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10 songs that feel like White Chalk

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

White Chalk
The song you love
White Chalk
PJ Harvey
moderate 21/100 intensity 70 BPM
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Satellite — Elliott Smith safe 85 BPM

A 91% feel-match — carries the same haunting pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (16/100).

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Our Mother the Mountain — Townes Van Zandt safe 85 BPM

91% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (16/100). Same smooth texture.

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Hobo Blues — John Lee Hooker moderate 80 BPM

Keeps the same haunting pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (18/100). Measured 89% alike.

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PRIDE. — Kendrick Lamar safe 70 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Same smooth texture.

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That's the Way — Led Zeppelin safe 72 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (72 BPM).

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Wreck on the Highway — Bruce Springsteen safe 72 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Same smooth texture.

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China — Tori Amos safe 72 BPM

Keeps the same melancholy pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (21/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (72 BPM).

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Stable Song — Death Cab for Cutie safe 75 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (22/100). Same smooth texture.

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Mood Indigo — Frank Sinatra safe 60 BPM

A 98% feel-match — carries the same melancholy pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (20/100).

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Roads — Portishead safe 82 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (22/100). Same smooth texture.

…and if you want it calmer

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

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Satellite — Elliott Smith safe 85 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 16/100, down from 21.

Our Mother the Mountain by Townes Van Zandt
Our Mother the Mountain — Townes Van Zandt safe 85 BPM

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 16/100 — the pull without the edge.

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

If it's the same feel you're after, this delivers it while nothing in it lurches or startles. Reads 12/100. Nearly the same tempo, too.

If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot
If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot safe 85 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 16/100, versus the original's 21.

Please, Please, Please by James Brown
Please, Please, Please — James Brown safe 80 BPM

Keeps the same feel of the original, but nothing in it lurches or startles. Intensity 32/100, down from 21. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths

Nothing in it lurches or startles, so it lands at 23/100 — the pull without the edge. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
Champagne Problems — Taylor Swift safe 68 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.

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Everybody Hurts — R.E.M. safe 75 BPM

Holds the same feel while nothing in it lurches or startles. 22/100, versus the original's 21. Nearly the same tempo, too.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “White Chalk” by PJ Harvey?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Satellite” by Elliott Smith, “Our Mother the Mountain” by Townes Van Zandt, “Hobo Blues” by John Lee Hooker — the top match scores 91% 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 “White Chalk” but calmer?

“Satellite” by Elliott Smith, “Our Mother the Mountain” by Townes Van Zandt, “Blowin' in the Wind” by Bob Dylan keep a similar feel while measuring gentler — lower dynamic swing, fewer sudden shifts, or a calmer overall level.

How intense is “White Chalk”?

It measures 21/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, mild sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 70 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 87% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 21/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, mild 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 an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 97% 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

Sleep8/10
Focus9/10
Workout1/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype1/10

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

2007 in context

The 311 songs we’ve measured from 2007 average a dynamic range of 6.3/10. 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

Intensity21
Dynamics33
Tempo17
Surprise25
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
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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