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10 songs that feel like Thumbs

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

Thumbs
The song you love
Thumbs
Lucy Dacus
moderate 34/100 intensity 80 BPM
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Eye Hate U — Prince moderate 84 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (34/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (84 BPM).

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One Tree Hill — U2 moderate 72 BPM

94% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Same smooth texture.

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Passionate Kisses — Lucinda Williams moderate 92 BPM

Keeps the same cathartic pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (39/100). Measured 93% alike.

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Mad — Solange feat. Lil Wayne moderate 90 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same smooth texture.

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Brilliant Disguise — Bruce Springsteen moderate 92 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100).

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Youngstown — Bruce Springsteen moderate 90 BPM

95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (35/100). Same smooth texture.

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How Can You Mend a Broken Heart — Al Green safe 76 BPM

Keeps the same emotional pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (37/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (76 BPM).

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Shirtsleeves — Ed Sheeran moderate 80 BPM

Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same smooth texture.

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Take Me to the River — Al Green moderate 80 BPM

A 96% feel-match — carries the same emotional pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (80 BPM).

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Damn Your Eyes — Etta James moderate 80 BPM

96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (38/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 34.

Happy For You by Dua Lipa
Happy For You — Dua Lipa safe 95 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge.

Sæglópur by Sigur Rós
Sæglópur — Sigur Rós safe 90 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while it stays in our safe band start to finish. Reads 31/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Have You Ever by Brandy
Have You Ever — Brandy safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

The Best Thing I Never Had by Beyoncé
The Best Thing I Never Had — Beyoncé safe 81 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 27/100, down from 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Scar Tissue — Red Hot Chili Peppers safe 81 BPM

It stays in our safe band start to finish, so it lands at 29/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Hey Jude by The Beatles
Hey Jude — The Beatles 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 45/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Candle in the Wind by Elton John
Candle in the Wind — Elton John safe 86 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 24/100, versus the original's 34. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Thumbs” by Lucy Dacus?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Eye Hate U” by Prince, “One Tree Hill” by U2, “Passionate Kisses” by Lucinda Williams — 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 “Thumbs” but calmer?

“If I Were a Boy” by Beyoncé, “Happy For You” by Dua Lipa, “Sæglópur” by Sigur Rós keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Thumbs”?

It measures 34/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 5/10, smooth texture, mild sudden shifts, and dynamic vocals. Tempo is 80 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 22% of songs, calmer than the other 78%. Its intensity reading of 34/100 comes from a dynamic range of 5/10, smooth 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 88% 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

Sleep5/10
Focus9/10
Workout2/10
Dinner8/10
Party / hype2/10

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

2021 in context

The 410 songs we’ve measured from 2021 average a dynamic range of 6.2/10. At 5/10, 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

Intensity34
Dynamics44
Tempo22
Surprise25
Density0
Predictability0
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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