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10 songs that feel like Time Tough

Matched to Time Tough by Toots and the Maytals on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Time Tough
The song you love
Time Tough
Toots and the Maytals
moderate 46/100 intensity 85 BPM
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Muziqawi Silt — Mahmoud Ahmed moderate 90 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same energetic pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (90 BPM).

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STUNTMAN — Tyler, the Creator moderate 85 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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Light Years — Pearl Jam moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same reflective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Opened Once — Jeff Buckley moderate 85 BPM

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

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Salem — Bon Iver moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same reflective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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And Nothing Is Forever — The Cure moderate 85 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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Shadows and Light — Joni Mitchell moderate 85 BPM

Keeps the same reflective pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Heart Pt. 6 — Kendrick Lamar moderate 85 BPM

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

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Quicksand — Björk moderate 85 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same reflective pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (46/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (85 BPM).

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Sorrowful Soil — Björk moderate 85 BPM

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

…and if you want it calmer

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

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence — Ryuichi Sakamoto safe 70 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but it stays in our safe band start to finish. Intensity 38/100, down from 46.

Xtal by Aphex Twin
Xtal — Aphex Twin safe 90 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 30/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Both Sides, Now by Joni Mitchell
Both Sides, Now — Joni Mitchell safe 82 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 27/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie
This Land Is Your Land — Woody Guthrie safe 100 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 6. 18/100, versus the original's 46.

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 46.

Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay — Otis Redding safe 88 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 20/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Riptide by Vance Joy
Riptide — Vance Joy safe 100 BPM

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 22/100.

Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
Blowin' in the Wind — Bob Dylan safe 80 BPM

Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 6. 12/100, versus the original's 46. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Time Tough” by Toots and the Maytals?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Muziqawi Silt” by Mahmoud Ahmed, “STUNTMAN” by Tyler, the Creator, “Light Years” by Pearl Jam — 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 “Time Tough” but calmer?

“Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” by Ryuichi Sakamoto, “Xtal” by Aphex Twin, “Both Sides, Now” by Joni Mitchell keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “Time Tough”?

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 85 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 79% 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

Sleep4/10
Focus8/10
Workout3/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype3/10

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

1969 in context

The 222 songs we’ve measured from 1969 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity46
Dynamics56
Tempo25
Surprise25
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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