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10 songs that feel like What Have I Done to Deserve This?
Matched to What Have I Done to Deserve This? by Pet Shop Boys on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.
A 98% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (49/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (123 BPM).
95% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.
Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (118 BPM).
Measures 93% the same. It sits a little calmer at 42/100. Same layered texture.
A 93% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and sits a little calmer at 42/100.
93% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it sits a little calmer at 42/100. Same layered texture.
Keeps the same intimate pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Measured 96% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).
Measures 96% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Same layered texture.
A 96% feel-match — carries the same intimate pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (45/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (120 BPM).
96% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (44/100). Same layered texture.
…and if you want it calmer
Same feeling, measured gentler — for when What Have I Done to Deserve This? is more than you want right now.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but its dynamic range stays a gentler 3 where the original climbs to 8. Intensity 14/100, down from 48.
Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.
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 8. Reads 17/100.
Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 6 where the original climbs to 8. 30/100, versus the original's 48.
Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 28/100, down from 48.
Its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8, so it lands at 34/100 — the pull without the edge.
If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while its dynamic range stays a gentler 5 where the original climbs to 8. Reads 24/100.
Holds the same feel while its dynamic range stays a gentler 4 where the original climbs to 8. 15/100, versus the original's 48.
Frequently asked
What songs sound like “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” by Pet Shop Boys?
The closest feel-matches we measure are “The Unforgiven” by Metallica, “Let Go” by Deadmau5, “Piano Man” by Billy Joel — the top match scores 98% 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 “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” but calmer?
“Chega de Saudade” by Joao Gilberto, “Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken” by Camera Obscura, “The Boy with the Arab Strap” by Belle and Sebastian keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.
How intense is “What Have I Done to Deserve This?”?
It measures 48/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 115 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 52% of songs, calmer than the other 48%. Its intensity reading of 48/100 comes from a dynamic range of 8/10, layered texture, mild shifts, and soft 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 huge quiet-to-loud swing: more extreme on that axis than 80% 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
Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.
1987 in context
The 205 songs we’ve measured from 1987 average a dynamic range of 6.5/10. At 8/10, this track is louder and more dynamic than its year.
Mixes smoothly with
Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.
The fingerprint
The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.
Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?
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