things Behind the Sun by Nick Drake
Things Behind the Sun — Nick Drake safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 11/100, down from 14.

The Big Ship by Brian Eno
The Big Ship — Brian Eno safe 60 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 8/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Slow Cheetah by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Slow Cheetah — Red Hot Chili Peppers safe 70 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 15/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

On Your Shore by Enya
On Your Shore — Enya safe 60 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 10/100, versus the original's 14. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Water Shows the Hidden Heart by Enya
Water Shows the Hidden Heart — Enya safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 15/100, down from 14.

Once Upon a Time in the West by Dire Straits
Once Upon a Time in the West — Dire Straits safe 60 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 14/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Boy with a Coin — Iron & Wine safe 72 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 11/100.

Sunset Soon Forgotten by Iron & Wine
Sunset Soon Forgotten — Iron & Wine safe 60 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 10/100, versus the original's 14. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “The Goal” by Leonard Cohen?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Everybody” by Mac Miller, “Once Upon a Time in the West” by Dire Straits, “St Jude” by Florence and the Machine — 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 “The Goal” but calmer?

“Things Behind the Sun” by Nick Drake, “The Big Ship” by Brian Eno, “Slow Cheetah” by Red Hot Chili Peppers keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “The Goal”?

It measures 14/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 60 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 sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 97% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 14/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is a slow, unhurried pace: more extreme on that axis than 100% 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

Sleep10/10
Focus9/10
Workout0/10
Dinner6/10
Party / hype0/10

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

2019 in context

The 448 songs we’ve measured from 2019 average a dynamic range of 6.1/10. At 4/10, 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

Intensity14
Dynamics33
Tempo11
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
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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