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10 songs that feel like Thorn in My Side

Matched to Thorn in My Side by Eurythmics on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

The song you love
Thorn in My Side
Eurythmics
moderate 46/100 intensity 124 BPM
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Listen to Her Heart — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers moderate 120 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Vicious — Lou Reed moderate 120 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Parachute — Chris Stapleton moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Paper Doll — Fleetwood Mac moderate 118 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Don't Do Me Like That — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers moderate 116 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (116 BPM).

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Saving Grace — Tom Petty moderate 124 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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Die Fun — Kacey Musgraves moderate 120 BPM

Keeps the same rebellious pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).

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Africa Unite — Bob Marley & The Wailers moderate 125 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Same layered texture.

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No Children — The Mountain Goats moderate 126 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same rebellious pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (126 BPM).

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This Year — The Mountain Goats moderate 135 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (47/100). Same layered texture.

…and if you want it calmer

Same feeling, measured gentler — for when Thorn in My Side is more than you want right now.

Computer Love by Kraftwerk
Computer Love — Kraftwerk safe 110 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. Intensity 19/100, down from 46.

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Walking on the Milky Way — Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark safe 118 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 33/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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Talking Loud and Clear — Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark safe 118 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.

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

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 40/100, versus the original's 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 29/100, down from 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Changes by David Bowie
Changes — David Bowie safe 124 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 27/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Let's Dance by David Bowie
Let's Dance — David Bowie safe 115 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 38/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

9 to 5 by Dolly Parton
9 to 5 — Dolly Parton safe 120 BPM

Holds the same feel while it stays in our safe band start to finish. 42/100, versus the original's 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Thorn in My Side” by Eurythmics?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Listen to Her Heart” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Vicious” by Lou Reed, “Parachute” by Chris Stapleton — 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 “Thorn in My Side” but calmer?

“Computer Love” by Kraftwerk, “Walking on the Milky Way” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Talking Loud and Clear” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Thorn in My Side”?

It measures 46/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 6/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 124 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 44% of songs, calmer than the other 56%. Its intensity reading of 46/100 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 a fast, driving tempo: more extreme on that axis than 81% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout6/10
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

Intensity46
Dynamics56
Tempo47
Surprise25
Density33
Predictability0
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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